By Natalia Flores, APR

With the second Internet boom (dubbed the Web 2.0 era) in full swing, companies small and large are reevaluating their Internet strategies. Now, consumers are going online at a much higher percentage, and that is especially true of the Hispanic market. A March 2007 study by the Pew Research Center and the Pew Internet & American Life Project of online Latinos found that 57% of all U.S. Hispanics use the Internet—that is more than half. Of those Hispanics that use the Internet, 78% were English-dominant; 76 % were bilingual, and 32% were Spanish-dominant.

If you have a product or service that you want to advertise to the estimated 17 million U.S. Hispanics online, then you need to develop a successful presence on the web. If those figures don’t convince you to build a top-notch Web site for your business, then these reasons might:

1. Your customers are online…why aren’t you?—With the availability of low-cost broadband Internet access throughout the U.S., Latinos are going online to find out about companies, research products and services and make important buying decisions. With an expected $1 trillion in purchasing power by next year, you can’t afford not to make reaching out to Hispanics via the web a priority.

2. Cost-effective marketing tool—Unless you are a multi-billion dollar company, chances are you don’t have a large budget allocated for marketing your company. Web sites provide an easy and cost-effective manner in which to reach your audience. For a small budget, you can have an eye-catching and effective Web site for your company with attractive features, interactivity and content management.

3. Local to global reach—Your current customer base may be local but you might be eyeing a broader clientele. Offering information on your company, products or services online will enable you to broaden your reach. Since the web is global, you aren’t limited to your physical office boundaries. Imagine the spike in sales growth if you are able to maintain current clients, intrigue prospects, increase sales leads and land new clients.

4. Open shop 24/7—Forget 9am-5pm, your Web site can work for you while you are away and your office is closed. The Internet provides consumers with access to your company day and night. With just a few clicks, consumers will be able to get all the information they need about your company.

5. Your competition is likely already online—Have you scoped out your competition recently? Chances are, they are online and they are promoting themselves on the web. Try to do a “Google” search for your company. Does one of your competitors come up as the top-ranked site? Give your company a fair shot...make sure that you are online and that your site is replete with the “buzzwords” that you want to be associated with.

This may sound like a daunting task. Whether you need an entirely new Web site, a complete redesign of a site, maintenance or upgrades, there are experts available to help you create an online presence that combines dynamic programming, powerful graphics and an effective extension of your company brand and identity on the web. For example, Hispanic Digital Network (HDN) offers companies like yours the opportunity to get online. Specialized in the Hispanic market, HDN provides user-friendly and easy-to-manage Web design services including customized projects development, database management, corporate identity development, Flash animation and graphics, Web hosting and Internet marketing.

According to Bill Gato, president of Hispanic Digital Network, “With more and more Latinos online, you simply can’t ignore this huge market anymore. Whether your site is in English, Spanish or both, we take the time to identify your needs and develop intelligent solutions. Our Hispanic staff combines their unique cultural perspectives to help you sell your brand online to the Latino market. The final product will reflect the individual nature of your business.”

As the number of Latinos online continues to increase, companies have the unique opportunity to build lasting relationships with brand-loyal customers. Will you be a savvy business that takes advantage of this opportunity?

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