As businesses are aware, there is power in numbers, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the U.S. Hispanic market. In fact, with one in five residents being Hispanic, Nevada is one of the nation’s fastest-growing Hispanic markets. In Clark County, one of every four residents is Hispanic. And in terms of buying power, the numbers speak for themselves. At $10 billion in 2005, Nevada ranked fifth in the nation.
The news is good for Nevada businesses wanting to expand their appeal to the Hispanic population. It’s an excellent market to target, yet businesses need to put some thought and planning into their approach or they could end up failing miserably. It’s far more than hanging a shingle that says: “Se Habla Español.”
Achieving success with the Hispanic market certainly involves taking demographics into consideration. But equally as important, is the attention given to psychographics and cultural nuances. This involves the following important tenets:
Ascertain your target audience’s level of acculturation. Before starting on any initiative targeting Hispanics, it is critical to determine your target audience’s level of acculturation. Acculturation refers to the stage or level that an individual has achieved in adjusting to the host culture. Characteristics that typically define levels of acculturation include: length of time in a new country; level of fluency in that country’s language; education; degree of comfort in dealing socially with members of the new country; etc. Several states have a large concentration of Hispanics who have a high level of acculturation, like California, Florida and Texas, whereas the majority of Hispanics in Nevada have a very low level of acculturation. This is attributed to the fact that the majority of Hispanics in Nevada have only recently arrived.
Create unique marketing approaches and messages. When developing marketing strategies and tactics, it’s not safe to assume that a winning formula for the non-Hispanic market will be a winning formula for Hispanics. One of the most important things to recognize when building a customer relationship within this market is that the group of prospects is not merely a Spanish-speaking version of the U.S. market. Their language is different and so are their cultural perspectives, experiences and goals. A marketing message that resonates with the non-Hispanic market may make no sense to your Hispanic target audience. This means you need to do more than translate. Messages must “connect” with the Hispanic consumer in order to appeal to the audience. And to get it right, word choice, tone and graphic design will likely need to be significantly different. Also, give careful consideration to your media mix. It will likely need to vary as well, because the Hispanic market responds to media differently than the general market.
Assume the need to educate and inform about your product or service. If your target audience has a low level of acculturation, such as the majority of Hispanics in Nevada, it is very possible they have limited or no experience with the product or service you are offering. Don’t make the mistake of assuming they have used your product before. Do some research first. If there is limited familiarity with your product, take an educational approach in your advertising and marketing materials. Explain and inform. Your chances of creating customer good will and winning their business will be much greater.
Deliver a welcoming attitude. To build a relationship with the Hispanic market, it’s important that promises conveyed in advertising materials are delivered in the customer experience. This is done with Spanish speaking customer service associates, Hispanic sales representatives and marketing materials presented in Spanish. It’s vital to have people on staff who can communicate effectively with customers in Spanish. This means having employees with true fluency in the language and an understanding of the culture. In other words, those who can converse at a level well beyond high school Spanish. Ideally, it’s best to have more than a Spanish-speaking, non-Hispanic employee and instead employ Hispanic representatives who can relate to your Hispanic customers on all levels. By doing so, you are reinforcing the fact you value Hispanic business at every touch point.
The keys to creating effective Hispanic customer relationships are really no different than successfully marketing to other segments of the population. You need to acknowledge their uniqueness, respect the differences, communicate in a way that resonates on several levels and embrace their business with a welcoming attitude. You enhance your chance of success by planning on the front end, and by putting a few key tools and approaches in place.
