Did you know that Spain uses the internet more than Europe as a whole?

This is not a fabrication in the slightest ladies and gentlemen. Spain’s internet penetration rate in 2016 is 77%, and increases to 93.6% if defined to youth! If you are thinking about, or have recently exported a business to Spain, of course you are wondering how your digital marketing strategy will adapt to this new country.

After having taken a big leap to a new market, how are you planning on connecting digitally to your customers?

Breaking it down by digital demos

 

You may have a very specific attitudinal target defined, or be seeking a globalized audience. Whatever the case may be, you’ll want to know how the internet is consumed by basic demographic groups in Spain. Here’s a start:

Internet users 15+ in Spain are:

• 49% – (Female)
• 51% – (Male)
• 7% – 35 yrs. or younger
• 27% – 35 to 44 yrs.
• 3% – 45 yrs. and older
• 2% – Madrid
• 1% – Barcelona

Youth internet consumption data (10 – 15 yrs):

• 88% of 10 year olds
• 5% of 11 year olds
• 0% of 12 year olds
• 2% of 13 year olds
• 8% of 14 year olds
• 8% of 15 year olds

Choosing your Spanish digital marketing channels

 

Let’s say you have your website working well in Spanish, and you are ready to reach out with your new digital marketing strategy in Spain. Knowing that digital is key, you are probably considering many options: social media, direct e-mailings, mobile, digital advertising, display advertising, SEO, SEM, so on, and so forth…

A couple of great resources for analyzing your audience to decide where your messages should go are: the National Institute of Statistics and Internet Advertising Bureau Spain.

Social media is huge, with 77% of Spain internet users making it a part of their daily routine. Be prepared to localize your content. Hello Translator can help you do it easily and seamlessly. Depending on your contacts in Spain you may need to provide social media calendars in various languages. Of course, if your strategy prompts you to be present in certain social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter, you will need to be actively responsive, and in Spanish!

Apply this social media thinking to all of your digital endeavors.

Knowing when to put the word out

 

Clearly people in Spain are logged on, but when? Moreover, when are they engaged and in the right mindset?

Internet habits continue to change in Spain, however, users still tend to spend most of their time browsing via their desktop (for an average of 4 hours a day). If that weren’t enough, it’s normal for Spanish users to spend anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour browsing on their mobile phone every day. Note that mobile is the fastest growing internet device.

In a perfect world, we could say, publish your internet content at 10 am, for example, in Spain because the audience will be very receptive a this time. However, I’m sure you know it’s not that simple! Nevertheless, the following tips will go a long way in guiding you:

• Define publication times based on type of digital media you are using
  • g. Twitter, generally Tue, Wed, Thur in the mornings or evenings (the Spanish are not early birds, they are more night owls. Morning does NOT mean 5am!).
  • g. E-newsletter, Tue at 4pm or Friday at 2pm
• Above all, get in the mind of your consumer and publish at times during the day when they will be available and engaged in your content
• Key Spanish hours to know:
  • Normal work schedule: 8am – 9am (going to work), 9am (start of work day), 10am or 11am (often coffee break), 2pm (lunch time, high for social media use), 6pm or 7pm (end of work day, 3pm on Fri).
  • Summer work schedule: 7am – 8am (going to work), 3pm (end of work day)
• Run comparative time tests to find the best response rates, and keep optimizing.

All that being said, adapt to your audience, market newbies, and your digital marketing in Spain will of to the right start!