According to the U.S. Census, Latinos are the fastest-growing and largest minority. Their presence is also growing significantly online. In 2007, only 56 percent of Latinos were online. By 2011, the percentage of Latinos online climbed to 62.9 percent.
The Hispanic online market has:
Achieved critical mass: 20 million in June, 2008
Sustained strong growth: More than 3.5 million new Hispanic users came online between June 2007 and June 2008, representing 21% growth vs. 6% general market growth during the same period
Been classified as an “upscale, mass market”: Online Hispanics are more affluent, more educated, and more acculturated than the aggregate Hispanic population
Online Hispanics are:
In their main household formation years: 56% are between 18 – 34 years old
Have buying potential: 60% earn more than $40,000 and 68% have credit cards
Leading the digital revolution: More likely to have websites, blogs and be active on social networks
They access to Internet for education, empowerment, communication and entertainment.
They are bilingual.
In order to connect with Hispanics online and accomplish business objectives, companies should consider the following Hispanic online best practices:
1. In-Language – online communications must address Hispanic’s language preferences and ideally be in both English and Spanish
2. In- Culture – regardless of language the user experience must be culturally relevant to achieve an emotional connection with Hispanics
3. Access – Hispanic users should be able to access Hispanic sites through prominent access on general market sites
4. Hispanic URL strategy –stand-alone Hispanic URL’s should be used for marketing and search engine optimization purposes
5. Comparability and Maintenance –Hispanic site should be as comparable as possible to general market sites while being consistently evolved and maintained
6. Notification – Hispanic user expectations should be managed through proactive notification if a user navigates from Spanish to English-only content
7. Toggle – enable users to toggle between English and Spanish sites if available
8. Recent data suggest that Hispanic consumers differ in terms of language preference and media use, owing mostly to differences in education, occupation, income, and nativity.
I like the post, it is clear and give many interesting issues.
Thank you Alfredo
Nancy