5) Mobile.
If you haven’t heard the buzz, you will be soon: Mobile is the happening medium where you can target consumers as they’re considering their purchases and, in many instances, at the point of purchase. It’s going to revolutionize how companies target their demographic. And if your business is Latino owned and you want to reach the Latino demographic, you must have a mobile strategy. Consider this: One in five Hispanics in the U.S. are smartphone users. Those numbers are huge and growing, outpacing all other minorities, and accounted for 11 percent, or $2.2 billion, of total e-commerce purchases made across the United States in the first quarter of 2012. Many of those purchases were made with smartphones and mobile devices. Hispanics research their purchases in a number of different categories on their mobile devices, share information and ask for advice about purchases among their social networks.
Thriving in the Digital Realm
Technology can be a boon for small to mid sized business. It allows a company with limited resources to engage in what was once only accessible to corporate giants with equally large budgets. Technology allows anyone to grow his or her brand and expand his or her customer base faster than ever before. For example, I recently worked with a client on an e-commerce project. The client had spent a good amount of resources and money to produce a high-quality product, but it needed distribution and fulfillment. In another era, it would’ve had to invest heavily in this area to become successful, but today, anyone can self-publish and there are some great platform for this. Create Space from Amazon and Trafford Publishing are two of them.
Technology can also quickly expose businesses that are doing well and those that are not. As a business owner, you need to have a game plan in order to address any negativity head on, and whatever you do, do not ignore it. How you address negative reviews or customer comments can make the difference in survival.
As a business owner it is vital that your business remains true to your corporate strategy and guiding principles. Don’t waiver and you’ll always have your true north. Once you understand this, making decisions in the digital realm will make more sense. Don’t do things because they represent the latest trend everyone says you should jump on; do thing that make sense within your business and can add to your bottom line over the long haul.
Other articles by Maria:
Cuban People Offer Hope for a Better Tomorrow
Cuba, Hispanic Capitalism And Propaganda
Cuba Bound A Daughter of Exile Goes Home
The Face of Latina Entrepreneurs
Latina Entrepreneurs Growing and Powerful
