It is alarming that Hispanic online marketing is still perceived by many as the next frontier. Much like the early U.S. settlers, Hispanic marketers have endured the great cultural divide dueling with general market for the flexibility to develop creative, media budgets and strategies that speak to our market…the online arena is no exception.

Conflicting market research further muddles the waters making advertisers and agencies even more skeptical about the online medium. This has created a vicious circle that has stunted the growth of Hispanic internet and limited it to the creation of a Spanish webpage. Hispanic consumers perceive many of these pages to be useless because advertisers have prioritized the messaging based on what they think Hispanics want to hear. What they don’t realize is that Hispanics are very curious in nature and want to know EVERYTHING there is to know before they make a purchase. As part of the American Dream, they feel it is their obligation to be informed consumers and often compare the content of both sites only to realize that English is much more complete. This further skews the numbers in favor of English online content and develops a level of mistrust for the Spanish content. We are in a sense creating mistrust between our consumers, the Spanish language and our brands…not by lying, but by omission.

As marketers, we need to ensure that this does not continue to happen as our communities are being underserved and if unchecked, it will continue to widen the cultural divide.

To the general market, online marketing is more than e-building…it is a series of intricate strategies that work together to deliver the desired consumer. These strategies include a mix of tactics that include SEM (search engine marketing), user generated content, viral marketing, online media campaigns, a website, mobile marketing and many others. As Hispanic marketers, we must recognize the power of the medium and realize that the online space does not exist to merely repeat the same marketing jargon that we plaster on the side of a bus or in a TV spot. It is no longer a “nice have”, but a catalyst for future growth.

• It is a unique, two-way medium that allows for a level of engagement and learning not enjoyed by broadcast or print.
• Its social benefits are growing and connecting people that would normally be divided by geographic boundaries or languages further complicating the consumer validation process.
• It is cost-effective, from a production standpoint and requires much less lead time than most print and broadcast mediums.
• It is a measurable medium with a high level of accountability that many fear as claims of increased awareness do not hold water.

However, as Hispanic marketers, we need to learn how to harness the power of the internet and create culturally relevant extensions to our brands. When done correctly, online tactics can act as communication hubs by interconnecting all marketing disciplines and strengthening your overall communication platform. It makes your call to action…well, actionable. It also takes it to the next level by giving your brand an accessible place to live that can evolve and change as your consumer does, over the lifetime of your relationship.

What motivation have you given your Hispanic consumer to buy your brand and return to your site to build on your relationship? Will tomorrow be too late?

- Written by Miamiadguy