With Hispanics opening businesses at triple the rate of the national average, according to the US Census’ latest figures, there is a growing demand for business solutions tailored to fit their needs. At El Clasificado’s upcoming event, “Su Socio de Negocios”, Hispanic small business owners will explore the many ways in which the internet can increase their business opportunities. The event will be held on Tuesday, September 15 from 6pm to 9pm at the DoubleTree Hotel in Commerce, Ca.
In addition to networking opportunities, the free “Su Socio de Negocios” expo will include an interactive seminar in Spanish on how the internet can be used as a business tool through free/low-cost online advertising, microsites, and online social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. The presentations will be given by three different experts in marketing and technology, including Ariel Coro of Univision’s KMEX Noticiero 34 technology segment.
The expo, presented by local Spanish classifieds media giant El Clasificado, encourages Latino small business owners to embrace and use the web to enhance their business sales. According to research from Webvisible and Nielsen, reported by Marketing Charts, though 63% of consumers and small business owners turn to the internet first for information about local companies and 82% use search engines to do so, only 44% of small businesses have a website and half spend less than 10% of their marketing budget online.
Jorge Isodoro, one of the small business owners who has signed up for the expo, has co-owned a tow-truck/body shop business for seven years. At 36 years of age, Mr. Isodoro is an avid internet user and is quite proficient using search engines as a consumer. “I know that the internet provides many opportunities to expand your client base by connecting you to a new, broader audience,” states Mr. Isodoro. “At this point in my career, I think we’ve done a great job of attracting walk-in clients, and are now ready to expand our client base by connecting with a new, broader audience that doesn’t necessarily find services in person. I know they’re connected to the internet, but I don’t know how to reach them.”
“Su Socio de Negocios” will also feature 30 exhibitor booths from local Chambers of Commerce, prominent business organizations, and business sponsors such as Boost Mobile, Ford, Wells Fargo Bank, NA.
“Su Socio de Negocios” is a series of free expos and breakfast networking seminars in Spanish, which El Clasificado began to offer Los Angeles’s burgeoning Hispanic small business community in 2006. Now entering its fourth year, the events have flourished into a solid brand consisting of a weekly e-newsletter that reaches more than 4,000 small business clients per week, an interactive website with valuable editorial and a business resource directory, as well as one large expo and 5 smaller networking breakfasts per year.
The event series is presented by El Clasificado, a multi-media print, online and grassroots event marketing solutions company that connects buyers and sellers in the Hispanic community through its handful of niche-oriented websites. A verified publication with a weekly circulation of over 375,000, El Clasificado print reaches more than 1.5 million Latinos and is distributed in nearly 200 cities in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and San Diego Counties.
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