Running a business in the USA and not targeting the Hispanics?
I am sure you are not committing that fatal mistake.
If you are, just forget about success and scalability.
However, if you understand the importance of targeting Hispanics, congrats! You are on the right track.
Now, that you are on the right track, let’s see if your targeting strategy is better than your competitors or you are also using the “total market” strategy.
If you don’t know what total marketing is and you are still figuring out the right way to target the Hispanic audience for your business in the US, keep reading.
In this write-up, we will explore some of the fatal mistakes committed by businesses when targeting Hispanics in the US. Moreover, we will also look at situations when marketers can use total marketing or when they need to go exclusive.
Interesting, right? Let us dive right in.
Winning Strategy for Targeting Latin American and US Hispanics
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What Is Target Marketing?
When businesses run their marketing campaign, they generally start by prioritizing their audiences. Most brands have primary, secondary, and tertiary audiences. So, eventually, when the marketing campaigns are organized, a higher budget is allocated to the primary audience.
However, target marketing is the whole process of audience identification based on a product or service and the tailoring campaign. Target marketing helps in filtering irrelevant traffic and eventually helps in interacting with a more meaningful audience that can eventually bring results.
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What Is Total Marketing?
Total marketing is generally misunderstood as a 360-degree digital marketing experience. However, in terms of marketing the term total market means the brand strategy lacks specification.
When running a marketing campaign, it is important to specify the audience and then personalize the content according to the needs of customers. However, when the brand blindly runs the same campaign for all without thinking about nuances and cultural insights of their target market, it is considered a miss.
The campaign bleeds money, reaches the wrong audience and fails to touch the ROI mark. In other words, this is a one-size-fits-all campaign style that fails to hit the mark in most cases. However, in the case of a broader audience, a total market style might work.
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How Latino Americans Are Different From US Hispanics?
In the case of targeting the Hispanic audience in the US, most companies are now becoming more careful, especially after translation disasters by big brands. Brands proactively recruit Hispanic marketers fluent in Spanish.
However, in terms of marketing, language is not everything.
Yes, language is important and content is king but it is not EVERYTHING!
Let me explain this.
For instance, a marketer is trying to reach out to Hispanic audience by using a Spanish tagline. However, on a closer look you notice, there is a white family in the background. There are no cultural references and it seems like a poorly translated post.
Do you think it will impress the right audience?
We can all agree that it would fail badly.
This is the reason why speaking Spanish is not enough for the marketer. You need a marketing team that understands the cultural references, understand the needs, issues, and quirks of society.
Within the US, Hispanics are not just from Mexico. It is an umbrella term used for the Spanish-speaking Latin American population. They are from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, Honduras, etc.
Moreover, when you look at the US Hispanics, you realize that they are not all Spanish speakers. Instead, they are a second-generation immigrant with a very basic understanding of Spanish. People in this population find it easy to speak English but they are not very fluent in Spanish. Some even do not know Spanish at all (the “no sabo” generation).
Apart from language, Hispanics residing in the US are from different countries, follow different religions, and have different cultural heroes.
This Hispanic audience expects the markets to treat them like US citizens, help them celebrate their events, communicate with them in easy language, and make them feel included. They want attention from the brand.
So, how can you make them feel valued?
By helping, your audience feel valued and heard.
Successful brands like Xfinity have already recognized this and tailored their marketing strategies based on customer requirements. For instance, they have a dedicated support line telefono de Xfinity for Spanish customers. Through this Spanish customer support line, users can seek guidance in Spanish. This is an excellent way to help users struggling with English feel heard and included.
So, can you use the same strategy for your Spanish-speaking customers?
Let’s explore this together.
Can We Use the Same Strategy For Targeting Hispanics Across the Board?
The simplest and easiest answer to this question is, NO
You can expect the same strategy to work across the board. In Latin American countries, the dominant language is Spanish and most brands are already offering their customer support in Spanish.
Now I am not saying that offering customer support in Spanish in Latin American countries is not a good idea. However, it is just the bare minimum.
To market your product in Latin American countries, you need to think beyond language.
Here are two main factors that can make or break your marketing campaign in Latin American countries:
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External factors
While creating a campaign, keep in mind that countries in Latin America struggle politically and economically. People in these regions highly prioritize campaigns where prices are highlighted.
Similarly, using cultural references, economic issues, and spreading optimism in your campaign can help you sell more.
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Internal factors
Similarly, while designing a marketing campaign, keep internal factors in account. For instance, factors like market competition, taste, and design preferences all play a very important role.
One of the most apt examples in this situation is taste balance. Companies generally adjust tastes when launching products in Mexico or other Latin American countries. Highlighting the taste variation in the marketing campaign is one of the best ways to attract audience attention.
Bottom Line: Things to Keep In Mind When Targeting Hispanics Living in the US
- Events and Celebrations
- Generational Understanding
- Color Palates
- Hispanic Cultural Values
- Cultural Gaps
