There are approximately 23 million Latinos active on Facebook each month, where they create personal profiles, receive notifications, exchange messages, post photos, compose statuses and exchange updates. There, Latinos are also able to engage businesses, organizations and services.

Spanish-language social media pages are increasing in prominence and becoming necessary for numerous educational institutions, politicians, places of worship, government agencies and businesses, all of which are beginning to see the value of Latino branding and Spanish-language content as the number of Latinos in the U.S. continue to climb.

Denny's, one of America's largest franchised full-service restaurant chains, has followed suit, by launching a Spanish-language Facebook page, Denny's Latino, where they will offer original and curated information to highly-engaged Latinos. The Facebook page will encourage an ongoing dialogue between the company and its audience, as well as offer exclusive offers and incentive promotions that are only available on Denny's Latino, benefitting Denny's large Latino customer base. More than 20 percent of Denny's guests are Latino. Also, Denny's offers Spanish-language menus in their restaurants to accommodate those who prefer Spanish over English.

"Latinos are not only the fastest-growing demographic in America, but they're also the fastest growing demographic for America's Diner," said John Dillon, Vice President of Marketing at Denny's. "From our tables to social media, Denny's continues its commitment to serving the needs of our valued Latino customers with our new 'Denny's Latino' Facebook page."

McDonald's introduced a Spanish-language Twitter campaign, @MeEncanta, back in 2011 to interact with fans about music, sports and education, and to offer exclusive incentives. Dunkin' Donuts recently introduced a new Spanish-language Twitter account, @DunkinLatino, in June 2014. Organizations and individuals, such as The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Mayo Clinic and Texas Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott also have Spanish-language social media pages set up so they can engage Latinos effectively in digital spaces.

Yahoo, CNN, Autism Speaks and March of Dimes have published full-fledged Spanish-language sites, understanding that many Latinos like to receive information in Spanish. Not only that, but when companies choose to engage Latinos in Spanish, Latinos view it as an effort to understand their heritage and their needs.

Likewise, social platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Vine, Snapchat and Pinterest are also effective tools that allow users to converse and interact in Spanish. But many companies and marketers still fail to engage this way or see the value in Spanish-language Facebook fan pages and similar applications.

Related