Hispanicize 2012

SESSION HASHTAGS:  #Hispz12  #NFP

SPEAKERS: 
• Lilliam Acosta-Sanchez, Director of Latino Outreach, March of Dimes
• Carla Briceno, Co-Founder, Bixal

SESSION OVERVIEW: 
Through the March of Dimes Hispanic Outreach efforts, millions of women and their families from around the world can actively participate in their own health decisions by gathering information, receiving answers to often complicated and difficult questions and getting support from other community members who are in similar situations. Social media has expanded the way we communicate with our audience. Through an integrated Spanish language presence online, the March of Dimes maximizes outreach and engagement across audiences and media. It provides bilingual access to the Pregnancy & Newborn Health Education Center through which women have received answers to over 23,000 personal questions in 2011. The Spanish-only website, nacersano.org, had over 7 million unique visitors in 2011 and its blog had an average of 1,650 views per day.

In this session you’ll learn how the March of Dimes uses the web and social media to deliver solid health information that meets the needs of Hispanic women, reinforces positive behavior and furthers its mission to improve the health of all babies. March of Dimes has developed a unique and culturally-tailored presence to engage, educate and inform their specific segment of the Hispanic community. From culturally-relevant imagery and content focused on the specific needs of its audience to using social media to engage Latinas and answer their questions, the March of Dimes is a useful case study for other nonprofits (and even for profits) on how to reach and serve this dynamic and diverse audience.

In this session you will learn: 

• How nonprofits can use social media to promote their mission and increase awareness within their Hispanic community?
• How to identify key issues and/or messages that are relevant to the Hispanic community and will help create conversation.
• Why high-quality content focused on the needs of your Hispanic audience is important?
• How does the March of Dimes plan to continue building on its successful experience?