Embrace the Wildfire!

How to Use Mobile and Social Media to Effectively Connect with the Hispanic Community and Increase Brand Awareness

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More and more, store employees are ringing up purchases while barely using the cash register. How? They are using their mobile phones to scan items, swipe credit cards through an appendage on the phone, and having customers sign on the phone itself. 

The “cha-ching” ring of cash registers is slowly becoming a nostalgic sound as mobile technology creeps up on tangible services and products. In fact, even people both young and old are walking around with their heads down in the light that sheds from their social media apps. It’s obvious that mobile media was taking over the world.  

The Biggest Users

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The U.S. Hispanic consumer is one of the greatest users of social media and mobile media in the world of marketing and consumer outreach. Not surprisingly, with their population size growing quicker than the speed of light, the U.S. Hispanic Market should be paid special attention to. Their buying power and obvious social media influence will help increase your brand awareness and effectively connect to others, through others.  

With that in mind, Forrester finds that Hispanics tend to over-index in their consumptions of social networking websites like MySpace, YouTube, and Twitter. What does this mean? U.S. Hispanics are fiends when it comes to social networking sites and use them much more than any other ethnic group. What’s more is that online Hispanics are generally “more active than non-Hispanics” and continue to “lead the market in online social behavior.” Hispanicmarketing.co adds to this data by finding that U.S. Hispanics are extremely active in online activities and more receptive to new technology than non-Hispanics. Additionally, Hispanics are prone to refer products or services to friends and family, making your marketing efforts much more efficient.  

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Unilever took full advantage of the Hispanic community’s large use of social media and connected with them through Facebook. Their page, vivemejor is driven towards Latina users as a way to connect Unilever with a huge online community. ClickZ asked Russel Lilly, Unilever’s multicultural marketing director, about three key best practices for connecting a brand with a community. He pointed out three great points:

1. Actively participate in the online conversation. Unilever does this by engaging in conversations Latinas are having online in social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube around topics that they know--beauty and food.  Once there, Unilever speaks to Latinas in Spanish and more importantly, provide compelling content and tips that can help them in their everyday lives. 

2. Create exclusive content.  Unilever works with industry leading experts to develop relevant and timely content for their consumers.  By offering exclusive tips and information they attract their consumers' attention, which then keeps them coming back for more.

3. Socialize information online and offline. Lastly, in connecting brands with the Hispanic community, they share their information with Latinas both online and offline via multiple touch points, including mass media, digital, social media, in store events across the U.S.--all of which provide content and brand engagement. 

Use, Don’t Abuse!

Of course, the U.S. Hispanic community is alive and thriving on social networks more than any other segment.  Through social media, members of the U.S. Hispanic population help spread their thoughts on brands and share their thoughts off the grid.  They seek family and friends to talk about things like the latest happenings from their favorite car brand’s Facebook page, or what their favorite actor is tweeting about.      

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Why are marketers not reaching out to U.S. Hispanics who are statistically known to be extremely active with social media? 

Company Fear: Latinos will not understand their outreach because of language and/or cultural barriers. 
 
Solutions? 

1. Pay attention to influencers in your community of interest and how they outreach to your target audience. 

2. Spend more time than money researching and understanding your target audience for yourself and for your company. 

An article on newstaco.com expands on how to successfully market to Latinos with social media. You need to do a few essential things: you have to understand the tools (social media platforms), you have to understand your audience (listen to what Latinos are already saying), you have to know who you’re selling to, and then you have to monitor how you’re doing.   

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Corales and Martinez, the Hispanic Research Team of NM Incite in Hispanics in Social Media and the Emerging Opportunities for Brands in 2011 provide another great list of tips to reach the U.S. Hispanic Market. They state that, incorporating social media into multicultural marketing initiatives can offer serious gains for Hispanic engagement.  Here are some general best practices for Hispanic social media:

Understand Your Hispanic Audience. Hispanics vary in language and cultural practices. Culturally speaking, there are five main groups of Hispanics today, ranging from Spanish dominant to English-preferring Hispanics. Not all Hispanics fit in the same category and it is critical to understand the differences of each.

Choose Your Language Wisely. Because of the varying language and cultural practices of Hispanics, it is important to know what language to use within your audience. Affluent Hispanics may prefer English or even Spanglish, but if your audience prominently posts in Spanish, create content in Spanish to better engage your audience

Keep Content Culturally Relevant. Some of the biggest complaints from Latino bloggers reflect the lack of culturally relevant content from brands. Generally speaking, Hispanics want a meaningful and authentic connection with the products they use. Hispanics also expect brands to do their part in protecting, empowering and inspiring their community.

Pay Attention to Key Influencers within the Hispanic Segment. Consider following influential Hispanic online communities, such as the following listed below with their Twitter handle, and blurb about who they are taken from their Twitter page:

@ergeekgoddess (21,423 followers): Elianne Ramos, Hopelessly undomestic, globetrotter, author, CEO of Speak Hispanic, Vice-Chair of Marketing at LATISM, The Universe’s 1^st and only geek goddess! Speakhispanic.com.   

 
 

@JesseLuna (9,060 followers): Jesse P. Luna, Communications Specialist at @SEIU721 in Tri-Counties.  Social change through social media.  Tweets here are my own. #unions#ERIC#LATISM#faireconomy 

 

  

@LatinosatWork (3,184 followers): Murray A. Mann, Co-author Barron’s The Complete Job Search Guide for Latinos and Principal, Global Diversity Solutions Group, LLC.  A dialog on Latino career management issues. 

@Latism (26,403 followers): Latinos In Soc Media, Official account for Latinos in Social Media – hailed as the most influential online movement in the new multicultural web-founded by @AnaRC 

@Sarann (5,890 followers): Sara Patterson, Founder & Editor of MommaFindings.com, Brand Advocate and Consultant, Freelance Writer, Running Momma, Writing Momma, Latina Momma, Blogging Momma. 

 

@UrbanJibaro (16,313 followers): George Torres, Founder of Sofrito Media Group.  I connect people with the Latino culture utilizing social media and real world networking/entertainment events. #dailysofrito

The Bottom Line

To be successful with the U.S. Hispanic Market, be relevant, be timely, understanding, and most importantly be smart. Use opportunities such as outreaching through influencers, and targeting Spanish language media to broadcast about your products.  Don’t be afraid to cross cultural borders and take risks because when it comes to the U.S. Hispanic market.

All you need is one and it spreads like wildfire.

Important Notes

U.S. Hispanic Social Media Guide 2010-2011 Edition

The U.S. Hispanic community is very active on social media sites via computer and mobile apps. What’s MORE important is that they seek family and friends to talk about the latest happenings afterwards. 

U.S. Hispanics presence in online activities make them more receptive to new technology than non-Hispanics. 

Additionally, Hispanics are prone to refer products or services to friends and family, making your marketing efforts much more efficient.