According to estimates from the Census Bureau, there are almost 60 million Hispanics living in the United States, and by 2030, U.S. Hispanics are expected to reach more than 72 million. This growth doesn’t just mean more Hispanics, it also means a transformation of the Hispanic market.

The potential for engaging a growing Spanish-speaking audience with social media is significant and should not be ignored. Social media usage is clearly on the rise for Hispanics, according to the Pew Research Center. One thing that brands can bet on is that Hispanics of all ages remain digital-first consumers. Being early adopters of emerging technologies like the smartphone and other smart devices, Hispanics lead very engaged online lives and consume content mostly on their mobile devices.

U.S. Hispanics are largely bilingual, and appreciate brands that communicate with them in both languages. Brands that offer bilingual content on social channels are more likely to be viewed as authentic, leading to stronger online brand engagement.

Hispanos are heavy users of social media, compared to the resto of the population; Facebook (77% vs. 73%), YouTube (62% vs. 58%), Instagram (40% vs. 30%), and Snapchat (32% vs. 21%).

It should come as no surprise then that U.S. Hispanics spend more time on social media every day and are nearly twice as likely to spread information and review products and services online than their non-Hispanic counterparts.

Almost seven in 10 Hispanics have a smartphone, and it powers an outsize proportion of their digital activity. Their daily time spent using mobile (3 hours) is more than an hour higher than the figure for non-Hispanics. On average, Hispanic consumers have more than 7 social media accounts each. This is compared to a figure of 6 among non-Hispanic Americans.

Source: Social Media Survival Skills: Tips for Reaching U.S. Hispanics by Craig Witt.