From personal posts to client conversions: Charlotte workshop teaches Latino business owners the art of authentic social media marketing.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two Charlotte Latina entrepreneurs who have built a combined Instagram following of more than 33,000 will lead a social media and digital empowerment workshop designed to help Latino business owners expand their online presence and connect with potential clients.
Jhosie Gonzalez and Laura Clark will host the workshop through El Futuro es Latino, a movement that highlights Latino leadership and cultural influence in the United States. The workshop will be conducted in Spanish and focus specifically on Instagram, along with training on Canva and ChatGPT tools.
“Everything that I’ve built in social media today allows me to connect with clients through my platforms,” said Gonzalez, who has worked in the media industry for 15 years and has been on Instagram since it launched. “What we want to show with this workshop is how these business owners can also connect with potential clients through social media.”
Clark, an immigrant from Colombia who moved to Charlotte six years ago, said she has brought in more than 5,000 clients through her social media platforms after starting her beauty device business on Instagram.
“By having those results and like, OK, everybody needs to know everybody needs to learn these platforms or these apps to be used to create a bigger impact on their businesses,” Clark said.
The workshop addresses a growing demographic trend. Clark noted that the median age for non-Latinos in the United States is 58, while for Latinos it’s 11, indicating significant growth in the Latino population. Latino-owned businesses have expanded almost 45% over the past decade, growing 11 times faster than non-Latino businesses, according to the interview.
Both entrepreneurs emphasized authenticity as key to social media success. Gonzalez said business owners should share personal aspects of their lives alongside professional content to build trust with potential customers.
“Being authentic even when you are a business owner, when you have your professional page, you can still be authentic and you can have this space where you can share your dogs and your husband and your family,” Gonzalez said. “Once they see you as a real person, they will trust you.”
Clark said immigrants should tell their stories about overcoming challenges and building businesses in the United States.
“When you’re an immigrant, when you come here, when you’re showing people how you overcome any problems and how you build your business and how you’re getting connections or building relationships, that’s one of the most important things,” she said.
The entrepreneurs identified common mistakes Latino business owners make on social media, including lack of consistency and not having a clear strategy about their target audience and services.
El Futuro es Latino operates through three networks: business, arts and culture, and faith and community leaders. The movement was founded by Rusty Price, an American who served as a missionary in Latin American countries for more than 35 years.
While the workshop targets Latino business owners, it is open to anyone who shares the movement’s values of faith, family and hard work, Gonzalez said. The tools being taught will be helpful for any professional in today’s digital environment.
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