Event Recap: AMA Multicultural SIG on Mobile Marketing

The American Marketing Association Houston Chapter's Multicultural group put together a panel of experts on Hispanic and mobile marketing to participate in an open discussion about what is working and what isn't in reaching Hispanics via mobile -- smartphones as well as tablets. We found that many takeaways from the event could also be applied to the general market as well.

The speakers participating were Isabel Rafferty of Adsmovil in Los Angeles, Alvaro Cabal of Ford Motor Company in Dallas and Shervin Kalinia of Hand Held Page in Houston. The discussion was moderated by Cynthia Cisneros, VP of Community Affairs at KTRK ABC-13. Here are a few statistics, trends and tips that the speakers shared with the audience.

3 Statistics You Should Know About Mobile Marketing & Hispanics

• For Hispanics, often times the mobile device takes the place of a desktop. Hispanics spend 8% more on their cell phone bills than the general population.
• Hispanics watch 62% more digital video than non-Hispanics
• Device usage trends by time of day: smartphone usage peaks in the morning and at 5pm, tablet usage increases at 7pm through the evening.

Tips for How to Reach Hispanics with Mobile Marketing

• If you're just starting a mobile marketing strategy, start out with a mobile version of your website in English and Spanish. Apps may be appropriate in certain instances, but anyone can access your mobile site at any time. It's a good first step.
• Look at in-app advertising. It is a cost effective form of mobile advertising.
• The level of acculturation of your target audience will affect your strategy as well. More acculturated Hispanics respond more similarly to general market than first generation Hispanics.
• Hispanics overindex in mobile shopping (in-store), texting, video and researching. Use of in-store mobile incentives may be a way to engage these consumers.
• Online video advertising is a great medium, since you are catching a captive audience where they spend a lot of time on the Internet already.
• Be sure to do a post-click analysis to be sure that your site is effectively getting prospects to the information they need. Are they filling out a form, looking at product details, clicking to call? Start with your marketing goals and work backwards to build your mobile strategy.
• Take a look at Google's Mobile Playbook for more insights into mobile marketing.

View the Twitter feed from the event here.

If you are interested in developing a mobile marketing strategy, contact Blue Sky Marketing. We will ensure your program's success through strategic planning, analysis and ongoing testing.