Hispanic Social Media Programs are lagging, but are poised for growth, results of a national survey show

http://www.www.telenoticiasusa.com

NEW YORK--()--Hispanic social media programs lag social media programs for non-Hispanic audiences by a two to one margin but are poised for growth, according to the 2011 TeleNoticias-LatinoWire Hispanic Social Media Survey released today in conjunction with Hispanicize.

Results showed that while 92% of those surveyed have social media programs, less than half (45%) have programs specifically targeting the Hispanic market.

"The survey results are not surprising and are in line with our initial hypothesis" said David Henry, president and CEO of TeleNoticias. "Like other areas of Hispanic marketing, social media targeting Latinos is said to be important, but that importance doesn’t translate to actual work being conducted and dollars being spent."

The survey, conducted by Survey.com in conjunction with a coalition of partners that also included the Hispanic Public Relations Association and HispanicAd.com was executed between March 22, 2011 and April 3, 2011. A total of 202 survey responses were collected.

The most common response when asked about the planning process for social media programs was that there was "No annual plan … most components are defined as the year unfolds." This was the case for programs targeting both the mainstream and Hispanic markets.

"What can be derived from the survey is that social media is still very much in the formative state at most companies and hasn’t yet become a part of the strategic communications plan," said Tom Mulgrew, Vice President of LatinoWire, a service of Business Wire. "I think we can expect that to change in the coming years."

The survey also found that, overall, social media continues to be a growing sector and most participants anticipate an increase in the use of Social media for Hispanic markets in the next fiscal year. The majority survey indicated that they expect budgets for social media programs in the next fiscal year will increase.

Some of the key findings are:

  • Social media has emerged as a tool used by nearly all companies to interact with their customers/clients (92%).
  • Hispanic social media programs were viewed equally as important as mainstream social media programs (69% for each).
  • While most respondents felt their social media programs are effective, Hispanic social media programs were noted as slightly less effective than mainstream social media programs (56% vs. 64% effective respectively).
  • The same social media tools are used to target both the mainstream and Hispanic markets—though use in the Hispanic market is comparatively less in all areas except mobile, where use was higher in Hispanic programs.
  • For the mainstream market, respondents indicated their companies predominantly communicate with their customers/clients through Facebook (92%), Twitter (83%), Blogs (58%), and YouTube (56%). Companies use these same social media tools to communicate with their Hispanic market customers and clients; Facebook (84%), Twitter (62%), YouTube (42%), and Blogs (40%).
  • Use of social media tailored to the Hispanic market remains an area for improvement. While 67% of respondents indicated their company has an ongoing Hispanic Public Relations Program, less than half (45%) of companies surveyed use a Hispanic social media program tailored to the Hispanic market.
  • Most company’s social media programs are not formally defined at the beginning of the fiscal year; either for the mainstream market or Hispanic market.
  • Social media continues to be a growing sector with increases anticipated for the next fiscal year.
  • 58% of respondents anticipate their company or business unit's budget for social media will increase for the mainstream market in the next fiscal year; 60% anticipate a budget increase for social media for the Hispanic market.
  • Most respondents anticipated increases in the next fiscal year in their company or business unit's use of Social media in several areas including:
  • Use of social media as a component of their marketing and communications program: 88%
  • Use of social media as a component in their Hispanic marketing and communications program: 81%
  • Outreach to Hispanic market bloggers: 68%
  • Outreach to mainstream/general market bloggers: 64%
  • Recruiting/hiring new talent to work as employees in social media: 56%

Research Methodology:

Survey.com conducted an online survey to collect data for this study. An email invitation with an embedded survey link was sent to prospective participants. Data was collected from March 22, 2011, to April 3, 2011. A total of 202 survey responses have been collected to date.

To download the survey go to:

http://www.slideshare.net/Hispanicize/2011-hispanic-social-media-survey-highligts-final-7733401

About TeleNoticias

TeleNoticias provides broadcast media, mobile PR and social media services to public relations agencies, Fortune 500 companies, trade organizations and associations. The TeleNoticias team brings more than 30 years of combined experience in crafting strategies that successfully deliver clients’ key messages to the U.S. Hispanic market. Founded in 2004 to fill the growing needs of public relations agencies and other companies seeking to reach the Hispanic market, TeleNoticias works closely with its clients to engage and interact with the Hispanic market. Learn more at www.telenoticiasusa.com, visit our blog at www.telenoticiasusa.com/blog, and follow our updates on Facebook and Twitter (@TeleNoticias_).

About LatinoWire and Business Wire

LatinoWire, a service of Business Wire, provides comprehensive press release distribution in English and Spanish to print, broadcast and online media, newswires and news services in all the top Hispanic markets in the U.S. The LatinoWire partnership with impreMedia, the leading Hispanic news and information company, ensures exposure via the most popular Hispanic websites and news outlets.

About Business Wire

Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2011 as the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure. Public relations and investor relations professionals rely on Business Wire for both broad-based and targeted market reach. A recognized disclosure service in the United States, Canada and a dozen European countries, Business Wire handles XBRL tagging, document formatting and regulatory filing into EDGAR, SEDAR and other systems. Business Wire provides online newsroom hosting and integration services as well as search engine optimization, mobile distribution and detailed measurement on every press release. Its patented NX delivery platform provides simultaneous full-text posting of Business Wire content to news systems and websites in virtually any country or language. With 32 bureaus worldwide, Business Wire offers local service and global reach.

Learn more at BusinessWire.com and the BusinessWired blog; follow updates on Twitter: @businesswire or on Facebook.

About Hispanicize

Co-headquartered in New York City and Miami, Hispanicize is the complete resource for Latino social media marketers and bloggers. The company was co-founded by Latino social media thought leaders Manny Ruiz, founder of the Hispanic PR Blog, PapiBlogger and the Annual Hispanic PR & Social Media Conference, Angela Sustaita-Ruiz, Publisher of the Hispanic PR Blog and Louis Pagan, Co-Founder of LATISM and Publisher of Latino Rebranded. Hispanicize regularly features in-depth industry news, webinar trainings, technology guides, online forums and a comprehensive directory and networking service for brands and Latina/o bloggers. To follow Hispanicize.com <http://Hispanicize.com> on its Facebook fan page, visit /www.facebook.com/hispanicize or on Twitter @Hispanicize.

About the Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA)

HPRA was founded in 1984 as a non-profit organization to establish a network of Hispanics employed in the public relations profession. HPRA has more than 250 members representing public relations, marketing and advertising professionals from agencies, government, non-profit and corporate companies. HPRA is dedicated to the advancement of Hispanic professionals and provides educational seminars and workshops throughout the year. The organization has awarded more than $220,000 in scholarships to Latino students pursuing a career in communications during the last 25 years. HPRA strives to be a resource for communications professionals and for those seeking insights into the Hispanic market. For more information visit http://www.hpra-usa.org.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6692095&lang=en

Contacts

TeleNoticias
David Henry, 212-683-6000
dhenry@telenoticiasusa.com
or
LatinoWire / Business Wire
Tom Mulgrew
800-989-9889
tom.mulgrew@businesswire.com
or
Business Wire,
Tom Becktold, +1-310-207-4373
SVP, Marketing
Thomas.becktold@BusinessWire.com
or
Hispanicize
Manny Ruiz, 305-321-5002
manny@hispanicize.com

Release Summary

Survey shows that hispanic social media programs are lagging, but are poised for growth in the coming years.

Contacts

TeleNoticias
David Henry, 212-683-6000
dhenry@telenoticiasusa.com
or
LatinoWire / Business Wire
Tom Mulgrew
800-989-9889
tom.mulgrew@businesswire.com
or
Business Wire,
Tom Becktold, +1-310-207-4373
SVP, Marketing
Thomas.becktold@BusinessWire.com
or
Hispanicize
Manny Ruiz, 305-321-5002
manny@hispanicize.com