As a business, your primary concern should always be to cater to as many different demographics as possible. The Hispanic audience is composed of a large number of Spanish speakers living predominantly in the US – this makes them good marketing strategy targets.
According to eMarketer, 81.8% of Hispanics in the US are internet users as of 2019, with 71.7% using smartphone devices on a daily basis. In addition, Shutterstock reported that 80% of customers are more likely to purchase goods from businesses that provide a personalized experience, such as translated content. 49% of US marketers agreed that creating more relevant, targeted, and localized content is the key to success in reaching audiences such as Hispanic customers.
The importance of cultural context, localization, and catering to a mentality other than English can elevate your brand reputation in the eyes of other peoples. But what are the key tips and insights you should be careful about when it comes to writing a winning Hispanic marketing strategy? Likewise, what are the practical outcomes of personalizing your content to the Hispanic audience in 2020?
Let’s dive further into it.
⦁ Localization Does Make a Difference
First and foremost, you should make a clear distinction between translation and localization when it comes to English-Spanish and vice versa. Translation is a useful process of adapting technical content to a wider audience. For example, close captions on a video file, transcripts on an audio file would constitute as a translation as you cannot “improvise”, only transliterate.
On the other hand, localization allows you to take cultural, traditional, and lifestyle choices of your target audience into consideration. Content such as long-form blog posts, social media updates, or even chatbot messages, can be localized to make the user experience consistent with Hispanic customers. Depending on the type of services you offer and the marketing channels you use, choose the right translation approach for your Hispanic audience.
⦁ Language-Specific Search Optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a vital part of online visibility for any website or brand. It is a set of search algorithms under close monitoring by Google – companies use it as a reference point for content optimization. As such, its optimization for Hispanic readers should be done per-language and not universally. Meaning, you should use different keywords in English and Spanish to ensure your links rank well with global search engines such as Google and Yahoo.
English keywords may not work well for Spanish speakers and can cause confusion or drop your links’ ranking due to incompatibility with Spanish search requests. While you can certainly optimize your content by hand, it’s good practice to reach out to a professional SEO company for consultation and assistance. Focus on creating meaningful content and deals for your Hispanic audience while a specialist handles your language-specific SEO requirements.
⦁ Collect Social Proof from Hispanic Customers
Whether you exclusively target Hispanic customers or diversify into other demographics, social proof can be a great addition to your marketing strategy. According to Social Media Today, 84% of customers trust the recommendations from people they know, with 68% who trust customer opinions posted online.
Social proof can take a variety of formats on your website, including reviews, video interviews, and quotes from satisfied Hispanic customers. You can also reach out to Hispanic influencers, local celebrities, and popular bloggers to build backlinks with them for mutual benefit. The more social proof you build, the easier it will be to convince new customers of your brand’s legitimacy.
⦁ Blog about your Business
Speaking of blogging, there’s no faster and more intuitive way to humanize your brand than to write about it. You yourself can write blog content in either English or Spanish and have it localized to the other in post-production. Blog content can come in a variety of categories, including news, how-to guides, opinion pieces, statistical data presentation, and etc.
Search engines look favorably to websites with blog content, especially in two or more languages, making this a win-win for your marketing strategy. You can also invite guest contributors, influencers, and other online creators to collaborate with you on mutually-beneficial blog content. Coupled with original visuals, blog posts can be a great gateway for Hispanic customers to learn more about your business before committing to a purchase. Check out this link for good writers.
⦁ Use Social Media to Your Advantage
Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are a great gateway to new Hispanic customers for your brand. Everyone uses social media to reach out to friends and family, and Hispanic audiences are no different. This means that you can post content, organize live events or even giveaways on social media in Spanish and English language.
Likewise, you can interact with your brand followers directly via comments and private chat functionality present on social media platforms. These websites offer direct, unfiltered access to feedback, comments, and suggestions from your Hispanic audience. Make sure to implement them into your marketing strategy as much as possible to ensure a higher degree of trust in your brand going forward.
Consult a Native Speaker/Marketer
Lastly, if you are not a native Spanish speaker and lack access to a Hispanic consultant, you should consult a content marketing specialist. It’s fairly easy to miscommunicate your thoughts if you translate content from English to Spanish without the context of a native speaker. Even more so when it comes to Hispanic customers since they represent a diverse group of nationalities which share a common voice.
Outline your marketing strategy, long-term goals, and content formats in-house but make sure to talk to a consultant before going into production. Native Spanish speakers and marketers with experience with Hispanic customers will be able to offer valuable insight into the pros and cons of your strategy. This is a smarter choice than to launch a DIY campaign and course-correct as you go along – you can only make first impressions once.
Benefits of Adapting your Marketing Strategy to a Hispanic Audience
Related Post: 10 Distinctive Features Of Hispanic Marketing Strategies
Now that we’ve tackled the key points of marketing your goods/services to a Hispanic audience let’s talk about the outcomes of doing so. The Hispanic audience represents a homogeny of different peoples who share Spanish as a language lifeline which connects them. They are a proud people with rich cultural background and specific expectations when it comes to the purchases they make online, especially for older generations.
Joseph Dorothy, Writer and Content Marketing Expert, said that: “Targeting a large yet niche audience such as Hispanic can indeed help a business differentiate on the open market. Whether you provide help writing personal statement papers for students or sell eCommerce goods, localized and targeted content will elevate your business in their eyes. However, it stands that you should be careful about how you write and localize content if you are not a member of the demographic yourself.”
Once you find a good balance between your sales goals and their expectations, you will be able to establish long-term relations with the Hispanic people. The benefits your brand can experience from doing so include:
⦁ Access to a large audience which relies on word of mouth and social recommendations
⦁ Diverse purchasing power which allows for a wide range of goods and services to be sold
⦁ Relations with an audience which is tech-savvy and relies on the internet to browse and buy items
⦁ Return on investment in regards to time and resources spent on content marketing localization
Marketing through Cultural Diversity (Conclusion)
Whether you are Hispanic yourself or an outsider looking in, it’s essential that you respect their cultural background when it comes to marketing. Don’t rely on cultural or national stereotypes and be as respectful as you would be with any other demographic.
Marketing to Spanish-speaking customers is a great way to diversify your brand and reach new audiences, which would otherwise have no access to it. Adapt to their language, culture, lifestyle, and customer expectations – before you know it, your brand will be associated with professional and respectful pro-consumer behavior.
If you need a hispanic marketing agency then get in touch with us today.
