How HP Is Targeting The Hispanic Market

Denise Marcilio, marketing director for small and medium business (personal systems group), was the keynote speaker at the 14th annual DMA Directo Days conference.

In her speech, Marcilio discussed how to effectively target the two million Hispanic-owned SMBs which generate $270 billion in annual sales. Here is some of her advice:

• You have to have a genuine and long-term commitment to the Hispanic community
  
  
• In 10 years there will be eight million Hispanic-owned SMBs
  
  
• The growth will be driven by women business owners
  
  
• According to HP surveys, Hispanic business owners prefer doing business in English
  
  
• Closing a deal, however, is done in Spanish
  
  
• Build a Spanish language website to highlight your products and services
  
  
• Use a Spanish language direct mail piece to drive people to the website - "Direct mail is just the tip of the iceberg. At HP, the direct mail pieces have to drive people to the Web. The mail pieces have be so strong, so compelling and so perfect that it drives the person to the Web. The Web is where you can tell your entire story. Call volume and lead generation is most likely to happen through the Web."
  
  
• An English catalogs with a one page Spanish insert generated more results than a catalog written entirely in Spanish
  
  
• The median age of the Hispanic market is 27 versus 41 for the general population
  
  
• > 50% of Hispanics have white-collar jobs, are middle class or higher, own their own homes and are married