Social Media Conferences for Latinos

Photo via the Hispanicize Facebook Page

Back when I worked in Philadelphia, I would attend local and national conferences that pretty much brought a lot of insight to many industries. I've recently taken a step back (for no reason), but as I search more and more conferences, I tell myself, "Sign me up!" Although I am attending the Social Media Tourism Symposium in Nashville next month, I need something that speaks to me at another level.

So naturally I did some more research and came up with this nifty list below.

Amtrak launches DescubreNorteAmerica.com

In today's "businesses are still looking into Hispanic marketing" news, Amtrak launched a bilingual microsite targeting Hispanic consumers: DescubreNorteAmerica.com. Although Amtrak.com (main website), will be the official travel-planning resource for all travelers, the microsite is a culturally focused travel site that hosts unique and original multicultural voices of a rotating set of featured bloggers. 

The blog (currently at 3 posts) so far doesn't necessarily focus on selling any tickets. The latest post, "Batter up! The legacy of Dominicans “Domi-nating” the world of baseball," discusses Dominican influence in baseball and vice versa. According to the press release and Lilliana Lopez, Amtrak editor of DescubreNorteAmerica.com, "Diversity begins with respect. Respect for the community, for culture and, of course for you." I love it! The blog pushes a message that we (Latinos) speak both English and Spanish and do indeed travel. Looking forward to reading the wide range of topics. 

Amtrak also launched two additional microsites: MyBlackJourney.com for African American consumers and AmtrakRideWithPride.com for the LGBT community. 

PPRA Leaped Into Social Media

Earlier today I presented at the Philadelphia Public Relations Association's (PPRA)  program "Leap Into Social Media" along with Jessica Lawlor and Aimee Cirucci. The three "younger" public relations' professionals discussed tips and tricks businesses and organizations can use to improve their social media use. Whether it's for personal branding or corporate structure, social media is there and using it isn't as easy as ABC. Social media is a changing industry that can build up your corporate branding as well as make it into an open-casting call to people who just dislike life.

I'm glad there were questions about personal branding. Before you had to send a resume and bio in person (or through e-mail), but now you can add your bio in 140 characters and even create an online resume. People tend to wonder whether tweeting about your employer on your personal account is acceptable; I say yes. Just ask yourself if you do work on your personal cell phone? Most likely you do but not a lot. As you get deeper into social media, I'd suggest adding a social media policy. It really helps with dos and don'ts and just makes sense. Other than that, do what you're doing. Social media is about being social and experimenting with new initiatives.

Be sure to follow @JessLaw and @PPRA for other public relations' tips and tricks.

Your benefits of blogging

Earlier today I went to an event hosted by the Philadelphia Public Relations Association titled Benefits of Blogging for Business. Panelists included Stefan Frank, National Constitution Center; Jessica Sharp, Maven Communications; Allison Stadd, uwishunu; and Amanda Walsh, Furia Rubel Communications. A very mid-level type of event, all the speakers had great insight for non-profits, businesses, agencies and more. Key insights included keeping a strong voice, "content is king," and making sure you link all your social media properties (and then some) to promote your posts.

The audience had great questions as well including, "How long should a blog be?" as well as "How do you sustain a blog when a company doesn't have the 'person' to do it full-time?" I was actually hoping to ask if it's okay for CEO's and Executive Directors to blog but we ran out of time. Does anyone want to chime in?

So why do I blog? To be honest I started this blog (in 2008) to better my writing and to hopefully bring some positive news to the world. It started out a little small with no readership but thankfully now I have a good following. I even get pitched! Unfortunately people are more interested in gossip news and the most random things like "Dora the Explorer" and "From Prada to Nada." These two topics have been in my top read feed for the longest.

Hispanic PR...are you strategizing?

So I work in a whole bunch of industries. Tourism, hospitality, marketing, Hispanic (yes it's an industry) and public relations. I recently wrote a post for the Philadelphia Public Relations Association about Hispanic PR in a newly created U.S.A. and it had me thinking, a lot. A lot because I can see people rushing to their executives saying, "We need to change our strategy." First of all (lol), you don't have to change your strategy, just integrate it.

I don't understand why it's 2011 and people are still confused about engaging the Hispanic market. There are so many ways of executing a thought out strategy and seeing results. First things first, whether Hispanic or Latino, stick to one of these! Second, ask yourself if you plan on targeting Spanish-speaking (only) Latinos or the new generation who likes to speak Spanglish. Third, try new things. Print. Digital. TV. Social Networking. It's all there and available. It does help if you have an actual Latino on staff. But if you all speak Spanish and know the market, then by all means go ahead.

P.S. Attend the Hispanicize conference. You'll learn a lot.

Photo of the day: Latinos and Facebook

This is pretty much self explanatory. Read the full story at www.PRnewsonline.com.

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PPRA's Social Media 201 program

This coming Thursday, February 24 I will be speaking at a Philadelphia Public Relations (PPRA) panel about social media. We all know how to use Facebook, Twitter and some blogging, but what about success stories? ROI? Tools? Well thankfully I don't have to talk about ALL of these subjects. Plus there will also be a good group of panelists joining me.

The full list of the panelists is:

• Eric Cortes, Media Relations, Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation
• Ben Grossman, Communications Strategist, Oxford Communications
• Nichole Kelly, Director of Social Media, CareOne Services
• Mark Lazen, Chief Technology Officer, Social Media Today
• Moderated by Carole Felton, Carole Felton Communications

So what will I be talking about? If it isn't obvious enough I'll be discussing how to reach a certain demographic using social media. I'll bring up topics like BeingLatino, #Latism and of course special projects I have accomplished at work. Looking forward to seeing everyone there and discussing social media.

P.S. If you can't make it but will be on Twitter, follow hashtag #PhillySM201

Not-so-great Latino marketing

Sure I've only been in the business for less than 10 years, but if it's one thing I know...it's my culture. If Smirnoff wants more Latinos to drink their Smirnoff Ice, don't just add exclamation points to your flavor. The worst part is that "pineapple" isn't even in Spanish. Someone please explain to me what they were trying to accomplish. Maybe it makes it more party-like? Either way, I don't drink that stuff.

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Hispanicize gets more interesting

Today the Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA), Hispanicize and the Hispanic PR blog unveiled the roster of Latino social media industry thought leaders, bloggers and sessions that will be featured at Hispanicize 2011. Speakers also include a number of PR professionals, marketers, Television industry leaders and a whole bunch of social media gurus.

To learn more about the sessions and the awesome speakers, visit Hispanicizeconference.com. My personal favorite is "Speed Dating: Latina and Latino Bloggers Meet the Brands and Agencies." I can only imagine the tweets from this session haha. I wonder if I can make the conference.

P.S. The conference will take place in Los Angeles, CA, April 6 - 8. See you there?

Arts & culture in Philadelphia

Earlier today I was able to listen to Philadelphia's art & culture leaders talk about...well just that, "the cultural life of Philadelphia". It was an interesting group of leaders including the National Constitution Center, Taller Puertorriqueño, the African-American Museum in Philadelphia and more. The main goal of the PPRA hosted event was to find out what we can do to make the city an arts & culture destination; a unified place for arts & culture.

So is Philly an arts & culture destination? It sure is! According to a Philadelphia Cultural Alliance (PCA) report, officially unveiled by Mayor Nutter last December, from 2006 to 2008 Philadelphia’s creative sector performance increased by 7% and measured at 1.7, which is 70% stronger than the national baseline score of 1.0. In fact, Philadelphia’s CVI growth rate is in the top 5 in the entire country. Another PCA report states, "African-Americans and Hispanics report the highest level of cultural activity, a compelling finding as virtually all population growth through 2020 in the region will come from non-white residents."

So what's wrong? The consensus was that Philadelphia and its citizens need to grab a unified message and spread it to our network. Ambassadors are a city's best friend. When you can get a city as excited about arts & culture the way they are about sports, then you have got yourself a grateful city. On a similar note, let's hope the upcoming PIFA festival can bring this city together.

Latinos use social media...duh

For the past few months all we've been reading about is, "Latinos do use social media" and "Latinos use mobile devices more and more." Clearly this is as obvious as the impending snow storm. However, what I haven't seen are success stories in businesses marketing to the Latino consumer. Sure you can have an ad here and there, but where are the results? I'm pretty sure the answer is out there but why do I have to dig deep.

Public relations is an easy tactic for marketers because all they need is an angle and *poof* you got your news story. However, where are the collaborations, advertisements and research. I ask myself this every time I see a story like the ones linked above. Now that I think about it, cell phone providers can probably give good insight but I haven't read anything about AT&T, Cricket or Boost Mobile lately. I'm glad to know people like @LanceRios, @LouisPagan, @AnaRC, @ERgeekgoddess, @Julito77 and the rest of the "Latinos using social media". I'm pretty sure these influencers are getting e-mails out the "wazzoo" asking, "Please help me."

Hispanicize 2011 is coming

Hispanicize is coming April 2011. And since we all know Latinos love video and social media, here's a sneak peek at things to come. Anyone out there attending? Any East Coasters?

Hispanicize your industry

The Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA), Hispanic PR Blog and Hispanicize proudly invite you to attend the largest gathering of Latino marketing professionals and Latino bloggers ever assembled at Hispanicize 2011, the 2^nd Annual Hispanic PR & Social Media Conference, April 6-8, 2011 in Los Angeles, CA. The conference will last three days and bring media professionals, bloggers, industry leaders and more together to discuss public relations industry and how everyone can basically work together.

To be honest I was shocked to read last year was the first conference ever. So why is it happening in Los Angeles? Well here's a fun fact for you, public relations agencies contribute more than $445 million to Los Angeles County’s economy annually, while each new public relations job creates nearly two new jobs. More details about the conference will be announced November 2nd. Stay tuned!

Hispanic Public Relations Tonight

Are you in public relations? Hispanic PR? Well tonight is the night to get on Twitter and starting chatting away. #hprchat is hosting a Twitter fiesta with Hispanic PR Jobs as the theme; learn about networking, tips and opportunities. You can also submit questions to @andycheco without the hashtag.

This is a wonderful opportunity for those looking for new careers. Twitter has given thousands of people the opportunity to network with future business partners, and even friends. So remember to keep track of the above hashtag and get ready to learn all about Hispanic PR and then some. Have you found Twitter parties useful? Have you found career leads?

Target Hispanic Media?!

As everyone by now knows, a lot of organizations are looking to cater to Hispanic audiences. With that said, a lot of public relations campaigns are turning into Hispanic media. But where do you start? Where do you find the local Hispanic newspapers, Telemundo, Univision, web pages, etc?

Hispanic media is no longer coming of age – it's established and it's powerful...just look at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. To help you tap into this highly-influential group, PRnewswire has launched a robust media targeting database service – Hispanic MEDIAbase^TM, powered by Hispanic PR Wire.

Hispanic MEDIAbase^TM can help you:

• Launch a Hispanic blogger campaign and encourage social media sharing, giving your message the opportunity to go viral

• Create and save individual, targeted U.S. Hispanic media lists for your clients or organizational news concerning healthcare, consumer goods, travel and tourism, and more

• Find individual Hispanic journalists and send a personalized pitch about your upcoming product launch

• Tell your story to the radio and television broadcasters who are most likely to invite your Hispanic expert spokesperson to the studio for a live interview

For more information visit hispanicmediabase.com.

Latina Women...Raawwrr

So what is it about Latinas that gets us as a people all fired up? First you have the teenage sector, then the single ladies and finally...moms! Hell there's even a whole magazine geared towards Latinas (and that's just one). In today's constant changing economy and increasingly competitive business environment, the evolving Hispanic demographic market in the U.S. is one of the most viable segments for incremental growth companies, marketers and multitude of businesses.

If you're interested in Latinas (as a marketingsegment) then there's something for you in NYC. LatinVision Media announced the line-up of top Hispanic marketers scheduled to join its "Marketing to Latinas" conference to discuss emerging trends and new strategies for reaching the $1 trillion market. Yes $1 trillion...a lot of buying power. The one-day conference, which is open to the public, begins at 8 a.m. Thursday, June 10th at the Prince George Ballroom, 15 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Southwest Air Loves Latinos

A few weeks ago, the Hispanic PR Blog hosted the Hispanic PR & Social Marketing Conference in Dallas, TX. In their video below, Olga Romero, Southwest Air's bilingual communications specialist, talks about the company's participation in the conference, its outreach to the Hispanic community and how airline merges have affected its communications. Southwest also recently opened up their doors at Panama City Beach, FL. It's a matter of time before I hear doors open in Puerto Rico. :)

The Hispanic PR Census

On May 10 - 12 Hispanic PR will host the first ever Hispanic PR and social marketing conference in Dallas, TX. To get people excited about the conference and this ever growing industry, HispanicPR wants you to take the Hispanic PR Census for a chance to win an Apple iPad.

The Hispanic Public Relations Association and the Hispanic PR Blog are conducting a national Hispanic PR Census that attempts to count every marketing professional – Latino and non-Latino alike – who spends 30 percent or more of their time in Hispanic PR and/or social marketing. The survey will help our industry compile information that will lead to more opportunities for all of us. It only takes two minutes to complete and the results of the census will be unveiled nationally at the Hispanic PR & Social Marketing Conference in Dallas, May 10-12.

After you take the Hispanic PR Census, please pass this message along to 10 other industry colleagues. There’s no curse for not forwarding the note but if you let 10 other colleagues know about it you will qualify to win one of two Apple ipads that the Hispanic PR Blog is raffling. Contest rules are posted at www.HispanicPRBlog.com and winners will be announced on March 31 and April 30.

Visitanos: New Holaciudad Partnership!

Live in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. or New England? Well if you do you might notice a few things on Telemundo and holaciudad!. From today through April 15th, 2010 GPTMC and WWSI Telemundo have partnered to attract more Latinos to Philadelphia.

Throughout the 2-month period you'll find:

• A customized Spanish-language microsite for Con Cariño, Philadelphia XOXO on holaciudad.com for Philadelphia, Washington, DC and New England markets)
• A promotional contest for a two-night stays along with passes to some of Philadelphia’s most popular attractions
• Video vignettes featuring regional attractions and promoting the online contest running through April 15, 2010
• Monthly newsletter e-mail blasts and contest banners with Con Cariño, Philadelphia XOXO contest information

Let me know if you see the TV spots and what you think. In fact, enter and win a trip to this great town!

For PR Professionals en español

So we have journalists and we have public relations professionals; they communicate with each other all the time. PR people tend to pitch most of the time but sometimes journalists need help (at the last minute) and contact the PR person. Luckily for all you Latino PR professionals, PRnewswire just launched Profnet en español! The service will provide approximately 5,000 Spanish-language media contacts on Hispanic PR Wire's press list, who are looking for sources for articles, interviews and discussions.

Obviously a great source for PR people and those attempting to market to the Hispanic community. It'll most likely run just like regular ProfNet. You can either log into PRnewswire or receive e-mails on certain topics. For more information on ProfNet en Español, contact profnetespanol@prnewswire.com.