Wired Latinos

Blaire Borthayre, CEO of Hispanic Marketing Resources (HMR), wants marketers to learn the necessary skills to reach and serve the immigrant Hispanic community. These skills can be learned in the form of online seminars, aka webinars, offered on demand through the HMR website.

HMR has been helping businesses reach the Latino consumer through culturally appropriate behaviors and messaging training since 2000. However, the recent economic downturn forced HMR to reassess and innovate and they started offering webinars online as a way to offer a more affordable way for marketers to reach the growing Latino market.

"During tough economic times, training and travel are the first to be cut in the budgets of most companies. Webinars are an affordable convenient way for them to learn and/or reach a certain segment of the market without having to pay exorbitant travel or marketing costs," says Ms. Borthayre.

In a time of online sophistication, webinars are another tool to help many different industry specific groups reach the Hispanic market by overcoming language and cultural barriers. Among HMR's wide library of webinars we found webinars for Attorneys, Bankers, Retail, Physicians and now Dentists.

"For example, there is an misconception that immigrants avoid going to dentists simply because they can't afford to do so and this is just not true," explains Borthayre. The truth is that "[there] is a dire need for marketers who can overcome cultural and language barriers to help our community."

It is a known fact that once cultural and language barriers are overcome, Hispanics are loyal consumers who will refer many family and friends to their favorite product or service and that is the message HMR is driving with all their webinar products.

Each webinar is 90 minutes long and just needs a computer with speakers and a phone line or internet service to access. There is also the choice of downloading a copy of the recorded webinar instantly.

Jenni River and mun2.com have partnered to take reality television to a whole new level with a new show, "Jenni Rivera Presents Chiquis and Raq-C" which will premier Saturday, July 3rd.

The show will focus on the daughter of music icon, Jenni Rivera. From managing her mother's music empire to balancing love, family and friends, this sexy young lady has got it under control. It's a non-stop Hollywood lifestyle for Janney "Chiquis" Rivera and her larger-than-life BFF and popular LA radio DJ, Raquel "Raq-C" Cordova. This will be their Hollywood reality which they will be sharing with mun2 followers.

The one-hour, reality series exclusive, "Jenni Rivera Presents Chiquis and Raq-C" will reveal the side of Jenni Rivera we've never seen. As Jenni Rivera's business empire continues to expand - from a ground-breaking music career to a thriving clothing and fragrance line – so do Chiquis' responsibilities.

AARP commissioned a national telephone survey of the 50+ population, including an oversample of Hispanic adults age 50 and older, to gather information on this age group's use of social media and technology and thereby better serve all Americans age 50+ through its website.

Key findings revealed:

• Two out of five (40%) adults age 50 and over consider themselves extremely (17%) or very (23%) comfortable using the Internet. One out of five (21%) Hispanic adults age 50 and over consider themselves extremely (6%) or very (15%) comfortable using the Internet.
• The majority of those 50+ who access the Internet do so from a desktop computer (57%). One-quarter use a laptop (26%), 4 percent use smartphones/blackberries, 4 percent use mobile phones, and one-quarter (27%) do not access the Internet. The majority of Hispanic adults 50+ say they do not access the Internet (55%).
• Approximately one-quarter of all those 50+ use social media websites (27%) with Facebook being by far the most popular (23%). Approximately one-fifth of all Hispanics 50+ use social media websites (21%) with Facebook being the most popular (13%).

The survey was conducted via telephone by GfK Custom Research. Questions were included on GfK’s OmniTel and Hispanic OmniTel surveys during May 12-17, 2010. A nationally representative sample of 1,360 adults age 50 and older, as well as 503 Hispanic adults age 50 and older, completed the interviews.

Read full report here.

Source: AARP

Quepasa.com, an online social network targeting the Latino community, has signed an agreement with Titan Gaming to integrate Titan's skill-based gaming technologies into Quepasa's Open Social Developer platform. This partnership will facilitate the availability and publishing of skill-based social games to Quepasa's registered user base of over 14 million Latinos. The partnership will drive the engagement and monetization of Quepasa's users and will continue to differentiate Quepasa's core offering.

"Game developers around the world are looking for better ways to monetize their games beyond ads and virtual currency. Titan's Platform enables game developers to add tournaments, leaderboards, skill-based matchmaking, and points and cash competitions (dependent upon the laws in each jurisdiction) to their portfolios of games," said John Maffei, CEO of Titan Gaming. "We are excited to partner with Quepasa due to their explosive user growth, comprehensive gaming strategy, and their singular focus on the rapidly-growing and sophisticated Latino user base."

"Quepasa is excited to partner with Titan Gaming, as we believe the availability of skill-based gaming titles will be a real differentiator for Quepasa as we start to market our Open Social Developer platform to the broader game developer community. We look forward to working with social game developers from across the globe to effectively drive the adoption and monetization of their titles to our rapidly growing Latino user base," said Quepasa CEO, John Abbott.

Source: MarketWatch

Blaire Borthayre, CEO of Hispanic Marketing Resources (HMR), wants marketers to learn the necessary skills to reach and serve the immigrant Hispanic community. These skills can be learned in the form of online seminars, aka webinars, offered on demand through the HMR website.

HMR has been helping businesses reach the Latino consumer through culturally appropriate behaviors and messaging training since 2000. However, the recent economic downturn forced HMR reassess and innovate and they started offering webinars online as a way to offer a more affordable way for marketers to reach the growing Latino market.

"During tough economic times, training and travel are the first to be cut in the budgets of most companies. Webinars are an affordable convenient way for them to learn and/or reach a certain segment of the market without having to pay exorbitant travel or marketing costs," says Ms. Borthayre.

Webinars can help many different industry specific groups reach the Hispanic market by overcoming language and cultural barriers. Among HMR's wide library of webinars we found webinars for Attorneys, Bankers, Retail, Physicians and now Dentists.

"For example, there is an misconception that immigrants avoid going to dentists simply because they can't afford to do so and this is just not true," explains Borthayre. The truth is that "[there] is a dire need for marketers who can overcome cultural and language barriers to help our community."

It is a known fact that once cultural and language barriers are overcome, Hispanics are loyal consumers who will refer many family and friends to their favorite product or service and that is the message HMR is driving with all their webinar products.

Each webinar is 90 minutes long and just needs a computer with speakers and a phone line or internet service to access. There is also the choice of downloading a copy of the recorded webinar instantly.

EMarketer recently posted an interview with Isidra Mencos, Executive Editor for BabyCenter en Español. The interview revealed interesting information about the Latina mom online. Some of the most interesting points were the following:

• Less acculturated Latina moms are more brand loyal
• They are 8% less likely than non-whites to shop online -- but are beginning to catch on
  
• 49% of Latina moms click on ads, 23% more than non-whites
• 57% of Latina moms read e-mails from companies with offers, 19% more than average US Mom
  
• 45% of Latina moms look for offers before buying
• 67% of Latina moms say it is important to find information online

A recent study by e-marketer.com estimates the online Latino population to grow by 10 million in the next 4 yours (from 29.6 million in 2010 to 39.2 million in 2014). Wired Latinos will no longer be a minority online, but expected to be considered mainstream as 70% of them will be connected.

“This online population is young and thriving,” said Lisa E. Phillips, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report “Hispanics Online: Demographics and Media Usage.” “They frequently use social media, message boards and sports sites.”

According to the report, the majority of Latinos online are proficient English speakers and native born. However, they will take notice when advertisers culturally address them. The report also cited studies done by Arnet and Opinion Research Corporation where they found that 62% Latinos are more likely than African-Americans (55%) or Whites (48%) to respond to online banner ads and e-mail marketing offers.

“Marketers must move beyond their perceived language barrier and commit to reaching a market that is already a majority-minority community,” Ms. Phillips said.

“As the FCC’s broadband initiative begins to take hold in rural areas, even more Hispanic households could be online in coming years,” she added. “Marketers who ignore this population will find themselves at a distinct disadvantage against competitors who are testing digital campaigns targeted to this audience.”

Read full report here.

The popular Latino blog, Being Latino, kicked off its "El Pueblo Unido" series featuring ParentsStepAhead.org. The new series showcases small nonprofits that serve the Latino community. As the first organization featured in the series, many can learn about Parents Step Ahead, the work it's doing for parents, and how to get involved.

Parents Step Ahead was established in 2006 to recognize, educate, enable and empower parents to take a proactive role in the educational and personal development of their children. "We are hoping that by partnering with Being Latino and getting the word out about Parents Step Ahead many will recognize the dire need for parental involvement in schools," said Lupita Colmenero, founder and chair of Parents Step Ahead.

"El Pueblo Unido" is a new bi-weekly series created by Charlotte Gossett for the Being Latino blog dedicated to promoting the efforts of small nonprofit organizations that support and empower the Latino community around the nation. "I know how difficult it is for small nonprofits to have a voice and gain recognition for their grassroots efforts. I thought Being Latino was a great platform to build awareness around the organizations and their local Latino communities," states Ms. Gossett.

To see the blog, visit Being Latino's blog series El Pueblo Unido.

Pew Research Center yesterday released a report about local community activity online. Below are some excepts with charts of the report we found most interesting:

Americans use a range of approaches to keep informed about what is happening in their communities and online activities have been added to the mix. Face-to-face encounters and phone calls remain the most frequent methods of interaction with neighbors. At the same time, internet tools are gaining ground in community-oriented communications.

In a poll conducted at the end of last year, we asked about online connections to communities and neighbors and found that in the 12 months preceding our survey:

* 22% of all adults (representing 28% of internet users) signed up to receive alerts about local issues (such as traffic, school events, weather warnings or crime alerts) via email or text messaging.
* 20% of all adults (27% of internet users) used digital tools to talk to their neighbors and keep informed about community issues.

Overall, physical personal encounters remain the primary way people stay informed about community issues. In the 12months preceding our survey:

* 46% of Americans talked face-to-face with neighbors about community issues;
* 21% discussed community issues over the telephone;
* 11% read a blog dealing with community issues;
* 9% exchanged emails with neighbors about community issues and 5% say they belong to a community email listserv;
* 4% communicated with neighbors by text messaging on cell phones;
* 4% joined a social network site group connected to community issues;
* 2% followed neighbors using Twitter.

These findings come from a national telephone survey conducted November 30 to December 27, 2009 among 2,258 Americans (including 565 reached on a cell phone). The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 2.4 percentage points. For results based internet users (n=1,676) the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

E-mail
Compared with telephone and in-person communication, racial differences are somewhat less pronounced when it comes to using email to communicate about neighborhood issues. Among email users 15% of whites and 9% of both African Americans and Hispanics shared email with neighbors about community issues in the preceding year, differences that are not statistically significant. Similarly, there are no significant differences on this question based on geographic location.



Community Blogs
Community blogs are particularly popular among residents of urban areas, as 17% of wired urbanites read a blog dealing with community issues. This is significantly higher than the 11% online rural residents who read such blogs. Online whites (14%), blacks (18%) and Hispanics (13%) are equally likely to read community blogs, and there is relatively little variation on this question based on income and education.





All Tools
It is also notable that relatively large number of young adults and minority Americans use tools such as community blogs, social networking sites and text messaging to keep up with neighborhood events -- especially since these groups are generally less likely than whites and older adults to talk about community issues via the telephone or face-to-face interactions.

Read full report here.

Source: Pew Research Center

There are countless blog directories out there. Some of these websites are so massive, you feel your blog is like a needle in a haystack. Where can you really get the bang for your sign-up time investment? Here are our top 5 choices:

1. Blogcatalog.com. This is okay despite its alexa ranking of 796. When we did a search for "Latino", we received 3126 items back -- blogs and articles (so it is not clear how many blogs really). When we did a search for "Hispanic", we received 1,480 items back. This was a very easy site to use.

2. Blogged.com. This is a social blogging community where you can list your blog. Alexa ranking is slowly creeping up at 3,527. It is pretty cool. When we did a search for "Latino" blogs, we received 159 results. When we did a search for "Hispanic" blogs, we received 64.

3. RedTram.com. This site was nice, easy and upfront. Alexa ranking is 2,223. When we did a search for "Latino" or "Hispanic" blogs, we received 50 pages of 20 items each time -- included blogs and articles.

But WiredLatinos two most favorite blog directories are:

4. BlogsbyLatinas.com. Alexa ranking does not matter. The site is very user friendly and super fast to submit your blog. The only bad part it is exclusive to LATINAS only. Sorry guys.


5. Blagadera.com. Another great blog directory. All inclusive, but right now it is mostly Latino blogs. I encourage every blogger to join -- Latino and not. Don't be shy. After all, we Latinos are taking over the internet, might as well start merging right in (starting with your blog).


If you're a blogger, you should seriously consider submitting your blog to these directories. The time investment is minimal considering the exposure return.

A new Spanish website called 1001Consejos.com (1001 pieces of advice) was launched today by online marketing veteran Pilar Lazzati of Baltimore. It is a social networking site with emphasis on giving and receiving advice from its member base.

The new site is targeted toward the exploding US Latino market, as well as those who speak Spanish in South America and abroad.

"We wanted to create a one stop-shop community where we, as Latinos, could help and support each other with sound advice," Ms. Lazzati told WiredLatinos.

"Latinos can use 1001Consejos.com for every purpose," she explained.

"A mother can browse 1001 Consejos to find a bargain on their family trip, while her son checks the the latest soccer scores. He can then chat with his Dad about the game, while Dad shares financial advice with his best friend. 1001 Consejos is revolutionary!"

1001Consejos.com gives users a place to look up recipies, find shopping bargains, buy entertainment tickets, or find up-to-the minute sport scores, among other advice and tips. Below is a list of information you may find on 1001Consejos.com:

• Look up daily horoscopes
• Track the progress of your pregnancy and your baby's development
• Find job openings
• Find maps and directions
• Interact with friends and family
• Listen to the latest music
• Get the latest entertainment industry gossip
• Share advice on beauty, business, health, family, education, love and money
• Use the latest tools for translation, currency conversion, baby naming & much more...

The 2010 Hispanic Business Showcase announced today that San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and U.S. Bank will be the official sponsors of the 2010 Hispanic Business Showcase September 10-11, 2010 at the San Diego Convention Center. As the official sponsors of the event, both companies proudly join a group of partners that have pledged to provide world-class expertise to help showcase the best Hispanic small business and technology-focused businesses at this spectacular event.

“This forward-thinking event will have much to offer Hispanic businesses in the way of how to use social media to increase their business success and what technology industries are expanding,” said Ted Reguly, director of smart meter for SDG&E. “SDG&E is installing smart meters to all 1.4 million of our customers and they are excited about the benefits this technology will provide them – like controlling their energy costs by being able to see their energy usage online.”

The two-day Showcase, which will include a technology exhibition will be the largest Hispanic-focused business and technology trade show in San Diego Convention Center history.

"U.S. Bank is proud to support small businesses as the official sponsor of the 2010 Hispanic Business Showcase,” said Hector Zatarain, San Diego Regional Manager Business Banking at U.S. Bank. U.S. Bank is a partner to Hispanic families and to businesses of all sizes.”

The inaugural Showcase will expand the Hispanic market frontier by providing a venue for businesses to enhance their relationships, research the market for the leading products and services, and learn about the latest best business practices.

“We are proud of our partnership with these outstanding organizations who contribute so much to the quality of life in our community,” said Tayde Aburto, President of the Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce (HISCEC), host of the event. “U.S. Bank works in partnership with hundreds of organizations across the country to foster economic revitalization. We are equally proud to have SDG&E as a sponsor, which has been a long-time supporter of the Hispanic business community and uses many local Hispanic businesses and vendors. Together we'll be able to energize these small business businesses in a way that has never been done before.”

Source: PR Dialogo

The official 2010-2011 U.S. Hispanic Social Media Guide, the ultimate "How To" guide to Hispanic social media marketing, is now available free to marketers nationwide. Featuring best practices and intriguing discussions from many of the nation's top voices, the guide explores current and upcoming trends in the Hispanic social media and marketing space.

The attractive, 57-page guide was produced by the Hispanic PR Blog in partnership with the Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA) and the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA).

"This guide is a marketer's dream because it's comprehensive, fact-packed and practical with a specific focus on the 'how to's of Hispanic social media," said guide and Hispanic PR Blog publisher Manny Ruiz, who is also the organizer of the annual Hispanic PR & Social Media Conference.

"HPRA strives to be a resource for communications professionals and for those seeking insights into the Hispanic market and this guides helps accomplish this, said Lourdes Rodriguez, HPRA-LA president.

Articles featured in the guide include an in-depth look at topics such as "How to Build and Manage a Hispanic Online Community," "How to Work Effectively with Latino Bloggers," and "How to Measure Multicultural & Multilingual Social Media Campaigns."

The guide features contributions from some of the leading voices in Hispanic social media marketing, including: Armando Azarloza of The Axis Agency; Jose Villa of Sensis; Paul M. Rand, President/CEO of Zocalo Group and President of WOMMA; Gaby Alban of Conexion; Stephanie Noble of Paden-Noble; Cristy Clavijo-Kish of PR Newswire; Silvia Prado of Marketwire; and Midy Aponte of the Sanchez Ricardo Agency.

Recipients of the guide will also receive access to audio recordings from several key sessions from the national Hispanic PR & Social Media Conference that helped make the guide possible. A series of discussions related to the guide will also be held online at the Facebook fan page www.facebook.com/hprblog, the premier Facebook page for PR and social media pros focused on Hispanic marketing.

This summer and through the balance of the year, the Hispanic PR Blog, HPRA and WOMMA will be sponsoring a series of provocative industry roundtables as part of the 2010 U.S. Hispanic Social Media Insights Tour. The tour will visit Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Austin, Seattle and Chicago, among other cities.

In order to receive a copy of the social media guide, you must register to receive the Hispanic PR Blog newsletter. Visit their site for more information.

Source: PR Newswire

A small business looking for growth in online customers should look to the Hispanic market for opportunities. A new research report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau indicates that Hispanics are an increasingly important target market online, and Outrank.com suggests its clients develop key strategies and tactics to drive more business from the local Hispanic community.

“According to the report, the Hispanic population in the United States is expected to expand 167 percent in the next four decades,” said David Rubin, CEO of Outrank.com. “Many small businesses could benefit by reaching out to this attractive target market, which has considerable purchasing power.”

The new “U.S. Latinos Online” report indicates that of the roughly 60 percent of U.S. Hispanics that are online, 70 percent are employed and the average annual income is $77,000. The report also indicates that Hispanics are more dedicated users of wireless and broadband services and are also more receptive to online advertising than the average user.

“At Outrank.com, we believe that understanding the target market is critical for business success,” Rubin said. “As this market continues to grow, online local search placement continues to be a great way for small businesses to reach the key Hispanic demographic.”

Source: PRLog

In an effort to reach out directly to California's Spanish-speaking voters, The California Accountability Project has launched an advertising campaign through which 100,000+ Spanish-speaking Californians will be targeted with ads critical of Whitman on their Facebook pages. Once these individuals click through the ads, they are taken to a landing page containing key information and web videos related to Meg Whitman's record and positions on immigrants and Latinos.

Source: The California Majority Report

As Latinos become more and more wired, and the economy seems to be sustained by the growing Latino businesses, new websites are being launched to support this growing demand. Today, The Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce (HISCEC) announced the rollout of its new website, HISCEC.com beta, with a selected group of beta testers. The bilingual B2B platform combines powerful e-commerce and marketing tools with social networking applications and a website building program. Hiscec.com is now uniquely able to provide companies targeting Hispanic businesses and consumers on-demand solutions previously unavailable in one bilingual platform.

Delivering on users' desire to drive online sales and improve communication in one website, HISCEC's proprietary development framework integrates social networking, e-commerce, and online marketing applications. The site also includes a shopping marketplace where all the products and services offered by the members of the HISCEC will be listed.

HISCEC member, MexInsurance.com plans to take advantage of the e-commerce apps. "We are very excited about this new platform," said Chuck Lundy, CEO of MexInsurance.com. "We manage a large amount of e-commerce data, so the ability to house that information will help us sell and transact online.

HISCEC members are enthusiastic about the benefits of the new platform, which will officially launch to the public during the 2010 Hispanic Business Showcase September 10 and 11 in San Diego. The new platform moves companies to a behavioral marketing approach, making it easier to develop campaigns that respond to individual interests and needs.

As a Hispanic multi-platform media outlet we are aware of the growth and importance of E-Commerce among our community and we are very excited to be a part of this event,” said Univision San Diego KBNT Director of Operations & Creative Services, Robert Moutal, a HISCEC strategic partner. “We are very proud to sponsor the 2010 Hispanic Business Showcase this coming September.

"Our members overwhelmingly agree that solutions supporting marketing and communication should come together into a single, scalable platform," said Tayde Aburto, President of The Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce. "It's the most powerful integrated digital business tool, available in English and in Spanish."

Quepasa Corporation, owner of Quepasa.com, an online social network targeting the Latino community, today announced that the website saw a record 9.6MM unique visits during the month of May, a 55% increase over the prior month. Increased traffic was a result of enhanced site functionality and features. At the same time, registered users grew by 1.1MM new members to over 14MM.

"During the month of May, we introduced a number of features aimed at improving the user experience on Quepasa.com, such as a redesigned navigation panel, a more dynamic Playboy Mexico community and contest page and a new streaming video channel, all of which contributed to higher traffic figures, " said John C. Abbott, CEO of Quepasa Corporation. "Over the next several months, we will continue to emphasize improved site functionality, new social games and some very exciting sponsored contests."

Source: Marketwire