As the Hispanic market continues to evolve, more and more clients are asking about the right approach to the Latino market. How to find the best segmentation model is one of the most frequently asked questions. I always reply with another question: what are you trying to solve?

It’s because a one-size-fits-all solution doesn’t work when it comes to segmentation. Clients must be very careful when being approached by companies trying to sell their own “proprietary Hispanic segmentation” model. Most of these predetermined segmentation models are not based on a specific product or category. Rather, they can be too generic.

The Usual Suspects

Originally, language was the default variable to segment U.S. Latinos. Well, though hard to believe, language still seems to be the first thing many companies think of when it comes to Latino marketing.

Focusing on language preference doesn’t help you understand who the consumer is in terms of identity and behavior. It might definitely have an impact on media selection but it shouldn’t dictate your strategy. It doesn’t make much sense. It’s like, let’s say for a general market campaign you decided to create different messages based on the various English dialects (e.g., lowlanders vs. New Englanders).

Country of origin comes second to language. U.S. Hispanics are not all the same: like Mexicans and Puerto Ricans. But, as marketers, we need to get past those differences and find common threads. For example, if you are a Mexican beer you might think about targeting Mexican Americans. But the realities of Mexicans living in the U.S. are certainly different from those living in Mexico. Do they want to stay connected to their heritage or seek new experiences? And if that’s the case, why limit your sales only to Mexicans? Why not expand your potential market by targeting other Latinos too?

Actually, the marketplace has become more complex and the usual variables might be completely aligned with the Latino population dynamics.

Acculturation, Important but Misleading

In the past few years, acculturation has become one of the most overused variables in the Latino market. This segmentation approach assumes that people within the same level of acculturation (a.k.a. level of adaptation to American culture) will behave the same. I agree that acculturation plays an important role and needs to be considered. But as I discussed in my previous column, acculturation is not a linear process anymore.

Let’s see some examples of how acculturation can be misleading.

Assumption: High-acculturated Latinos earn more money than lower-acculturated Latinos.

Fact: Foreign-born Latinos make up 55 percent of Hispanic households with an annual income of over $100,000.

Assumption: More acculturated Latinos have a very similar behavior to the general population.

Fact: Take sports as an example. More acculturated Hispanics have a higher tendency toward American sports, but that’s in addition to sports from their native countries. They add rather than replace.

Assumption: Differences in acculturation level implies different mindsets.

Fact: There are more similarities than you might think, according to these statements based on Experian Simmons data.

Tell Me How You Behave and I’ll Tell You Who You Are

When I approach Hispanic segmentation for any of our clients, I always stress the importance of behavior on top of other approaches. It’s critical that the model is based on how a consumer behaves specifically to your product category. Attitudes toward religion might not be relevant when it comes to selecting a mobile phone carrier.

How individuals have behaved in the past can be a far more accurate predictor of future behavior than others discussed above. And, at the end of the day, that’s the sole purpose of segmentation: to group people trying to predict how they will respond to a specific marketing effort.

Behavioral segmentation allows you to identify the relationship between different variables (attitudinal, psychographics, interests, technology adoption, media consumption, connection to Latino culture, etc.).

Then, as a second step, you can cross tab segments against the “usual suspects” (language preference, acculturation, country of origin, and other demographics).

I’m not saying just go for behavioral models. What I’m saying is that you should go beyond language and acculturation. Build a specific model for your brand that combines all variables that have an impact on your business. Test and learn.

Questions Your Segmentation Model Should Answer

• Is it relevant? Whatever the approach you decide to use, make sure that the segmentation is based on your specific category and the business challenge you are trying to solve.
• Is it actionable? Segmentation models only works if they can affect/have an impact on strategy, messaging, and media selections.
• Is it predictive? Your model should help anticipate consumer behavior.
• Are segments substantial? Though Latinos have contributed to more than 50 percent of U.S. population growth, they represent 16 percent of the total population for now. Having models that segment Hispanics in seven different groups would make it impractical and difficult to justify the resources needed.
• Does it make sense? At the end of the day, everything is about business smart. If your segmentation model makes strategic sense, go for it.

Related posts:

1. The Fight for Targeting Latinos Online
2. Targeting Latinos on LinkedIn
3. Latinos and the language of media

Related posts:

1. Latinos and Facebook: The Marketing Gap
2. Targeting Latinos on LinkedIn
3. The Unrecognized Star of Latino Marketing

I wasn’t surprised when almost a year ago, Pew Research released a report showing that more people were getting their news online than from print newspapers. Nor was I surprised when last November, Google modified its algorithm to show timelier results, affecting about 35 percent of all searches. A clear response to Facebook and Twitter, whose seconds-old updates were challenging Google’s role as the king of search.

These are clear examples of how the media environment is changing at a dramatic speed. The shift is not linear; consumers are not simply changing their media preferences. This behavior shift also affects what consumers expect from the media, not just which media they use more often.

Newspaper News Is Old News

Latinos are experiencing a media shift of their own. Similar to the general population, there’s a decreasing interest in traditional media (especially newspapers) as a main source of information. Though the Latino shift is more dramatic: only 21 percent of Hispanics read a newspaper most days versus 30 percent of the total population, according to Experian Simmons.

As you can see on the chart below, newspapers are not only losing credibility overall but also in a key area: local news.

It’s clear that the Internet is stealing audience from newspapers. Forty-two percent of Hispanics said that they get more of their news from the Internet.

Radio has also been affected, but interesting to note, TV still plays a key role. Take a look at the media Latinos rely on to keep themselves informed: TV – 42 percent, radio – 27 percent, and newspapers – 23 percent.

Latinos don’t simply like to get facts. They want an interactive news experience. Bloggers and social media feeds have outpaced regular newspapers as a source for news, by offering personalized content with the ability to comment and share.

In Search of Entertainment

When it comes to information overall, the Internet is the main destination for 53 percent of Hispanics. No surprise here. What’s surprising is that more than 40 percent of Hispanics agree that the Internet has increased their desire to learn new things. While we normally think of the Internet as the destination for news and entertainment, for Latinos it’s become the place to learn, expand and improve skills, feed their curiosity, and, of course, share with friends and family. What about entertainment?

When it comes to entertainment, TV (42 percent) is the main destination for Latinos, followed by the Internet (25 percent), and radio (22 percent). Yet, Hispanics spend 37 percent fewer hours watching TV versus non-Hispanic whites.

Radio is still the preferred medium of choice for Spanish-preferred Latinos. More than 50 percent of Hispanics have listened to Spanish radio stations, twice the time they visited Spanish websites or read a Spanish newspaper.

On the other end, young Latinos (18 to 24 years old) are twice as likely to consider the Internet as their main source of entertainment compared to older Latinos.

The imperious need for ubiquity continues to grow. Hispanics are 40 percent more likely than the general population to watch video (or TV) on the Internet or a cellphone versus on a regular television screen. Also, they over-index by 70 percent in watching TV on their smartphones or tablets.

Last but not least, the social factor is key. Latino consumers are more than three times likely to check, via social media networks, what programs their friends are watching.

Advertising Ain’t What It Used to Be

Even though Latinos still have a more positive attitude toward advertising versus the general population, there’s a declining trend as seen on the chart below.

Traditional advertising is losing ground when it comes to influence purchase. Hispanics are relying more on the Internet and mobile. Peer-to-peer recommendation is becoming more and more important as Latinos continue to lead the mobile web. According to Mintel, Latinos are more likely to click on banner ads on video sites compared to any other demographic.

Product placement is still well perceived by Latinos. They are more likely to be influenced by brand/product placement and more prone to buy a brand that they have been exposed to in a TV show. This is true even among bicultural Hispanics.

An interesting trend to watch is the growing penetration of DVR use. It has almost tripled since 2006: 32 percent of Latinos have one. The impact on advertising is critical: 86 percent of Hispanic DVR owners fast forward through the commercials.

Media Moving Forward

What will happen in the future, no one knows. What’s clear is the shift in how Latinos consume media.

Digital newspapers and social influencers are taking over print. Hispanics are willing to dedicate more time to learn, thus decreasing the interest in news overall.

Radio still plays a critical role for Spanish-preferred Latinos both for news and entertainment.

Latinos’ positive attitude toward advertising is decreasing as a consequence of DVR growth.

The Internet and mobile have outpaced traditional advertising in terms of influence. Latinos’ social nature: peer-to-peer influence not only affects purchases but also TV viewing choices.

The Internet continues to redefine media. Latinos are heavily reliant on TV as their entertainment source; the Internet allows enjoyment anytime and anywhere. At the same time, the Internet has created a new space for exploration. Latinos use the Internet to learn and discover new things while feeding their curiosity for new stuff and, of course, sharing it on the go.

Related posts:

1. Latinos and the language of media
2. The Changing Face of Hispanic Media
3. Latinos Leading the Mobile Web

When it comes to Latinos and online shopping, there are still lots of preconceptions. “Hispanics don’t buy online”; “Spanish-dominant Latinos represent no potential for online businesses”; “Latinos don’t want to do their online shopping in Spanish.” These are some examples of the most frequently used reasons of why some companies are still doing barely anything to grow their business among online Latinos.

Understanding the dynamics and challenges facing Latinos and online shopping can help fight these preconceptions and definitely help increase sales.

Latinos are not only buying online, but they are also spending more per transaction. According to Terra and comScore, Hispanics spent more per online transaction than non-Hispanics: $103.19 vs. $90.82, respectively.

The Language of Online Shopping

The notion that low-acculturated or Spanish-dominant Latinos don’t shop online isn’t necessarily true. Neither is the preconception that Latinos don’t want to shop in Spanish. It’s like we’re confusing not having a choice with what consumers really want. If companies aren’t providing the right approach (e.g., full e-commerce in Spanish), why would consumers react positively to it?

When Spanish-language web content ends just before checkout and concludes in English, conversion rates fall off sharply (as much as 90 percent), according to author Joe Kutchera.

Let’s review some facts that show that Spanish-dominant Latinos are actually buying online.

As I said before, Spanish-dominant and/or bilingual Latinos spend more dollars per transaction and per buyer compared to English-dominant Latinos. They also spend more dollars per transaction vs. non-Hispanics. A great example is Best Buy. Users of its Spanish language website spend twice as much time and twice as much money per visit.

The Cultural Challenge

There are some specific cultural nuances that affect Latino behavior and need to be addressed by brands.

Familiarity is key: 42 percent of Latinos only make purchases from online retailers/stores that they’re familiar with.

Transparency and trust are also important: testimonials from other Latino customers showcasing security verification logos (VeriSign, for example), clarity, and simplicity throughout the purchase process help in increasing purchase rates. The need to interact with a person is critical for most Latinos, no matter the level of acculturation. Companies should provide alternative ways of customer support (chat, phone, email, etc.) and make sure that they’re clearly communicated across their website.

Providing personal information is also a sensitive matter among Hispanics. In order to reduce dropout rates, companies need to reduce the amount of information required (e.g., many Latinos don’t want to provide their SSN, so allow using other types of identification).

Credit cards are another barrier to online shopping among Hispanics both from a penetration and trust perspective. Although penetration among Latinos has grown (42 percent), it’s still low compared to non-Hispanics (68 percent). Marketers need to provide alternative solutions to deal both with non-credit cardholders as well as with those Latinos that don’t want to provide their credit card information online. Dish Latino has a great approach to solve this issue: it asks customers upfront if they have/want to provide their credit card information. A wide range of payment methods is offered as an alternative to not having a credit card.

A Hybrid Approach to Shopping

Online shopping is growing among Latinos at a fast rate. Today, 19 percent of Hispanics are regularly shopping online, and 16 percent of Latinos are shopping via their mobile phone (vs. 11 percent for non-Hispanic whites). In order to increase their share among Hispanics, marketers need to develop a hybrid model that combines the best of both worlds: online and offline.

According to Google, 47 percent of Hispanics use the Internet as their primary source for retail-related shopping (vs. 41 percent non-Hispanics). The Internet is playing a critical role in the decision-making process and very few marketers are using it in a smart way to capture the Latino consumer. Companies should provide online tools that help Latinos make their purchase decision: product information, price comparison, evaluating options, and or making the final decision.

If the consumer doesn’t want to complete the whole purchase online, companies could instead be sending more qualified leads to either their call center or stores.

Also, Latinos react very positively to a hand-holding approach. A step-by-step, clear process can help. Or having video tutorials, as Allstate does, that walk the consumer through the process in a very didactic way.

The Importance of Mobile

Latinos are leading the mobile web both by showing the highest smartphone penetration as well as by using it as their primary source of accessing the web. That pattern is also evident when it comes to shopping: over 40 percent of Hispanics compare prices and locate retailers via smartphones, making mobile an important tool for e-commerce.

As you can see in the following chart, Latinos overindex vs. non-Hispanic whites in using their mobile phones throughout the purchase process.

When it comes to Latinos’ online shopping behavior, marketers need to get past the obvious preconceptions. Market dynamics have changed: Hispanics now represent the fastest growing online segment. It’s time to start growing online shopping among Latinos.

Related posts:

1. The Fight for Targeting Latinos Online
2. What Search Can Tell Us About Latinos Online
3. Latinos Leading the Mobile Web

A couple of weeks ago, a decision by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences reignited a discussion on a sensitive matter: Puerto Rico’s identity.

The Oscars rejected the Puerto Rican film “América,” not allowing it to compete in the Foreign Language Film category. The decision was based on Puerto Rico being a U.S. territory, therefore ineligible. Interesting to note is that the category refers to the foreign language film, not foreign country.

This is just another example of the status and identity challenges that Puerto Rico faces.

An Island of Dichotomies

There’s plenty of discussion around Puerto Rico’s (political) status. So I won’t focus on that aspect. At the end of the day, this is a marketing column.

Puerto Rico is a commonwealth and also an unincorporated territory of the U.S. Full of dichotomies; it represents a challenge for marketers as well:

• It is not an independent country nor a U.S. state.
• Puerto Ricans have U.S. citizenship.
• Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico cannot vote for the American president, but those who move to the continental U.S. can vote.
• Spanish is the official language in Puerto Rico, though there’s “compulsory” English education in schools.
• For some marketers, Puerto Rico is part of their Latin American region, for others, it is part of their U.S. region.
• Puerto Rico’s population is counted by the U.S. Census Bureau, but is not included as part of the total U.S. population.
• The Puerto Rican population living in the mainland U.S. is greater than that living in Puerto Rico.
• Univision and Telemundo are also the leading networks, but a national media buy on any of those networks will not include Puerto Rico. You need to buy it separately.
• Puerto Rico is the only market worldwide where Burger King outsells McDonald’s.

The American Influx

There are more Puerto Ricans living in Florida than in San Juan. Population mobility goes both ways (from Puerto Rico to the U.S. and vice versa). Puerto Ricans stay in touch with their homes (travel for holidays, money remittance, etc).

Economy and business in Puerto Rico are mostly influenced by the U.S. (actually, it has the same currency – the American dollar).

If you get to see the retail landscape, you will find most of the most important American icons: Kmart, Macy’s, Gap, Walgreens, etc.

Though Puerto Rico’s average income is lower, materialism is at the same level as America. For many retailers, some of their Puerto Rican stores are within their top performing overall U.S. stores.

Puerto Rico is a clear bicultural market, influencing and being influenced by the U.S.

Opportunities for Marketers

When working with clients, I’m surprised that many U.S. companies don’t always include Puerto Rico as part of their U.S. Hispanic efforts. I encourage companies to do so, taking into consideration the following implications:

• Share of Hispanics over total U.S. population becomes 17 percent (versus 16 percent).
• Total U.S. Hispanic population becomes 55.2 million (versus 51.2 without Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico).
• Puerto Rico gets to be the third largest Hispanic DMA after LA and New York.

Puerto Rico represents a great opportunity for marketers:

• Provides an incremental growth opportunity for existing Hispanic marketing efforts.
• Can be used as a pilot market for new Latino marketing initiatives.
• Provides the unique advantage to isolate sales (in continental Hispanic DMA, it’s difficult to isolate Hispanic sales from overall sales).
• From a media standpoint, it’s more cost effective.

Will Puerto Rico become the 51st star of the American flag one day? No one knows. What’s for sure is that Puerto Rico deserves the recognition as a star of Latino marketing.

Related posts:

1. Winning the Mayorship of Latino Marketing
2. The Latino shift
3. Facebook: A Latino Love Affair

While you are reading this column, many Latinos will be talking about this. And I’m not talking about this column specifically (though social sharing is always welcome), but about the Facebook metric.

In one of my previous articles, I discussed the crazy competition among brands for who has the biggest amount of fans. I said crazy, because having fans is not enough; you need to have strong relationships.

Look Who’s Talking Now

The “talking about this” metric is made up of different interactions between your fans and your postings on Facebook. Basically, it measures every time users share your content in their timelines.

“Liking” your fan page or any content on it, posting a comment on your wall, or any other type of sharing is what helps keep this metric alive on a daily basis (Facebook measures it every day, though results are provided on a weekly basis).

The most interesting part is how dynamic this metric is. Getting new fans is great, but keeping your fans engaged and acting as your brand advocates, that’s the real deal in social media.

More Fans, or More Talking?

A couple of months ago, I shared an analysis on how Latino Facebook pages were performing versus their general market counterparts in terms of fans.

Now that this new metric has been active for almost a month, I thought it would be interesting to revisit that analysis focusing on the “talking about this.”

Let’s review a ranking of some of the most important Latino Facebook pages in terms of “Likes.”

Now, when we switch from reach (number of “Likes”/fans) to engagement (percent of “talking about this”), the story is pretty different, as you can see in the following chart ranked by percent of “talking about this.”

Driving More Conversation

Some initial findings and conclusions:

• Having a big base of followers does not guarantee conversation. In fact, of the pages analyzed, the two with the smallest fan base are the ones with the highest engagement: Wendy’s Latino and El Maestro del Vaso Medio Lleno (California Milk Processor Board).
• Frequency of posting relates to more conversation. Bud Light, Wendy’s, and El Maestro all post on a daily basis.
• Talk about the consumer, and the consumer will talk about you. The brands that show higher “talking about” percentages talk less about themselves and let the consumer talk by engaging fans via questions, contests, and inviting participation (i.e., UFC Latino).
• Relevancy and conversation go hand in hand. Weaving relevant Latino topics is critical: Latino celebrations (Wendy’s and Día de los Muertos), leveraging Latin sense of humor (El Maestro del Vaso Medio Lleno), or Latin celebrities (Bud Light and Pitbull), etc.
• Quality of postings is, of course, very important. Check some of the postings of top performing pages versus the others and you will see what I’m talking about. Also, having specific tabs to expand consumer experience or that are contest/sweepstakes-related creates more fan interaction.
• Spanish language pays off, and English too. Most of the pages analyzed tend to be mainly in Spanish, but conversation happens in both languages. In the case of bilingual pages, Spanish postings tend to have slightly higher responses, but English generates great responses too. As I always say, when targeting Latinos on Facebook, go bilingual.
• Replying frequently is also a recommended practice. Responding means that you care, and people that feel they are being taken care of will come back to share their stuff.

On many occasions, my fellow columnist Giovanni Rodriguez and I discussed how social media has become an excellent way to engage with Latinos; and how Latinos are engaged with Facebook, spending more time and being more active in terms of sharing than the general population. But that doesn’t guarantee success for a brand. If you want Latinos to be talking about your brands, you need to take care of them.

Share this column with your Facebook friends and also be a part of the ones that are talking about this.

Related posts:

1. Latinos and Facebook: The Marketing Gap
2. Facebook: A Latino Love Affair
3. Why Facebook Should Worry About Latina Moms

The notion that coupons don’t work with Latinos has been one of those unquestioned truths of Hispanic marketing. Any time clients asked their agencies about Hispanics and coupons, you could expect the same kind of answer: those two don’t match.

On the other hand, some direct marketing professionals – especially in the past few years – have been trying to correct that notion. As Vincent Andaloro, president of Latin-Pak says, as cited by Promo Magazine, “If advertisers would spend more money on coupons they would reach more Hispanic consumers…”

The Latin American Heritage

Historically, coupons have never been a big deal in Latin America. According to Nielsen, only 15 percent of consumers in Latin America use coupons versus 67 percent of respondents in the United States.

This lack of “cultural heritage” in terms of coupons definitely affects Latinos living in the U.S. If you take a look at country of origin, the fact that Puerto Ricans and Cubans are more familiar with coupons and use them more often than Mexican Americans, for example, reinforces this notion.

Other factors that contribute to low coupon adoption among Latinos are:

• Lack of familiarity with the redemption process
• Coupons normally not promoting products that Latinos prefer
• Shame of being perceived as poor

This last one is part of the cultural barrier. Some Latinos tend to feel ashamed to use coupons in public: they fear giving others the impression that they don’t have enough money to buy a product.

Although Latinos are less likely than non-Hispanics to use any kind of coupon, the difference is even bigger in terms of using coupons at restaurants, fast food chains, and supermarkets (Simmons 2011). Using coupons at a discount store is not an issue (everyone is there to save money), but other social places like restaurants are more “embarrassing.”

The Dynamic of Coupons

It’s been said that economy plays an important role in the acculturation process; and this is truer of the recession. Google Insights for Search shows that the number of searches for “cupones” (the Spanish word for coupon) has increased significantly at the end of 2007 and during 2008/2009.

The recession has redefined value. For Latinos, value now equals “smart shopper.” Latinos have started to use more coupons: 51 percent, according to a study by Synovate. Yet, African Americans’ use of coupons grew at a higher rate. Hispanics increased their visits to mass merchandisers or delayed purchases until a specific product was on sale.

In terms of coupons, not all categories were impacted the same way: apparel and personal care performed better than groceries.

Yoly Mason, editor of Cuponeando.net agrees: “In my experience, Latina moms are more comfortable using coupons for their kids’ clothing purchases. It seems to me that in a mall/retail store setting, the use of coupons is more acceptable.”

Coupons in an Immaterial World

The explosion of both mobile and social media among Hispanics has accelerated the use of “digital” coupons. As I discussed in previous columns, the digital divide is turning into digital leadership, and Latinos overindex in mobile coupons as you can see in the chart below.

Overall, Hispanic moms are two and a half times more likely to use mobile coupons than their non-Hispanic counterparts, according to comScore. On the other hand, Hispanics underindex in using deal sites like Groupon or LivingSocial, representing an interesting opportunity.

DescuentoLibre.com understands that and has a more targeted approach with products that are more relevant to Latinos than the typical Groupon and LivingSocial offers. While Groupon focuses on new adventures like skydiving or Ethiopian food, deals on Descuento Libre are much more likely to involve family activities and household necessities, as cited in gigaom.com.

Another important factor is the intersection between the material and immaterial worlds: printing coupons is both an obstacle and an opportunity. “In this digital age, we are so used to smartphones and being paper-less that we tend to forget that some of the best savings we can obtain is by printing coupons at home,” adds Yoly Mason.

Mobile Couponing in the Privacy of a Hand

As stated before, there’s no consensus among professionals when it comes to Latinos and the use of coupons. We are seeing increased usage, and the growth of both mobile and social media is expanding the opportunities.

Having the ability to get coupons at a fingertip seems to be working pretty good for Latinos. And the notion that it’s more private (not as embarrassing as with traditional coupons) doesn’t hurt either, in this tale of two worlds.

Related posts:

1. Latinos and Facebook: The Marketing Gap
2. Latinos Leading the Mobile Web
3. The Fight for Targeting Latinos Online

Based on the number of frequent visitors to ClickZ.com, I’m assuming this is not your first time checking in at this column. And if that’s the case, I hope you are on your way to earning the mayorship of “Marketing to Latinos.”

I’m not kidding; as social media tools are becoming more and more ubiquitous, I wonder why Foursquare doesn’t allow people to check in at websites yet. In the meantime, I want to discuss the link between Latinos and the growing role of geo-location-based services.

Marketing the Digital You

In a world in which consumers have become broadcasters of their own lives, it’s no surprise that sharing the places they visit has become so popular. Foursquare has already over 10 million users and more than a billion check-ins and continues to evolve.

We live in a world of sharing but also of social bragging. Earning a new badge is not simply about getting a reward (i.e., free breadsticks at Pizza Hut), but also an emotional recognition. Consumers are in a constant battle to impress from within and social badges help.

And Latinos are not shy; taking advantage of all the benefits that Foursquare, Gowalla, and Facebook Places have to offer. Hispanics are 80 percent more likely than the total population to use a check-in service, according to comScore. And it seems that their passion for geo-location is not limited to one tool: 61.5 percent of Latino Foursquare users also use Facebook Places.

Latino Advocates Check In

A big majority of Latinos belong to the Millennial generation, a segment that is influenced more by peers than by advertising. Social media is a critical marketing tool to build brand advocacy and leverage peer-to-peer influence.

If you are looking for Latino advocates, geo-location-based services is the right way to go. As you can see in the graph below, check-in users are much more active and engaged in social media overall. From clicking on ads to posting status updates to using online coupons, it’s clear that Latinos who check in are ahead of the curve in social media networking.

While, for consumers, the fight for a new social badge might be a fun game, for marketers, it’s not a game at all. Foursquare is becoming an influential tool; actually, a great tool to leverage friend-to-friend influence. As an example, check the following findings from a study developed by Austin & Williams:

• 35 percent of users use Foursquare tips when deciding to visit a place
• 58 percent of users are more likely to go somewhere in order to unlock a badge
• 40 percent of users are directly influenced by Foursquare specials before choosing a place to visit
• 48 percent of users find Foursquare badges to be extremely important

Check-ins are not just for fun stuff; mobile consumers are looking for options (places, deals, recommendations, etc.) on the go. Is your brand leveraging those opportunities?

What’s Driving Check-In Growth?

In previous columns, I discussed how Latinos are driving social media and the mobile web. I heard many people saying that these two trends are age related: Latinos are younger than the overall population (35 percent of Latinos are under 18 years old).

While this is true, it’s important to note that, when it comes to geo-location services, it’s the 25 to 34-year-old segment that shows a higher incidence of check-in users.

Other factors:

• High smartphone penetration among Hispanics: 45 percent (at par only with Asians).
• Continuous growth of mobile web: 65 percent of Latinos use their handset as their primary access to the Internet.
• Easy accessibility of geo-location-based apps both on smartphones and tablets (also growing pretty fast among Latinos).
• More rewards: as brands continue to tap into Foursquare offering incentives to consumers, we will continue to see dramatic growth in this specific segment.

Latinos overindex in check-in services and check-in usage is a clear indicator of higher social media influence. These two combined represent a great opportunity for brands that want to grow their businesses among Hispanics, the fastest growing demographic in the U.S.

Remember to check in to the Marketing to Latinos column every Tuesday. We don’t give away social badges yet, but hopefully you’ll get closer to winning the mayorship of Latino marketing.

originally published at the Marketing to Latinos column @clickZ.com

Related posts:

1. Latinos and Facebook: The Marketing Gap
2. Facebook: A Latino Love Affair

Hispanic marketing ain’t what it used to be. Spanish language media is no longer the exclusive territory of a consumer that now straddles across media and language. Long gone are the days where Latino consumers could be put into a box. And social media is the most vivid example of how Latinos put content preferences first and language second.

What Clients Want

When it comes to how to target Latinos via social media, there’s not a clear approach. And many times, brands fall into the temptation to put Latinos into a box.

These temptations normally come in one of these forms:

1. Draw a language barrier: target Latinos only in Spanish (i.e., “put your brand here” in Español).
2. Create a Latino sub-component within their mainstream platform (i.e., a Spanish/Hispanic tab on their mainstream Facebook page).
3. Add some postings in Spanish, from time to time, on the mainstream wall .

Unfortunately, this is not aligned with consumers’ expectations. Latinos want to be part of the overall conversation and not isolated. No one wants to go to a big party (your brand’s main Facebook page) and have to be segregated (the Hispanic tab).

Also, these approaches can create negative reactions from your non-Latino visitors as you can see in the example below.

In the Beginning It Was the Strategy

Here are some thoughts for brands that want to leverage social media to target Latinos.

1. Don’t approach it as an “extension” of what you are doing in the general market. It’s about building a specific/relevant Hispanic effort, not a Spanish one.
2. The Latino social media strategy should be aligned with your overall Hispanic strategy. Initial planning should be based on what the Hispanic opportunity for your business is and how social media can contribute to it.
3. Your Latino social media platform should complement and supplement your general market one. Most Latinos might stop interacting with both.
4. Use a bilingual approach: plan to generate conversations in both English and Spanish, within your Hispanic social media platform, in order to not alienate consumers.

An interesting example is “Madres y Comadres,” a miniseries developed by Kmart that focuses on the challenges that Latino moms face raising a family in America. The webisodes are styled to resemble a mock telenovela and are in Spanish. Yet the interaction on Twitter happens in both languages. Kmart also has a Hispanic presence on Facebook with the Smart Latina fan page. In this case, the conversation is basically in English.

Latino Social Tips

Social media is still a new discipline. We are all learning on a daily basis. And this is even truer for using social media to target Latinos. The following are some learnings from working with different brands.

• Facebook has proven to be very effective for reaching Latinos. I encourage every brand to start building their Latino fan page if they haven’t already.
• When naming your page, avoid the Español (Spanish) name, even if your approach is to go Spanish only. Consumers expect an experience beyond language.
• For most brands, I recommend a bilingual approach. It’s inclusive and has shown lots of positive reactions by understanding the reality of Latinos.
• If you go bilingual, think in terms of search when naming your page. For our client Valvoline, we created Garage Valvoline. The word garage not only is related to the nature of the community, but also has the same meaning in both English and Spanish.
• Do bilingual postings: post simultaneously in both languages. It’s becoming a well-received practice. Also, it’s interesting to note that the same person might be reacting to both Spanish and English posts as you can see below. This is the true bilingual spirit.

• When planning your communication calendar, exchange ideas and content between the Latino and general market platforms.
• Create a Latino YouTube channel. Even if it’s going to be mainly in Spanish, you can make it more inclusive by having tags in both languages and adding English subtitles to the content.
• Twitter is a great tool to tap into Latino influencers. Latino hashtags are getting more and more traction.
• Language is still a barrier. Accents and other non-Latin, alpha-numeric characters in hashtags break the link, limiting the use of some common Spanish words, as you can see below.

• Twitter tends to be more effective with English-dominant Latinos. We normally see more reactions (RT, mentions, etc.) from English-speaking Latinos. We recommend following the bilingual rule, but in this case with a higher share of English tweets.
• When posting in English, many brands include several words in Spanish, inviting responses from both languages.
• Posting in English can trigger responses in English, Spanish, or Spanglish. Posting in Spanish usually triggers responses in Spanish.

At the end of the day, what’s important is not alienating anyone from the conversation and making sure that everyone has the opportunity to engage with the brand. The language of social media doesn’t understand the need to put consumers into a box.

Related posts:

1. Latinos and the language of media
2. The Latino Social Hurricane
3. Latinos and Facebook: The Marketing Gap

A couple of days ago, I got a call from a journalist that wanted to learn more about the phenomenon of Latinos in social media. He said he’s been reading the Marketing to Latinos column at ClickZ and was curious about what was driving the explosion of Hispanics in social media.

At the same time, while I was finalizing this column, another phenomenon came to life. I’m talking about @irene, a major natural event, which persuaded me to change the topic of my column and turned it into what you are reading right now.

Why Latinos Are Social?

I mentioned that, of course, age is a key factor. Latinos are younger than the general population, so it makes sense that they are more open to new technologies and interact more with other people.

Another reason includes having friends and family that are all spread out. Many have friends and family in their country of origin (or their parent’s one). Also, if you take a look at the dynamics of population, Latinos have been migrating to non-traditional Hispanic DMAs such as North Carolina. Their social network is more diverse (browse the names of any Latino’s Facebook friends and you’ll know what I’m talking about).

Also, considering the social nature of Latinos, it seems obvious that this is a key driver. If you look at the statistics, Latinos spend much more time than the average American tweeting, posting on Facebook, etc.

Hmm…tricky question: is this social nature exclusive to Latinos?

Hurricanes Go Social

Many times, as marketers, when thinking on social media, we tend to put more emphasis on the media portion rather than on the social aspect. This recent event is a great example of why “social” goes before “media.”

It might have been an interesting one for Irene Tien. As a pioneer in social media, she has the Twitter handle with her first name, @irene. And when the news spread around about the chances of a hurricane hitting the East Coast, she started to receive tweets directed to her, as if she was actually the natural catastrophe. Following the advice of her colleagues, she decided to “lend” her Twitter handle for some days, so that it could be used to share safety information and advice related to Hurricane Irene (the real one). Combining useful tips and links with a sense of humor drove her account past 11,000 followers.

The Latino Hurricane

The Latino Twittersphere was also very active. Natural threat aside, it was an interesting thing to watch. Kind of a live version of the reasons I had explained to the journalist mentioned above.

I evidenced an increased interaction between friends and family living in Latin America and in the U.S. I saw a back and forth between speaking in English and Spanish as a consequence of that. The social spirit of Latinos was at its peak; people sharing advice, information, and sending “bendiciones” for those who had families on the East Coast.

There was also room for humor as well. One friend, after the storm, was saying that what happened was nothing compared to how his hometown in South America got after a “regular” rainstorm. Another friend was bragging, saying that “se ahogaron en un vaso de agua” (they got drowned in a glass of water) and that category one storms, Caribbeans eat those for breakfast.

Providing help, emotional support, and also their sense of humor, Latino social nature was at its best around Irene.

Social Storms

External phenomenons ignite conversations in social media, turning complete strangers into “friends” who really care about each other’s family. Someone’s Twitter handle can turn into the official source of information during a hurricane in a couple of days.

Once again, social comes first and people are becoming (trusted) media. As marketers, we need to learn more about how external social events impact consumers’ mindsets and behaviors. Thanks to @irene, for the latest lesson.

This post was previously published at my Marketing to Latinos column @ClickZ.com

Related posts:

1. Facebook: A Latino Love Affair
2. The Latino Sound of Digital Music