Did you know that The United States is currently the second-largest Spanish-speaking country after Mexico? Not just that, it's the largest country with different Hispanic regions, backgrounds, and histories in one place. ¡Asombroso!
A study done by Pew Research in 2022 states that 19% of the U.S. population is Hispanic. Thats a huge percentage of the market that you and your company could reach yearly, not only during Hispanic heritage month. *cough cough* Like some of these big companies do. *cough cough*
Considering this part of the market is crucial when developing and executing your GTM strategy. Especially if you want to go-to-market in areas where there is a lot of Hispanic workforce like contracting, leisure and hospitality, transporting utilities, and many others areas. You can find more information on the Hispanic workforce here in a study done by the U.S Burial of Labor Statistics.
I've had the pleasure of managing clients like Samsung Latin America, Papa John's Central America, and CCD in over eight countries in South and Central America and over ten islands in the Caribbean. I can speak on how much the Hispanic Community loves to connect with their favorite brand and how you should do it. ¡Empecemos por lo básico!
The first thing you should consider is what "Hispanic" actually means
A Hispanic person is someone who has Spanish-speaking origin or ancestry (This includes people from Spain). As I mentioned, the U.S. Hispanic market is made up of large groups with many different interests, backgrounds, traditions, and, believe it or not, ways of speaking Spanish.
Just as American English is different from Australian English, there are numerous dialects and regional variations of Spanish, depending on the country they or their parents were born in.
Meaning that one word means in the Mexican dialect of Spanish could be completely different from what it means in Vanzualan Spanish.
Therefore, a one-size-fits-all strategy will NOT work in this case.
Continue using traditional marketing strategies
When marketing to Hispanic consumers, some companies make the mistake of focusing all of their efforts on the language and cultural side of things and ignoring proven marketing strategies. Make sure you're following proven marketing strategies while targeting the Hispanic audience.
Yes, learning the most about your target is essential, but remember you are still marketing to people. While other companies might use stereotypical content to "connect" with their Hispanic market, make sure your company continues to follow proven marketing strategies, including
Bring Hispanic culture into your marketing efforts
Few groups take more pride in their history and culture than the Hispanic community. Bringing elements of the Hispanic culture into your marketing will set you up for success. You can do this beyond using the Spanish language. You can tie your brand to the beautiful Hispanic culture by
- Using imagery from Spanish-speaking countries.
- Incorporating cultural music.
- Using Hispanic talent.
- Using colloquial and regional language from the specific countries you are marketing in.
Be ready to serve Spanish-speaking customers
If you're thinking about marketing specifically to Hispanic consumers in 2023, you need to make sure you are prepared to serve throughout the whole customer journey. If, for example, you begin running advertisements in Spanish but don't have any Spanish-speaking employees, you will not be able to create strong materials and messaging that connect with this part of the market. You will also set this community up for disappointment if they reach out and you don’t have personnel that can speak their language.
Since most of the communications are online, consider hiring or outsourcing bilingual personnel to help give your new clients a well-rounded experience and messaging and positioning the perspective of a native speaker.
Authenticity counts
One last thing to remember when creating a strategy for Hispanic consumers is that you need to remain authentic. You don’t want your efforts to come off as pandering or, worse, condescending to this community. Establishing a genuine connection with the Hispanic community must be done honestly and respectfully.
While everyone knows that businesses market to different communities to increase their sales, marketing should also do it with the hope of building relationships with the community. Whether you run an SME in one area or operate a national chain of stores, keep your marketing efforts authentic to the Hispanic community and your traditions.
