Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Writing a Spanish Blog as part of the Content Generation Campaign














Get a Better Spanish Language Search Engine Ranking by Starting a Spanish Blog

If your business is not targeting US Hispanics and Latin American markets you could be missing out on millions of potential customers. If you want to reach these potential customers, you need to use content generation to provide them with Spanish language information about your product or service. Once you have optimized your business' website for Spanish SEO, you should add to your total Spanish web content by writing and maintaining a blog.

Make Your Blog Match Your Keyword Focus

Even if your service or product is very specific, you can still generate plenty of content that corresponds to your keyword focus. If you are having difficulty thinking up topics, consider writing about the history behind your keyword. You are going to need to keep coming up with fresh approaches to your topic. If you have an idea during the day, jot it down. You can give your idea to your writers later and your content generation team will turn that idea into a blog post. If you already have an English language blog, make sure that you do not merely translate those blog entries into Spanish. You need to also make sure that your content is culturally relevant to your Spanish language audience.

Keep Your Blog Updated

You do not need to post fresh content every single day. That would be a huge time commitment. Even successful and popular blogs only update a few times each week. However, you should be adding new content fairly frequently. You want to keep your readers coming back. Ultimately, it is your decision how often you want to update your Spanish blog. My personal recommendation is that you update it at least once a week. Additionally, regular content creation will ensure that your blog has good rankings in blog directories and search engines.

Make Sure Your Content Is Fresh

Make sure that you are not simply repeating and rephrasing your existing blog content. Your content generation program should emphasize fresh information. Ask your writers to develop new topics that fit your overall emphasis. If you are not providing your readers with new information, they will quickly get bored. It is fairly easy to determine if a blog exists just for Spanish SEO purposes. Your blog should be a marketing tool, of course, but it should also be a real blog. Give your readers real and useful content, and you will gain loyal customers.

Get the Word Out about Your Blog

If your Spanish blog is just sitting in a corner of cyberspace unread, it is not going to add much value to your business. Once your blog has been filled with information through your content generation process, submit it to blog directories that specialize in Spanish web content. Of course, you should also submit your blog site to Spanish language search engines. Soon, potential customers will read your Spanish web content and will learn how valuable your company truly is.

For more information about writing and maintaining a Spanish blog, feel free to contact Hispanic Market Advisors.

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Saturday, November 28, 2009

Reach Spanish-speaking Markets with Website Translations

For business owners, doctors, and other professionals, the importance of an interactive internet presence has become an indispensable way to attract and keep customers. As changes in market trends inevitable occur, businesses are able to easily adjust their marketing plans to successfully expand into growing market segments with websites often leading the marketing effort. One valuable emerging market trend is the growth of the Hispanic market in the United States which provides marketers with incredible insights and incentives to attract Spanish-speaking customers.

In the United States, the growing Spanish-speaking market which numbered 44.3 million US Hispanics in 2006, is expected to be as large as 60 million by next year with 55% of adult US Hispanics using the internet. Furthermore, with purchasing power projected to reach $1 trillion in 2010, businesses have a greater incentive to reach this large market segment to promote their products and services. In addition to their numbers, US Hispanics who use the internet are generally among the most educated and affluent out of the greater Hispanic population.

The challenge for businesses, especially those who generally operate locally like lawyers, doctors, and other professionals, is how to reach a large and profitable market that includes individuals who speak Spanish. With website translations, local doctors and other professionals, for example, will be able to attract clients through Spanish content that can be found easily on a search engine. The process of website translations is not nearly as daunting as it seems and can be effective in small doses. For instance, an efficient way to attract the Spanish-speaking market is to provide a landing or entry page carefully crafted in Spanish and optimized with key words that can drive website traffic and promote products and services as well. Alternatively, an FAQ page in Spanish, also optimized for web searches, can link to the landing page and provide another channel of communication and interaction with US Hispanics and a Spanish speaking audience. A good website translation will therefore serve promotional ends and will also achieve a certain degree of cultural marketing by speaking the language of a potential client.

In addition to the potential financial benefits of marketing to Spanish speakers, doctors and other professionals have the advantage of tapping into this market early enough to start work towards securing market share. Securing market share, of course, is largely dependent on ensuring that potential customers can find your website in the first place. In addition, the ensuing word of mouth effect can serve as a marketing multiplier as information is passed on to a customer’s peers who may not have access to the internet.

Clearly, the changing paradigms of marketing, largely driven by the internet, are developing into far more valuable and engaging tools like website translations to expand into Spanish-speaking markets. As a result of this ongoing sophistication in marketing, a successful business website is no longer a static collection of pictures and text but a fully interactive experience that should also engage the profitable US Hispanic market.

Please contact Hispanic Market Advisors for a free consultation on your English to Spanish website translation.

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Monday, October 19, 2009

Online Language Preferences for US Hispanic Community

The online business community has grown expediently, over the past few years, bringing more and more consumers from all over the world online including the US Hispanic community. Recent studies from market research firms indicate the US Hispanic speaking community is one of the largest search groups online. This market is not only searching the web using the English language, but also using their native language (e.g. Spanish) to search.

While many consumers today write and speak in English even though it is not their native tongue, they often will choose to search the web using their language preference. Up until a few years ago, it was common for US businesses online to offer the online community the ability to search, read, and communicate in the English language only. However, time has changed and consumers shopping and buying habits are constantly changing as well. Such behaviors demand that online companies optimize their search availabilities as well as, translating their landing pages to offer convenience and a customer-centric approach in languages other than English.

Customer-Centric Approach as a Win-Win Solution

A customer-centric approach is a tool businesses can use to enhance the way their customers feel about them. Customers, of course, are human beings with purchase power and word-of-mouth marketing control. We all want to feel included, listened to, important, and valued as a customer and as a business. Many companies today are leaning more toward its direction and drawing a bigger crowd of perspective customers who feel good about shopping on their site.

Today, many companies have had their website programmers translate their existing site into Spanish as well as optimizing their url to capture the consumer looking for their services in Spanish. Some of these companies have also implemented other translations and optimization techniques to amplify their broad spectrum of offerings to the world. These implementations broaden a company’s horizons by expanding their target audience thus, bringing more customers and clients to them as well as helping to secure profitability.

Since the web is available for just about anyone to access, provided they have an internet connection, businesses are rethinking their marketing strategies in order to attract and engage consumers and businesses worldwide. By offering simple marketing techniques such as website translations and optimizing their urls to trigger searches in Spanish, it is a win-win solution for all involved. Businesses gain a larger customer base, which in turn can increase profitability, and consumers feel important, appreciated, and acknowledged as a Spanish-speaking consumer.

All consumers interested in conducting web searches to easily locate, buy, communicate, and learn about a business services have plenty of businesses to choose from estimated well into the billions. So, if all online businesses want to attract and retain more customers worldwide then, they will need to optimize their sites to bring in the masses worldwide and stay competitive among their fellow competition.

There are three strategies you can employ when partnering with Hispanic Market Advisors

Please learn more by completing this Hispanic Market Advisors Contact Form

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Saturday, August 29, 2009

Spanish Website Translation: A Simple Investment with Limitless Rewards

In the increasingly competitive e-Commerce industry, everyone is trying to find a way to stand out. e-Commerce sites enjoy brisk business thanks to the convenience of shopping online from home and the better prices that these companies can offer. However, many e-Commerce sites are missing out on a huge portion of potential customers that they could easily accommodate with one simple and quick solution.

US Hispanics have similar online shopping habits to their non-Hispanic American counterparts. Yet many online retail sites seem to ignore this segment of the population. More than 40 million Americans count Spanish as their native language, and many of them prefer to do their online shopping in Spanish. Making an online purchase from unknown e-Commerce sites can be a little nerve-wracking so it's understandable that most people feel more comfortable conducting business transactions in their native language. Online retail customers tend to pore over every word on the page before clicking "send order" and doing so in a language you don't fully understand can be enough to deter certain customers. This makes website translation into Spanish paramount to serious companies who wish to rise to the top of the market.

Nearly one third of the 40 million US Hispanics conduct searches in Spanish, so a company who fails to utilize website translation is missing quite a significant number of potential clients. That means millions of customers will never see these e-Commerce sites when they are searching for a place to spend their money. This amounts to a huge missed opportunity that may even make or break a company. As the population of US Hispanics continues to grow and many companies are shifting strategies to tap into this lucrative market, those companies who fail to get on board may find themselves going out of business.

Spanish website translation is not very expensive and will ultimately pay for itself over and over with increased revenues. In addition to reaching US Hispanics, it also opens the door to future expansion into Central and South America as well as Spain. Spanish speakers comprise 81.7 million internet users and this valuable market cannot be ignored. Even if entire website translation is not feasible, creating an entry page in Spanish that will show up in search engines can offer a significant advantage over online retail companies that make no effort to accommodate Spanish speakers. As many US Hispanics do speak English, they may stumble upon a site while searching in their preferred Spanish, but if they like what they see they will place an order in English anyway. This means that a Spanish entry page is a fast and inexpensive way to get your foot in the door with the Spanish speaking market while working out a long-term strategy.

These are three of the strategies you can employ when partnering with Hispanic Market Advisors:

Website Translation and Spanish SEO


The Spanish speaking population is simply too significant for serious e-Commerce sites to ignore. Online retail websites that are translated into Spanish are quickly becoming the norm. Even offering a Spanish entry page that shows up in search engines can give your company a big boost. This simple investment will reap great rewards in making your company known to the 81.7 million internet users worldwide who speak Spanish.

Hispanic Market Advisors Contact Form

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Saturday, July 25, 2009

US Hispanics, History and Growth of the Internet

There has been an incredibly fast evolution of the Internet from 1995 until the present time. As you can see in the graph below, Internet Users in the World has grown from 16 millions in Dec 2005 to 1,596 millions in Mar, 2009.

However, there’s an important distinction which is the language fabric composition of the Web content. What do we mean by this? Well, in the early ages of the Internet, almost everything was in English because most internet applications started in the United States. Therefore, in the early to mid 90s the search engines were in English as well. Anyone within the US or overseas conducting a Web search had to do it in English, there was no other option. As technology caught up around the world, the Web has become a multilingual platform and foreign Web growth has been astonishing. While in 1996, 75% of all Web searches were conducted in English, today English searches accounts for only 25%. Search engines and directories understood the importance of this non-English segment and today it is becoming easier and easier to find content in your mother tongue.

Reaching the entire spectrum of the US Hispanic community

As one article explains, U.S. Hispanic advertisers have historically lagged behind in moving their budgets online and therefore have provided less of an incentive for U.S. Hispanic publishers to post a wide variety of content online. However, this trend has shifted. Last year alone, the biggest Hispanic surge has been in internet media, up 36.3% in 2007 (according to the Hispanic Fact Pack 08). As a result, more Spanish-language sites/pages based in the U.S. are being optimized for search engines. US Hispanics will increasingly have more search options as Spanish Web content is being propagated over the Web. And since we know that people speaking the same language show an inclination to form their own online community no matter what country they happen to live in, it’s becoming almost imperative for many US businesses to make all or some of their Web content available in Spanish if they want to maximize their reach to the entire spectrum of the US Hispanic community.

For more information, please complete this Hispanic Market Advisors contact form


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Saturday, June 27, 2009

Marketing to Generation Y In Latin America

We are living in an increasingly global economy. Small business owners can no longer look at marketing their products exclusively to a local community. Immediate profits can be reaped by taking advantage of mobile marketing and online promotion to the Hispanic online market. As emerging markets gain greater access to online communication technology, marketing professionals are investing more effort into reaching generation Y (20 to 28s) in Latin America.

Online marketing to generation Y in Latin America represents a huge untapped opportunity. With low-cost options at just a click of a button, consumers can be empowered to learn about your product, and, with the use of social networking technology, they can even assist you with grassroots promotion of their own. Consumers love to use their social networking accounts to endorse products and deals that they have found online. Often the mobile marketing strategy you employ can even include tools that make the free, grassroots spread of information easier. Marketing professionals are creating more and better ideas for empowering small business owners with fast, attractive ways to spread their product information online each day.

Consumers in generation Y in Latin America are interested in a wide array of products. Whether its buying the best new technology, finding great deals on bulk food items, or purchasing an insurance plan, tech savvy young people are purchasing all kinds of products online from small business owners. The price competition benefits them, while the increase in volume benefits you.

Mobile marketing is one of the most viable channels for quick and powerful spread of consumer choice information. Marketing professionals love how easy and instant the transactions are. It is very easy for a consumer to quickly make a purchase based on information they received through trusted social networking channels on their cell phones. They are also empowered to instantly tell their friends about this great bargain, who can also purchase it quickly in the same way. This is vastly different than the old system of using only complex media that requires traveling across town, or, in some cases, the world, to complete the point of sale.

Generation Y in Latin America has growing purchasing power. Emerging markets have greater access to technology as time passes. As these consumers age, they also gain access to more and more wealth. In this way, an early and active promotion to these consumers is a great long term plan. The earlier you gain access to a critical market, the more consumers will trust you as a quality name. As time passes, these particular markets and consumers will yield more and more business.

Marketing professionals are taking the Hispanic online market very seriously. Small business owners will benefit greatly from targeting generation Y in Latin America. Be sure to stay on the cutting edge of mobile marketing.

For more information, please complete this Hispanic Market Advisors contact form

Related articles you might like:
*The Importance of Hispanics in the Social Media Age
*The Untapped Side Of Hispanic Mobile Marketing
*Capitalizing on the Latin America's Internet Boom


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Thursday, June 11, 2009

How to Market to US-Born Latinos Effectively

There are many ways to market to US-born Latinos. Since there is a wide variety of lifestyles and culture among Latinos, it can sometimes be hard to choose the right way to market to them. However, with a few key factors, marketing to US-born Latinos effectively does not have to be an incomprehensible task.

Many Latinos in the Hispanic market are bilingual. Spanish and English are interchangeable in many Latino homes. One easy way to utilize the Hispanic market is to promote marketing campaigns that have English and Spanish words attached. Alternatively marketing strategies can be composed of either English or Spanish, but to reach the Hispanic market most effectively it is wise to use both forms of language and writing.

Marketing to US-born Latinos is different than marketing to the Latinos born elsewhere in the world. Acculturation is a big occurrence for Latinos in the United States. Many of the cultural practices and traditions from other countries mix and meld into the traditions and practices of the United States. What this means is that Latinos are not strictly Latino or American, but a unique melding of both cultures. Marketing for this group of people must reflect melding of cultures. Some Latinos have completely aligned with American culture, while others prefer to celebrate their own cultural heritage. It is important to study each city where marketing is to be done to know what practices and beliefs the Latinos have in that city.

Latino Population Growth and Market Profiles for the Hispanic Market

The number of Latinos in the United States is a constantly growing number. Some analysts have projected that in just a few years the Latino population will have the majority of people in the United States. This means that marketing to Latinos is very important. Without Hispanic society backing a product or business, it will have a hard time remaining popular and successful.

There are several different market profiles for the Hispanic market. There are US-born Latinos who live in close relation to non-citizens. These people stick closer to the culture of Mexico rather than what happens in the United States. There is another group of Latinos who have lived in the United States for generations. These people are more concerned with cultural practices of the United States. Then there are the Latinos who fall somewhere in the middle. Each of these groups is important to any marketing plan.

Some large cities that have a large number of Hispanic people are: New York, Boston, Detroit, San Antonio, and Chicago. The number of Latinos in these areas equal up to one in five people. That is a very large segment for marketing potential. Industries that are growing among Hispanics are: hotels, automotive, clothing, car rental, credit cards, supermarkets, fitness, health and life insurance, hair care, and many others.

The future for Hispanics is very bright. As the population continues to grow, they will have more and more impact on marketing and products that are created. Soon Hispanics will have more marketing impact than any single other market group.

For more information, please complete this Hispanic Market Advisors contact form

Related articles you might like:
*Reaching More Customers by Tapping into the US Hispanic Audience
*Tapping into the Hispanic Online Market


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Thursday, May 14, 2009

Marketers Reach Out to Hispanics - A Multidimensional Segment

It seems that U.S. marketers have finally discovered the Hispanic market. Not that it hasn’t been here for some time; it has. And not that it isn’t of substantial size; it is. So what has suddenly woken Madison Avenue to the potential in this market? A number of things.

First, consider the size of the Hispanic market—35.3 million people. Second, consider the growth rate—58 percent in the past decade (four times that of the overall population). Third, throw in the estimated $400 billion in buying power, which “seems impervious to the Nasdaq’s swoons” according to Marci McDonald of U.S. News & World Report. The end result is an extremely attractive market. And, unlike the case in the past, this market has finally attracted the attention of some big time marketers.

CBS has noticed. Hoping that the Hispanic market will help reverse the downward trend in the size of its soap opera audience, the network has introduced a Spanish simulcast of The Bold and the Beautiful titled Belleza y Poder (“Beauty and Power”). Liz Claiborne Cosmetics introduced its new perfume, Mambo, with a $20 million campaign targeting Latinos (among others), and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has more specifically targeted the over-50 Hispanic market with a $3 million campaign. Among the other firms now increasing their efforts in this market are MasterCard International, Reader’s Digest, and Tillamook Cheese.

Even though there has been a significant increase in spending in the Hispanic market, Spanish-language and bilingual campaigns still account for only about one percent of the $200 billion advertisers spend yearly on broadcast media(another $250 million goes to magazines and newspapers). While some companies already spend heavily to attract this segment (e.g., Sears and AT&T has targeted this market for over 10 years), most have simply ignored the segment—until now. The fact that young Hispanics has become the largest ethnic youth population in the United States has made more marketers take notice.

Refining Hispanic Market Segmentation through Cluster Analysis

Reaching this segment may not be as easy as it seems, however. Roberto Ramos, president of the Ruido Group, a Hispanic-youth-focused communication agency in New York, notes: “One of the biggest misconceptions about Hispanic youth is that they are a homogeneous group. Puerto Ricans, Colombians and Cubans are not all the same. What works to attract one group may not work for another.” Erasmo Arteaga, a Sears store manager in West Covina, California, adds: “People think Hispanic means one thing… But it’s different from Miami to Southern California. And here in California, it’s not just Mexicans; it’s Guatemalans, Salvadorans, and other people from Central America.” Arteaga notes that two Hispanic-designated stores in Los Angeles only 20 miles apart reflect very different buying motives. While this segment is certainly a challenging market, there is no doubt among many marketers that Hispanics are worth the effort.

With the segment’s strong growth rates in population and in spending power, you can be sure that many more will join in. The question is, will they take the time and effort required to understand the diversity of this market, or will they simply attempt to reach Hispanics through the appeals and media they employ for other ethnic groups. One thing is sure: If they pursue the latter strategy, they won’t be in the Hispanic market for very long.

For more information, please complete this Hispanic Market Advisors contact form

Related article you might like: Hispanic Advertising Agencies at a Glance


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Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Drive Bilingual Websites with User Research

Small and medium-sized companies that have operations in Spanish speaking countries rely heavily on bilingual websites to drive local business. In order for these websites to be effective, they must be localized in order to appeal to the core demographics of each local community. Many companies make the mistake of simply translating their English website copy into Spanish and find that their sites are not well received by the communities they are attempting to reach. Extensive user research must be coupled with proper translation in order to create bilingual websites that are effective at driving local Hispanic business.

Where to Begin

Before beginning the website design process, small and medium-sized companies would be wise to perform field studies and cultural probes into the communities they wish to reach with their company message. This user research will enable the creation of bilingual websites that are able to resonate with the customs and culture of your local Hispanic audience. When small and medium-sized companies rush into site construction without the necessary understanding of the local culture to which they are attempting to appeal, they suffer the consequences of a website that falls flat and does not generate the additional business activity they had hoped to achieve.

Research is the foundation on which quality bilingual websites are built and accurate information on the various cultures to which you are marketing, will enable your business to create vibrant and relevant online content that is highly likely to increase your sales base within any given region.

User Research

Many small and medium sized companies do not have the manpower necessary to conduct the listening labs and usability tests that are necessary in order to produce relevant bilingual websites. Their overseas communication strategy must therefore include hiring a marketing team that specializes in user research among Hispanic populations. It is important that the marketing company with which you choose to do business understands the nuances of Hispanic culture. This is important because it will ensure that they are using the right marketing tests for the market within each of the local Hispanic communities to which your company would like to appeal.

Continual Learning

Communities evolve over time and it is therefore imperative that your user research continues past the creation of your website. Ongoing learning will keep your website on the cutting edge of any new trends that spring up within your target Hispanic audiences in various communities. This knowledge and understanding will in turn enable your company to keep your website relevant and appealing to your target markets. The time and money invested into the research that will make your company website relevant, will be returned to you in the form of favor with your local market and increased sales potential.

For more information, please complete this Hispanic Market Advisors contact form

Related article you might like:
Small Business Tip:How to Operate a Bilingual Site in the US


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Sunday, April 26, 2009

US Hispanic and Latin American Market or Markets?

It is probably fair to say that many marketers have long since been unsure how to treat the US Hispanic market. It is a large market worth approximately one trillion dollars a year (Nielsen Media Research) is worth reaching, but the fact that there has yet to be a consensus on how to address that market is and therein lies the problem: Is it a completely separate market with its with own unique interests and purchasing needs? Or is it to be treated as an extension of the existing Latin American market? Keep in mind that the Latin American market is itself actually a diverse hodgepodge of cultures and peoples with varying consumption habits.

Let’s start coming to an intelligent and informed answer by taking a look at who actually constitutes the US Hispanic market. Contrary to popular believe this segment isn’t exclusively, or even dominated by, illiterate illegal immigrants. That doesn’t mean that such people don’t exist, but they’re certainly a very minor slice of this rapidly evolving market at this particular point in time. In fact, a 2005 study showed the median US Hispanic household income to be nearly $35,000, lagging only $13,000 a year behind the national average.

Today Latin-American immigrants in the US can be found working in virtually every city, in every occupation and in every socioeconomic stratum. Thinking about them only as low income families probably won’t yield the best marketing results, and may actually offend some middle and upper class Hispanics who might view advertisements with a sharp eye looking for any form of stereotyping. This is decidedly different than the Latin American market(s) where most countries have a very sharp delineation between classes and don’t have much reason to look for stereotyping as a general rule.

Another common misconception is that the US Hispanic market isn’t internet savvy. A 2004 study by eMarketer concluded that Latin-Americans would comprise 8.4% of all US web surfers by 2007. The combination of affordable computers and inexpensive internet access available in virtually every city and town in America makes is hard to understand why any marketer wouldn’t believe that a group would be online based solely upon their ethnicity. Failing to realize this fact alone can cause a company to appear less Hispanic-friendly. Again, this is a sharp contrast to most Latin American markets where Internet usage and computers aren’t nearly as prevalent as they are in the United States.

Don’t get the impression that there is nothing to take away from lessons learned in the Latin American market when it comes to the addressing needs and wants of Latin-Americans. For example, the vast bulk of the current US Hispanic market still shows a strong focus on family values and tradition. These are consistent with those of the Latin American market on the whole, and parallels between the two may prove useful during brainstorming sessions. Don’t, however, assume that what is a good advertisement or campaign for one market will automatically work for both.

Related articles you might like:
*Cultural Nuances in Latin American Countries
*Latin American Communities in Central and South America


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Thursday, April 9, 2009

Is a Spanish-language Web site imperative for tapping into the online Hispanic Market?

Most large businesses such as major retailers and banks don't need to translate their English Web sites into foreign languages to tap into their local markets because they have sufficient resources to create all sorts of localized Web content from scratch. However, if you're a home office or a small- or medium-sized business looking to tap into the emerging online Hispanic Market, translating your Web content into Spanish might be your greatest dilemma. Nevertheless, it is sure to be your best decision. Hence, before deciding whether you really need to embark on this process, you'll need to fully address the following three questions:

1) How many Spanish-speaking prospective customers could you reach with the new Spanish-language site?

2) What percentage of this pool of Spanish-speaking prospective customers is Spanish-reliant or Spanish-preferred?

3) How do Spanish-reliant and/or Spanish-preferred prospective customers fit into your short- and long-term goals and your overall business strategy?

Again, make sure that you address these three key questions. Only then will you be able to size your market for online Spanish-speaking customers, master the profiles of new Hispanic customers, and choose a strategic partner who best understands your needs, goals and objectives. To help you on your decision process, Hispanic Market Advisors offers you a free comprehensive analysis along with a full proposal for the Web site translation and search engine optimization services.

For more information, please complete this Hispanic Market Advisors contact form

Articles about the Hispanic Market



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Monday, March 30, 2009

Hispanic market in the United States: Myths and Facts

The Hispanic market in the United States is one of the fastest growing markets in North America. The Hispanic and Latino population is growing at an unprecedented pace and bringing untapped business opportunities along with it. Many U.S. companies are already targeting the Spanish-speaking consumer with great success. Some businesses are utilizing bilingual flyers and brochures to get the word out about their products and services, a few have opened Spanish-speaking stores, and others are focusing direct advertising efforts via television, radio, and written media on the Hispanic community. Businesses that want to carve out a market niche have a rare opportunity to be front-line runners in a market that is growing all around them.

One of the best methods of targeting the bilingual or Spanish-speaking consumer is the use of a bilingual website. The Internet will carry the product line or service of a progressive business into the homes of millions of Hispanics that might not otherwise ever be exposed to them. But it's only the businesses that want to take advantage of the growing Hispanic market that will be able to do so.

Understanding Hispanic Consumers

Some businesses make oversimplified and erroneous assumptions about Hispanic consumers. A prevalent myth is that the Hispanic market in the United States is comprised solely of illiterate and financially destitute Mexican nationals from the rural regions of Mexico. This is certainly the case but only to a small degree. The truth of the matter is that Hispanics are working as naturalized citizens the world of business, medical practices, police work, and a host of other well-paying professions and careers.

Another common myth is that Hispanics are unwilling to buy much of anything, preferring instead to keep to themselves to avoid the Border Patrol. Most Hispanics don’t have to worry about law enforcement in the first place and lead much fuller lives than this misconceived notion anyway. Hispanic citizens are alive and well in every facet of U.S. culture and many are looking for places to spend their money.

A third myth is that Hispanics are not capable Internet users. That is far from the truth. The Hispanic market in the United States is discovering the Internet and has become very comfortable with online shopping and advertising. As the Hispanic community has embraced the world of the Web, pocketbooks have likewise opened and a significant amount of money is being spent for online products.

Businesses in the United States that are unwilling or unable to adjust to the demographic changes that are occurring will be left out in the cold. Bilingual websites are generating a lot of traffic and increasing sales of products of every description. It is true that most Hispanics, especially those for whom Spanish is their native tongue, prefer to shop on Spanish-speaking websites. It’s also true that a Spanish website that has been professionally translated with the correct keywords and optimized for the search engines will receive a lot of hits from Spanish-speaking consumers. The expense is minimal and the potential profit margin is high.

CONTINUE : Read articles about the Hispanic Market

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Saturday, March 7, 2009

Retro-Acculturation’s Impact on Hispanic Marketing

In an important blog post about retro-acculturation it is said that “Truly Spanish dominant consumers will think in Spanish as opposed to English.” This is especially true in marketing and will not change as long as Spanish language use in the United States is able to continue growing. Marketers should take note of this phenomenon among Hispanics in the US, as this will be a very important target group when making marketing decisions. Spanish is the second largest language spoken in the US, and does not show any decline, especially when more and more Hispanics find it suitable to teach their children Spanish at an early age.

There are no tricks to marketing towards Hispanics, so the only reliable method of getting your message across about products or services is by connecting with them past language barriers. Taking the time to accurately have your marketing materials presented in a way that Hispanics can have access and understanding, allows them to take part in your marketing efforts. Many companies will be left behind on this venture when they do not take the retro-acculturation process seriously and do not make the effort to present marketing materials in Spanish.

For more information on the retro-acculturation process, please contact us here

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Sebastian Aroca