I just learned I’m a “Hispanic-fluential.”
“Hispanic-fluentials spend more time per week interacting with others online (30 hours) than the general population of U.S. influencers, called e-fluentials (25 hours). according to a study done by Burson-Marsteller.
I match all the characteristics and habits of a Hispanic-fluential because I’m online more than my any of my peers; I talk about brands more often than any other group and I talk OFF-line, in face-to-face conversations, more than my peers. I’m thinking I’m a pretty important person or persona to brands.
So why aren’t more brands talking to ME? When I say “talking” I mean conversations in Twitter and Facebook; and marketing campaigns specifically targeted at Hispanic-fluentials. Surely these companies who want to increase revenue pay attention to the latest data regarding Social Media marketing and Social Networking, don’t they? Data like this, from this fascinating study by Burson-Marsteller:
- Hispanic-fluentials also have more interaction offline in face-to-face conversations (30 hours vs. 21 hours).
- Hispanic-fluentials to be extremely well-networked, as they communicate in person, on the phone or online with many more family members, friends and coworkers each day (58 individuals) than general e-fluential population (45 individuals). Among female Hispanic-fluentials, this number jumps to 68 individuals.
- Hispanic-fluentials are more likely than e-fluentials to take customer service (92 percent vs. 77 percent) and recommendations from family and friends (83 percent vs. 69 percent) into account when deciding what to buy.
- Hispanic-fluentials respond strongly to promotions, with 90 percent more likely to pay attention to companies who offer them coupons and 72 percent interested in companies who send emails with promotions or offers.
Maybe these companies simply don’t know that I’m a powerful word-of-mouth consumer -or- they don’t know how to go about marketing to Hispanic-fluentials.
“Hispanics cultivate the most extensive personal and professional networks both online and offline among the efluentials studied, attesting to the potential effectiveness of grassroots and viral campaigns,” said Theresa Rice, Director, US Hispanic for Burson-Marsteller.
We spend more time online but more importantly, we spend more time OFFline, talking to each other in face-to-face conversations. I’m living proof: when I meet someone in Twitter who brings great value, I want to get to know them more, so, after tweeting and emailing each other, I like to take it to the next level and talk on the phone, if they’re not in my part of the country–or if they are, I’ll arrange a meeting. This habit has resulted in personally and professionally enriching my life.
A Social Revolución is happening in Social media. Why aren’t we hearing more about this outside of the people who are part of it?
I’ve got an hot tip for you, big companies, (if you’re listening): Check out Latinos In Social Media and review the LATISM directory of professionals: bloggers, Social Media marketers, PR agencies, consultants, thought-leaders, authors, mami bloggers and more. It’s a unique gathering of resources for partnerships and collaborations with the people that Hispanic-fluentials quite often turn to before purchasing products and services: their Latino/Hispanic peers.
Update: A complimentary blog post was written and published today, Black Like Me? The Missing Faces in Technology and Innovation by Robin Caldwell over at the Huffington Post. Please read it and post your comments. She poses a great question.
