Article originally published on Orlando Business Journal
Digital marketing has rapidly evolved the way we connect with people, consume headlines and create our perception about brands. The ever-growing use of social media, mobile and video content also impacts the role of traditional advertising, and digital marketing has become a strong arm to support your overall marketing efforts that you can’t overlook.
In the past, consumers would create their perceptions about a company based on the logo design, stationary, the aisle displays at retail stores and the presence in print and TV. Today, the first thing they do to determine if the company is trustworthy or not, is to find the company on the Internet and read the customer reviews. So the rules have changed and your website is now your storefront.
While there is still this expectation and misunderstanding from many companies that Hispanics will gradually become part of the melting pot, businesses also are hurting themselves by not reaching the Hispanic market as effectively as possible. Hispanics are the largest population group that has shown culture sustainability and their usage rate of television, social networking, online video, smart phones and other forms of entertainment make Hispanics one of today’s most engaged and powerful target audiences.
According to a Pew Hispanic Center survey, more than three-in-four (78 percent) Latinos use the Internet or send and receive email at least occasionally. Nearly all (95 percent) Hispanic adults with family incomes of $50,000+ go online at least occasionally, as do young Hispanics ages 18 to 29 (93 percent), and Hispanics with annual family incomes between $30,000 and $49,999 (93 percent).
These numbers show that digital is a strong source to penetrate the Hispanic market. In order to capture this powerful community, here are some helpful tips to keep in mind:
- Make a user-friendly experience: Your website has to be mobile friendly; very easy to navigate so your customers can find the information they are looking for. If you are having a special offer to drive traffic to your site, make sure to explain it in your home page. Avoid extra steps to redeem it. It will turn people off and they won’t come back.
- Avoid software translations: Your body copy will sound out of context and spelling errors will occur. Make sure all translations are created or supervised by experts in the industry.
- Support your efforts through online: You can be very geo-targeted unlike traditional advertising. Also, you can track the level of engagement and the traffic volume generated by your online campaign.
- Promote your social media pages: It is a great way to generate buzz, and make customers follow and engage with your brand. Make sure those social media icons on your website are linked directly to your pages.
- Invest in SEO: Search Engine Optimization is a methodology of techniques, tactics and strategies that will help increase the amount of visitors to your site by obtaining a high-ranking placement in the search engines like: Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. This will help your customers find you very easily. Make sure to do it in English and Spanish.
According to IAB Hispanic’s “U.S. Latinos Online: A driving force,” it is estimated that there will be 42 million Hispanics online by 2015. Also, Hispanics are outpacing the average Internet user in BPI (Buying Power Index) in categories like shipping, airlines, consumer goods, online travel agents, hotels/resorts, fragrances/cosmetics and more.
Making the right efforts with your digital marketing will help increase your company’s bottom line. The question is: How much money are you leaving on the table by not reaching them effectively?