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Hispanics Are Online in Large Numbers

A recent study by Communispace Corporation  has concluded online marketing to Hispanic communities can be highly successful, if culture is respected and messages tailored.

Studying more than 1,000 Hispanic members in two private, online communities  revealed several trends that not only validate the effectiveness of using online media such as communities and social networks to reach Hispanic audiences, but also offer strategic guidance for doing so more effectively. Following these cues could help marketers more successfully engage Hispanics online-not just once, but in a longitudinal, iterative way.

Hispanics of all backgrounds will and do participate in online communities.

More acculturated Hispanics may be less active in an all-Spanish environment Second-generation Hispanics demonstrated lower participation rates than their less acculturated, first-generation counterparts, indicating that they may not prefer a Spanish-only forum. In one community, first-generation members had a monthly participation rate of 43% versus 31% for second-generation. Additionally, among first-generation Hispanics, participation decreased as time living in the U.S. increased.

These findings suggest that more "Americanized" Hispanics may feel less comfortable in a completely Spanish environment. "I am fluent in Spanish," one second-generation member posted. "I can read, write and speak it. However, there are a lot of words I am not familiar with. I learned my Spanish from my grandparents. I am just more comfortable in English." This common story shows that marketers would be wise to communicate bilingually with acculturated Hispanics, so as to more closely match their offline lives.

Providing an intimate environment in which participants feel a sense of belonging is critical to gathering authentic and unfiltered customer insight. There is no question that marketers need to adjust their approach to targeting Hispanics. While the potential to learn is limitless, savvy marketers should keep these key trends from Communispace's study in mind when striving to engage Hispanics online.

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