If you have a product, a website or both, then you probably consider how to target many types of populations. If you are not already considering how to target the Hispanic population, then you are behind the game. Don’t worry – you can catch up quickly with our tips. Latino marketing is easy to do using the web if you do it the right way. The Hispanic population is a huge portion of the United States, so any company that is not learning how to target this population is really missing out. 

Hispanics account for over half of the population growth in the last ten years. If you are looking for growth in your own business, then you need to be targeting Hispanic web surfers in your web marketing campaign. Latinos make up at least 20 percent of the buyers out there, and you want to make sure your products and services are in front of them in an effective manner. Multicultural marketing is always important, because you want to make sure your products or services are available to a diverse population. However, if you are not from the targeted population, you may be at a loss as to how to start your marketing campaign. First, you need to understand who you are marketing to.

Hispanic marketers tend to:
• Use social media often 
• Engage in social media for more personal use than for business purposes
• Use the web to connect with family and friends in other countries at a low cost
• Conduct searches in their native language, mainly Spanish
• Bring family members into buying decisions

The great news is, you do not have to completely shift your budget to be able to include Hispanic marketing. There are ways you can improve on what you are already doing and make a few changes here and there that will make a huge impact. Here are some tips to help you make sure you are targeting Hispanic web surfers:

1. Think about Hispanics at every stage of the game

If 20 percent and growing of your client base isn’t telling, then think about this: hundreds of millions of dollars are being left on the table if you do not include Hispanics in your marketing efforts. You can easily remedy this by thinking about Hispanics from the planning stages and beyond. This can be as simple as asking the question, “What about Hispanics?” when it comes to building your website, launching a new brand, and more.

2. Think about inclusion

You learned that Hispanics like to use the web a lot, but mostly in their native language. Even though many Hispanics do speak English, they actually prefer to surf the web in Spanish. Speak their language, and you will be rewarded. And this includes more than just converting your website to Spanish. Really target your website and have it professionally translated so that all of the meaning really shines through. Many things can get lost in translation so you do not want to have automated software do it.

3. Be equipped to help Hispanics

If your Hispanic marketing plan involves just getting Latinos interested, then that is only part of the picture. You must have someone on your team that can help Hispanics if they call in with a question or want to purchase what you offer. Record a voicemail in Spanish and have a separate number they can call with questions. Make sure someone on your staff speaks Spanish and can help customers if they have questions.

The Hispanic population is very interested in media and in the web. When the iPhone came out, 25 percent of the first buyers were Latino, and Hispanics make up the largest group of users on Facebook and MySpace. They are highly engaged online, and with over 50 million Hispanics in the United States, you really need to make sure your marketing tactics include the suggestions we gave above.

Take a look at your marketing strategy and make sure it includes the Latino population. You do not want to be a company that leaves literally millions of dollars on the table. Start small, with simply keeping Hispanics in mind from the planning stages of your web marketing, and then make sure you have Spanish options for your website and Spanish speakers to help you out when you do start getting Latino customers. Implementing our tips will ensure you not only target Hispanic web surfers, but that you can help them once they do get to your website.

Luminar Inights is the premiere source of latino analytics and insights on the web. If you are looking for a reliable source of hispanic consumer trends to take your marketing campaign to the next level, go to their website to learn more.

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(Source: smallbizdiamonds.com)