Social Media Savviness has Made Latinos the Most Desirable Demographic to Marketers
Latinos are at the helm of social media -- a fact that was confirmed by a 2013 Pew Report that indicated that 80 percent of Hispanic adults in the U.S. use social media, which is more than whites (70 percent) and African Americans (75 percent). Latinos' heavy internet presence has inadvertently manipulated the tactics of marketers, who hope to gain acknowledgement from the emerging demographic; reanalyzing modes in which they construct advertisements, website designs and mobile apps.
The youngest and fastest growing demographic in the United States, Hispanics, are susceptible to adverts and popular brands, but the limited availability of Spanish-language apps and web pages -- and a firm familiarity with the internet -- keeps young Hispanics selective. In a YouGov survey, it was revealed that 22 percent of Hispanics would be interested in a brand if they made a Spanish-language site available -- and because they don't, these brands lose out to wiser brands who understand the changing dynamics concerning language and culture within the United States.
Despite selectivity, Hispanic consumers are 25 percent more likely to follow a brand than non-Latino adults online, a fact that marketers are aware of -- and it make Latinos extremely desirable. For this reason, certain companies shape their brands to benefit Latino culture; they blur language lines and post tweets, statuses and updates that are lightly sprinkled Spanglish from time-to-time; they employ Hispanic celebrities to help draw the eyes of young Latinos to their web presence; they retain Latina bloggers with influence and an ability to communicate effectively with the Latino population; and they launch campaigns to speak directly to the bicultural Latina, who holds the bulk of the $1.2 trillion Hispanic buying power.
Facebook, Blogger, Twitter, LinkedIn, WordPress and Tumblr chiefly attract Hispanic visitors. Year-on-year, Latinos create profiles and build personal blogs, which better connects them to not only one another, but to large corporations who are desperate for Latinos' cash and endorsements. A blessing and curse, Latinos' connectivity to social media means that companies will relentlessly target the Latino population -- attempting to sell them meaningless products -- but it also means that corporations will better cater to the needs of Latinos.