Our Social Media Specialist Angelo Fernandez explains why companies and businesses should be using interactive YouTube videos and gives a few simple tips on how to do so. The video tip is also available in Spanish.

Nuestro Especialista de Social Media Angelo Fernandez explica por que las compañias y empresas deben utilizar videos interactivos de YouTube y da unos simples consejos sobre como hacerlo. El consejo de video tambien esta disponible en Ingles.

Angelo Fernandez | @abfsra

Many companies, especially the smaller ones, don’t target the Hispanic and Latino audience. Some businesses choose not to because they don’t have research on the Hispanic/Latino base or aren’t sure how to specifically market to them. But probably the biggest reason is the language barrier which many companies don’t have the staff for. You have to have bilingual staff that can produce premium content in Spanish and interact with consumers in the language as well. But even those reasons shouldn’t be enough to deter companies from this potential goldmine.

Over the last decade the Hispanic population in the U.S.  grew by 15.2 million. To put that in perspective the total population of the United States has increased 27.3 million over the last decade, meaning Hispanics have accounted for over half the total increase. As of 2010 Hispanics/Latinos accounted for roughly 16% of the entire population of the United States.

The growth is identical online, Hispanics are connecting twice as fast (14% to 7%) as the general market. Over the years and after various studies it has also become evident that Hispanics spend more time on their social media channels than many other demographic groups do.

And as you see from the numbers above, social media is a wonderfully easy and cost-effective way to reach out to the Hispanic/Latino audience. There are over 8 million on Twitter and over 13 million on Facebook. What is really interesting is that the language preferences for both platforms were nearly identical. Nearly half of online users preferred English, about 1/4 had no preference and roughly 1/3 would rather have their content in Spanish.

The organization #LATISM (Latinos in social media) has been formed as a place for people who use any social media channels to get together and interact among themselves. And as you can see from their 2011 Award Winners there is an incredibly wide array of Latinos/Hispanics using social media across different channels.

Although I haven’t given any solutions on how to better market to Latinos/Hispanics, I hope that I have provided enough information for you and your business to begin going after that new audience. Every company, person and business will have their own solution and method but you can’t simply ignore the growing presence of Latinos and Hispanics on social media.

Groupon has been all over the web with its recent IPO, but many still aren’t aware of how Groupon works ,what it means for small businesses, or why this IPO has been such a dramatic milestone. We’ve rounded up some of the most interesting info out there on the pioneer in the group and social coupon craze.

From Groupon’s worth of $1 billion after just 16 months in business, to the company’s partnership with popular social websites such as Foursquare and eBay, here’s a look at Groupon’s major milestones in the past three years.

An interesting current development is Groupon Now, allows retailers, restaurants and local businesses to select times and day for their coupon to show up, allowing them to fill slower gaps during the week. According to this CNN article, Groupon has a master plan: to have power over when you use your deals and steals.

Regardless of any grand plans they may have, Groupon Inc. has made it easier for consumers to buy vouchers at a discounted price from different types of businesses, but what kind of deal are the businesses getting? The answer is exposure. You can forget about the profits, its all about putting your business out there by having people buy the Groupon, and hoping they will visit the business again. So know the facts of how Groupon effects a small businesses.

It didn’t take long for the business community to fall under the spell of Groupon. Businesses have flocked to the site to offer major deals to the buying public, and many have made Groupon a permanent part of their marketing strategy. But it’s not happily ever after between Groupon and the business community. 70 percent of small businesses claim to “hate” the daily deals site compared to 76 percent who favored Facebook.

However small businesses may feel about Groupon, they are still raking in the big dollars.  However, the majority of Groupon’s revenue is from outside North America. 54 percent of the company’s revenue comes from overseas. That’s not the only surprising number.  This article from the Atlantic covers some big numbers, including the fact that the company spent a whopping $208 million on marketing, mostly online ads, in just the first quarter of 2011.

So, in spite of of the mixed feelings from small businesses, Groupon is huge.  Exactly how big is Groupon? Well, the only website to beat it to its billion dollar mark was YouTube.  35 million registered is nothing to shy about for a website that’s younger than my dog.  If Groupon can refuse Google’s $6 billion buyout, then its time to look out. Here are a few more Groupon fast facts.

By: Morgan Gossett | @mogossett

We’ve all heard that social media and the internet are contributing to the downfall of the newspaper industry and, depending on who you talk to, undermining the entire system of journalism around the world. We’re not experts on the news industry, but thought the trends were interesting. Here are just a few numbers for you that break down WHY people are choosing social media as a main source of news.

Happy Monday! We’ve rounded up some of Facebook’s most happening news to start you off this week.

If your business has a Facebook page, be aware that they are doing away with the Discussion tab. You likely don’t use this tab anyway, but if you do, get ready! There have been some options pop up on the Facebook apps world that can help you replace that lost functionality if you wish.  Check out this post for all the juicy details: Pages Prep For Removal Of Facebook Discussion Tabs

Also, did you know that Facebook is on target to spend more than $1 million on lobbying in Washington this year.  Allfacebook.com reports that Facebook’s growing lobbying budget is aligned with the tech company’s expanding presence in Washington, D.C., and its public engagement on a range of new policy issues, including job growth strategies and outreach to small businesses.

Lastly, it looks like Facebook is trying to position itself as a resource in the job market.  We’re not going to speak to the success or failure of  BranchOut, but this insightful article on Mashable, Facebook Initiative Could Lead to Job Posting Service, reports: “The social network announced on Thursday that it has teamed up with the U.S. Department of Labor and three employment-related agencies in an attempt to decrease the country’s 9.1% unemployment rate using social media — a project that may eventually include a Facebook jobs posting system.”

by Morgan Gossett | @mogossett

More LinkedIn Fun:

• Social Media Tip Tuesday: Ways to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
• LinkedIn: What It Is, Who It’s For, and Why You Should Too

Planning a wedding? Just dreaming of one? Twitter can help!  We’ve put together the best of the best to help you out: Top 20 Wedding Accounts to Follow on Twitter

Social media and sports – the connection may seem strange to some, but the popularity of sports is very much related to the comraderie of fan-dom, and social media fits right in there.  How Social Media is Changing the NFL looks specifically at the NFL side of the equation.

Millionaires are flocking to Facebook. Is this good news, bad news, or any kind of news at all? If anything can be learned from this, it’s that people with money want to see embarrassing pictures of their friends and post witty comments just like us average joes.  Millionaires Like Facebook, Dump Twitter

Sexting is now a dirty word. But what do you call a word before it makes it into the Oxford English Dictionary?  Retweet & Sexting Are Now Words In Oxford English Dictionary

And because we know you love infographics as much as we do:  How Are People Using Twitter?

by: Meredith Darling | @merdar

One-third of Americans would give up sex before their cell phones for a week. A survey of 514 mobile phones users conducted by Telenav discovered just how much we rely on our phones. The infografic shows that most people would easily give up alcohol, chocolate, caffeine, and exercise. The less popular alternatives were sex, their toothbrush, shoes, and computers.

Of the 33% that would give up sex before their cell phone 70% were women (surprised?). Mobile phones have come a long way. They don’t just make and receive calls anymore. They have control over our career, social, and personal lives. In this sense, these statistics don’t shock me. What would you give up to keep your cell phone for a week? Read the full press release here.

Source: www.bgr.com

Happy Monday! To get your week started off right, we have once again collected some social media news highlights for you.

We’ve put together a list of the Top 20 CEO’s to Follow on Twitter. Check out our choices and let us know if you think we missed anyone!

Google+ continues to hold our attention.  They have cleverly made it easier to invite friends to join, and check out this great blog from Brian Solis about the implications of a simple question: Will You Abandon Facebook for Google+?

Levi’s has launched a Drive for Water.org via Facebook. They are looking for 100,000 people to click on the sponsored story, at which point Levi’s will then make a donation. We love to see big brands using their influence for a good cause.

Teens Who Use Facebook Often Turn Antisocial.  The news is all over the internet today, so likely this is not the first time you’ve heard about it.  If you haven’t heard yet, read the article about professor Larry D. Rosen‘s findings on Fastgush. Look out for words like antisocial, narcissistic, mania, anxiety, and depression.

We also love infographics. We particularly love this awesome interactive infographic, The Sate of the Internet 2011, from Online Schools.

Created by: Online Schools