How to capture the Hispanic Community Online
Bilingual SEO
The Hispanic population makes up around 15% of the USA's total and they're becoming an increasingly influential part of the economy. By 2013, it is estimated that their buying power (disposable income) will pass the trillion dollar point and only the white demographic of the USA will have a higher buying power.
This influence is being reflected online too. The Hispanic internet population is growing faster than any other demographic in the USA – leaping up 3% since 2009 and currently makes up around 13% of the total online population of the USA.
With the average age at 27.7, the Hispanic population is a very young one –as opposed to 36.8 for the rest of the USA and around 40 in the UK and statistics show that there are almost ten births for every death. Once again, these statistics are reflected in Hispanic internet trends. 26.4% of the Hispanic internet population are children and teens and a mere 6.1% are over 55 compared to 17% of US users. For online marketers this is good news, as it is younger generations who have more disposable income and are most likely to spend online.
So what's the best way to target the Hispanic community online? Is it simply a matter of setting up a Spanish version of a site, or is there more to it? The answer is that there is no simple way to target the Hispanic population and that, as with targeting any foreign market, the key is to produce a localised strategy which understands the various ways the internet is used amongst the Hispanic population.
Here are a few top tips from OBAN on how to reach out to the Hispanic market with SEO and SEM:
- Personalise SEO campaigns as much as possible. 37% of Hispanic under 18 year olds are third generation or later. Their use of Spanish is far more selective than someone who is first or second generation Hispanic. Know who you want to target and cater to their linguistic and cultural needs.
- Research Hispanic use of keywords and phrases. Although many search in English, there are also culturally-specific keywords and phrases which only exist in Spanish. There is no clear definition as to whether Hispanics prefer to use English or Spanish when searching. A recent eMarketer report found that 55% prefer English, 34% say Spanish, whilst 11% say they don't mind – and trends differ according to age and gender. Again, campaigns need to be personalised.
- Don't dismiss paid advertising. Research shows that Hispanic internet users are far more receptive to online advertising than non-Hispanics. One study showed that 57% of Hispanic net users would click on a paid search result, compared to only 32% of white Americans.
- Integrate entertainment. Hispanic internet users often use the internet for entertainment purposes, and with such a young net population (64% of internet users are under 35) music and video downloading are two of the most popular online activities. With search engines such as Google (the most popular search engine amongst Hispanics) now considering video and image content as a ranking factor, it's worth thinking about how such features can be included into websites.
- Develop a good mobile strategy. Mobile-only access amongst Hispanic adults is higher than any other demographic and the average daily use for mobile internet usage stands at 1.1 hours, compared to 24 minutes amongst non-Hispanics. Marketers have a much higher chance of reaching the Hispanic community if they are able to target them via mobile.
Greig Holbrook, MD of OBAN Multilingual commented that, "Understandably, marketers are often daunted by the thought of having to target a bilingual audience, but by having a thorough understanding of cultural and linguistic trends, as well as an understanding of internet trends, there is a far higher chance of reaching a market successfully."
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- Tags: Hispanic, International SEO, SEO tips, Spain
