Spanish is the fourth most spoken language in the world. Over 572 million people speak the language worldwide— of which 460 million are native speakers. As a result, Spanish is after Mandarin, the second language with most native speakers worldwide.
Moreover, in the United States, Hispanics account for roughly 18% of the total population. And by 2050, this number is expected to grow to 143.5 million. Thus, if your business or brand is not targeting Hispanics, odds are you are losing valuable clients and considerable amounts of money (as they represent over $1.3 trillion in purchasing power.)
Many brands have learned to cater to this market segment’s particular needs and wants, while others have hit the mark losing credibility and alienating Hispanics. Therefore, below, I will share five strategies to reach Spanish speaking audiences effectively:
1. Speak the language
First things first, if you are looking to reel in a Spanish-speaking audience, you must speak their language. Therefore, translating your website, advertisements, and other marketing efforts to Spanish is a must!
Nonetheless, note that translations can be a double-edged sword. In other words, poorly translated content can repel more customers that what it can attract. Therefore, if you are not able to produce a high quality Spanish, it may be better to ask help for a professional Spanish content writer.
2. Be aware of cultural diversity
Spanish is the primary language of more than 70 different countries, including Argentina, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Spain, etc. Thus, it would be wrong to assume that they all speak the same Spanish and share the same values, traditions, or ideas.
Hence, avoid stereotyping your audience. To truly resonate with your target and develop content that is both appealing and relevant, make sure you have done your research. Nothing will crash and burn a campaign faster than using clichés.
3. Localization is key
One highly effective method to reach a market segment, any market segment, is to localize your marketing efforts. As we mentioned before, the United States’ Hispanic market is very vast —including more than 60 million people nationwide.
Therefore, by localizing your marketing efforts, you will narrow the demographic and cater to the specific portion of the market that interests you by using the appropriate dialect, cultural references, and tone.
This tactic is especially important when targeting states with a high population of Hispanics, such as Arizona, California. Florida, New York, and Texas.
4. Choose the right media outlet
Many companies often include the Hispanic as an extension of their already drafted marketing and communicational strategy. But, the truth is that Spanish-speaking audiences can have different media consumption habits or preferences.
For instance, according to recent data, traditional media outlets remain a favorite among Hispanics. Therefore, television and radio are still very effective, although social media outlets or other non-traditional mediums can be cheaper to get the Spanish-speaking community’s attention.
5. Develop Spanish SEO
You cannot expect your website to rank for Spanish keywords only by having your website translated. If you want to appear on the search engines results, you will need to do a similar work to the one you are already doing in English.
Thus, make sure to do a keyword research and plan a SEO strategy from the very beginning.
6. Be consistent
If you truly want to tap into the country’s fastest-growing segment, you need to be consistent. Translating your website and ads are not enough! So, make sure your company adopts the culture and gets involved with the Hispanic community. Some great places to start is by offering customer service in Spanish and hiring Hispanic employees.
