Latinas using social media
Sophia Mind released an interesting study about Latinas’ use of social networks that once again reinforces some key issues to consider when reaching out to online Hispanics.
First, some key stats:
- 80% of women surveyed use the Internet more now than they did two years ago.
- 85% of Latinas surveyed in the U.S. regularly visit social networks.
- Only 21% of these women feel that social networks meet their needs as Latinas. Main missing elements included a greater sense of a Latina community and more relevant content.
- 95% of women surveyed in the U.S., Brazil, Argentina and Mexico state staying in touch with family & friends as an important use of social networks.
- In addition, U.S. Latinas also use social networks mostly for sharing pictures and videos, and looking for discounts. They use social networks much less for their professional lives than the women in Mexico and Argentina, for example.
- Among U.S. Latinas, Facebook is the most accessed social network (92%) with MySpace (35%), Twitter (26%) and LinkedIn (14%) trailing considerably behind.
Similar to what AOL’s Hispanic Cyberstudy showed, the number of Hispanics online is growing and these users are actively participating in social networks. However, the lack of relevant in-language content online is also a growing concern. I’m eager to see how different media entities will find ways to better serve this important demographic.
There already exist some sites that are working to provide more Spanish content, from Vida y Salud to Todo Bebe. However, there’s an opportunity to provide more depth and variety of content that goes beyond the typical baby, health & recipe info found on most sites. And the second challenge is finding a way to encourage a stronger community to grow around these topics and forums.
Based on the initiative that many media companies are taking to develop niche, lifestyle-driven content in the general market, it seems that some of the leading Spanish-language media entities are in a good position to continue expanding their online presence by leveraging already well-known personalities and experts to build a community around focused topics.
To see Sophia Mind’s complete report, including detailed breakdowns of social media activity among Latinas in each of the four countries surveyed, click here.
Cover Photo Source: Flickr user webtreats
