Sept. 15 is the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to recognize the contributions, achievements and influence Hispanic Americans have made throughout the country’s history and culture. As marketers, this month offers a great time to dive deeper into learning about the country’s Hispanic population and how to use marketing strategies to not only reach that audience, but also make long lasting connections.
With all audiences, advertisers need to ensure that they’re targeting users who are likely to convert and are spending money effectively to make that happen. For Hispanic audiences in particular, some companies and brands may think that reaching out to audiences fluent in other languages starts and ends with translation, but the data shows that this is not enough. When marketers take a deeper look into their strategies and transcreate efforts to communicate more effectively, they can create messages that really resonate with their target audience. So, let’s dig in!
The Hispanic Population in the U.S. Continues to Grow
The Hispanic population makes up the largest minority and ethnic group in the country. In 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that there are an estimated 60.5 million Hispanics living in the U.S., making up more than 18% of the overall population. Of those, about 79% of Hispanics are U.S. citizens, while nearly every four out of five hispanic immigrants have lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years, according to Pew Research. And, the population keeps growing!
Breaking down the data further, the Hispanic population tends to skew younger than the overall nationwide population. Pew Research data show that Hispanics had a median age of 29 compared with the national average of 38.
How to Reach the U.S. Hispanic Audience Through Social Media
The best way to reach any audience through social media is by first understanding where that group spends their time online and then crafting a campaign using those platforms. Research shows that the Hispanic population tends to be younger, so what does that mean for how marketers can reach them?
Marketers can target this audience on platforms like Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok.
Polling also reflects this, indicating that 45% of Hispanic adults are Snapchat users and 31% are TikTok users — well above the 19% of overall adults. Similarly, 45% of Hispanics in the U.S. reported using Instagram daily compared to the total population’s 35%. These trends are still expected to increase, as 68.6% of all Hispanic Americans are estimated to become social media users in 2021 vs. 64.4% of the total population.
When we look at social media usage for the Hispanic audience as a whole, the data on platforms are changing rapidly. Compared to before the pandemic, 72% of Hispanic Americans reported now spending an additional two or more hours on social media than they did previously. With this in mind, here’s a look at the audience demographics of the most popular social networking platforms:
- Facebook has the largest constituency at 54.1% among Hispanics, nearly identical to the 53.5% figure for the total population.
- Whatsapp has an exceptionally large Hispanic following at 42.2%.
- YouTube is forecasted to see an increase in viewership by U.S. Hispanics to 68.2% by the end of 2021 vs. 65.2% of the total population.
- Twitter also has a large Hispanic audience, as 31% of all U.S. Hispanics reported using it daily.
Marketing Services and Tactics to Reach Hispanic Audiences
Data continues to show in several ways that Hispanics in the U.S. are well ahead of many other audiences when it comes to using digital media and technology. They love consuming content from photos to videos and blogs. Research by PwC also shows that they are more likely to respond positively to content that reflects their culture, especially in older generations. Similarly, it is also important to know when and where to incorporate their culture in the marketing mix. According to PwC, unlike previous generations, the majority of Hispanic consumers interchangeably use both English and Spanish.
As marketers, it may be tempting to take ads and run them through a translation service, but that’s often not enough. What gets lost in translation is the existing intent, tone and style So, what’s the solution? Transcreation services.
Transcreation services will help maintain messaging, while remaining culturally relevant to Hispanic audiences. In short, it can help advertisers communicate more effectively with their target audiences.
Brand advocacy is another strong inclination within this audience. Experts have found that this audience engages in an average of 110 brand conversations per week compared to the total public engaging in 72. This means that building a strong brand reputation and brand trust is an important factor in a marketing mix. This — and the fact that Hispanics in the U.S. are 16% more likely to visit government websites than the general population — showcases that they tend to trust government officials to get their information directly from the source, as well as the opinions of their families and friends, making grassroots marketing another great tactic to reach them.
With all of this incredible data in mind, one thing is for sure for marketers — brands and companies that can effectively communicate with Hispanic consumers and make a lasting impression on them will continue to see great results that can last generations.
It can be challenging to craft a marketing strategy that balances out all of the different ways to reach your audience while also avoiding oversaturation. At MHP/Team SI, we have a team of TraDigital™ experts skilled in finding the perfect blend of traditional and digital marketing tactics and services to help you connect with your target audience and see real results. Our team understands the importance of using data to identify new target audiences while also translating that data into real actionable marketing tactics. To learn more about how our team can help you reach your desired audiences big and small, reach out to a member of our team today at [email protected] or give us a call at 501-381-5023.
Connecting With the Hispanic Population [Infographic]
