9 Powerful Strategies to Connect with the Hispanic Market

The Hispanic audience is large, dynamic, and influential — and brands that reach out to them effectively can benefit from the trillions of dollars their growing market is offering those who take the time to cultivate relations through enhancing their emotional and cultural intelligence. Companies are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, but are they learning about the unique needs, values, and culture in this multigenerational, multi-dimensional diverse group?

I grew up in the '80s in a predominantly white, anglo community. We were one of the first Latino families to move into the neighborhood. I always felt different from my classmates, especially as English was my second language. Although I was born in the US, I still didn't feel a clear connection to being considered fully Latina or American, now things are changing and there is a huge opportunity for organizations to begin to see the value in enhancing their cultural awareness of the Hispanic Market.

The percentage of Non-Hispanic whites has decreased to 57.8% from 80% in the 80's while, according to National Center for Education Statistics, the Hispanic population increased from 6.4% in 1980 to almost 19%. As stated by the US Census Bureau, the Hispanic/Latino population currently represents 62 million people in the US. (Although how accurate was that number in 1980? That's another question for another article.)

The Hispanic/ Latino Community is stepping into its collective voice to affect change. It is considered a powerful force because Hispanics are recorded as having the largest numerical increase in the population of any group between 2010 and 2020.

Here are three main macro strategies designed to break down three micro positions organizations should develop and implement to achieve growth, particularly Profitable Growth, Infrastructure, and Partnerships in alignment with the Hispanic Audience.

Profitable Growth

Organizations, businesses, and thought leaders should meet regularly with their audience. Learn more through various forms of communication like body language and the ability to use active listening and emotional intelligence to connect with the community.

Some linguistic and cultural barriers make it difficult for brands to reach this important consumer group. Hispanics generally speak indirectly. They may use a passive style that provides high context, not accustomed to giving direct refusals or delivering delicate information in a blunt way. It is so essential for marketers to be aware of these differences when targeting Hispanic audiences.

Infrastructure

Building the infrastructure by creating a diverse workforce to include leadership positions. Continue to refine your pipeline, finding where they may be leaks in elevating the voices to include intersectionality while building allyship through senior leaders as champions affecting productive policy improvements.

Hispanic women are proving they are a symbol of power and have what it takes to be influential thought leaders. Latina's are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs. Discover Financial Services is intentional with their Employee Resource Group (ERG) as they create events, programing and strategies to develop infrastructure. Bank of America’s ERG, HOLA, is open to all employees with over 17,000 members, HOLA is proud to have broad representation across all lines of business and levels of the company, including mid-to-upper senior management, and Senior Hispanic-Latino Leaders.

Here are a few other groups of thought leaders to follow and build infrastructure: #WeAllGrow Latina, Founded by Ana L. Flores and co-founder Vanessa Santos, and The Latinista, founded by Yai Vargas. The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce New Jersey Chapter has been working with entrepreneurs, and its programs host businesses that could be the solution to your next expansion opportunity having already set up the infrastructure your company needs.

External Partnerships

Partner with local communities. If you are a national brand, partner with national organizations, who are advocates with the segments you are pursuing. These partnerships provide strength and add volume to your voice and reach as you grow.

McDonald's was one of the first American companies to create culturally targeted campaigns for Hispanics within the US. McDonald's Hispanic marketing budget is in the national top 5, with 360 marketing initiatives per year, grassroots activations, and Spanish-only social media accounts. The company also leads regarding inclusion, involving Latino marketers and store operators in all stages of the creative process. The results have been spectacular, with Latinos being one of the brand's most loyal customer segments and having the most extended term of purchasing power.

Connect with EQ Refined today and see how we can offer training to your organization. We focus on foundational content in preparation for integrating diverse or international teams through Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Cultural Awareness (CQ), and Unconscious Bias. This program supports teammates to improve performance, collaboration, and communication, resulting in a smoother transition and working environment. Modules based on The G.A.I.N. Model™ introduce the foundations of EQ and CQ within a diverse workforce. This approach upskills employees' Authentic Voice with enhanced communication by helping them focus on their zone of genius.

Great ideas don't happen in a vacuum. They need feedback and perspective that can come from a diverse group of people. Build more focus groups to hear varying viewpoints and create a buy-in culture at your organization. Getting buy-in is not just about creating a groundswell of popular support for your ideas and initiatives but about ensuring success for your entire organization and the community you serve.

We can help! We will build a program for your organization to create buy-in and improve the culture. Creating a buy-in culture at your organization requires collaboration, communication, and connection. Traditional marketing approaches can bring up language barriers, diverging cultural values, and indifferent attitudes towards brands. However, there is an opportunity to gain trust by first understanding why the Hispanic population is so unique. We can help you develop relevant, insightful, and resonant ways to connect with them.