Hispanic Marketing is Powerful

You already know you need your brand advocates. In fact, in today’s market, their participation with your brand is absolutely necessary in order for others to recognize and engage with your products. Chances are, you have several strong brand advocates working on your behalf on your various social media sites, but how do you go about branching out and growing a more diverse group of brand advocates? How do you find your strongest brand advocates in an increasingly multicultural market?

Your Hispanic brand advocates are important to your dealership for many reasons. They are the key to reaching an entire audience and cultural segment that relates to them and trusts their judgement regarding products and services. In fact, as active as brand advocates are in the marketplace, Hispanic brand advocates have been shown to be even more active than their non-Hispanic counterparts. Known as super consumers in the marketplace, Hispanic consumers are highly active online shoppers, and the U.S. Census Bureau estimates an 86% increase in the Hispanic population between 2015 and 2050, providing even more economic stimulus for savvy companies that are catering to a diverse market.

Already well-known for their social culture and high rate of mobile technology adoption, these consumers are a desirable target market for businesses for many reasons. Their tendency to be vocal online and advocate for the products and services they believe in is valuable for businesses seeking online growth and recognition. As a growing dealership, your Hispanic brand advocates are important when it comes to spreading the word about your business and sharing with their online social circles. If you are still hesitant to leverage the power of advocacy in the multicultural marketplace, consider the following:

• The spending power of Hispanic consumers has increased by an estimated 50% since 2010.
• 66% of Hispanic consumers in the U.S. say they pay attention to online ads, nearly 20% higher than the general online population.
• In a recent survey, nearly 80% of Hispanic consumers aged 18-64 said they use a search engine daily, with search engines being their top source for gathering information regarding potential purchases.
• 83% of Hispanic shoppers say they use their mobile devices to access product information and inform their purchases while in a store.
• The cultural relevance of ads is a key driver of action for Hispanic consumers, with 88% confirming they pay attention to ads that display culturally relevant information and 44% saying they feel more favorably toward brands that aim for cultural relevance.
• The number of Spanish keyword searches has increased exponentially—going from 65% to 200% across categories like automotive, food, and beauty.

Hispanic advocates are eager to spread the word about brands they love, and when your dealership does its job and shares marketing messages that are relevant and compelling, this consumer group will work hard to get the word out for you. Once you’ve made yourself visible to this growing demographic, you’ll be able to leverage their power in the marketplace and put their online voices to work for your dealership’s brand.

Earning Trust Is Essential

Trust is a key element when it comes to enlisting the help of Hispanic brand advocates. While they are eager to help their preferred brands succeed, those brands first have to demonstrate authenticity and a genuine interest in connecting with consumers. It’s not enough to simply translate copy or post images that may seem relatable in an attempt to resonate with shoppers; instead marketers need to approach the various cultures that are present in the U.S. with a one-size-does-NOT-fit-all approach. Instead of being hyper-focused on finding the single right answer or the right piece to fit into a marketing puzzle, it’s time to take more of a larger world view when addressing Hispanic consumers.

Earning trust essentially means getting to know consumers—learning what they like, what they dislike, what experiences and traditions hold meaning for them, and how to provide entertaining and meaningful content that shows a true desire to connect. It’s a tall order, but savvy Hispanic consumers are shopping in a crowded marketplace, and they are discerning brand connoisseurs. Big brands have taken note of the spending power of this demographic; if you’re wondering whether or not to start working on building a relationship with these shoppers, check out the stats below:

• The top 500 marketers in the U.S. have increased their ad spend directed toward Hispanic consumers by 63%, up from $4.3 billion in 2010 to $7.1 billion currently.
• Investments have been increased by leading companies like Nissan, Toyota, Walmart, and Target to include Hispanic in-language efforts, as well as English-language marketing with culturally-based messaging.
• Target continues to extend its relationship with Hispanic consumers, and its marketing spend is also on the rise. In 2013, the company spent approximately $51.5 million on Hispanic marketing efforts, a direct reflection of the marketplace and the growing Hispanic consumer demographic.
• Macy’s spends $36.6 million per year on Hispanic marketing efforts, with an emphasis on engaging and sharing content with Hispanic consumers and their friends.

Find Your Advocates on Social Media

Hispanic brand advocates love social media, and you can bet you’ll find them on various platforms researching, sharing, and purchasing from their favorite brands. Hispanic millennials, especially, are socially active, with almost 3 out of 4 aged 18 to 29 actively using social media. Many of them are using social as a way to shop, and they enjoy sharing their shopping experiences with their online social connections.

Interestingly enough, Hispanic millennials on social media tend to trend younger than their non-Hispanic counterparts. 60% are between the ages of 18 to 24, and 40% are between the ages of 25 to 29. A majority—62%—are U.S.-born, compared with 57% of Hispanics in the overall age group. Finally, Hispanic millennials on social media are more educated overall, with 49% having attended college, than the number of total Hispanics aged 18 to 29.

Aware of social media’s influence on their shopping decisions, this group of consumers is highly active when it comes to sharing information about products and services online, making them the perfect brand advocates for your dealership. Once you’ve won them over with your authenticity and proven that your dealership is a brand they want to stand behind, you’ll earn loyalty that will carry you forward within this demographic. Energetic and eager to spread the word about their favorite products and services, Hispanic consumer advocates can take your dealership to the next level and pave the way for you to create relationships throughout the community.