Strategic Hispanic Marketing
An estimated 42.7 million Hispanics live in the U.S., and by 2011 nearly 1 of every 6 people living in the U.S. will be of Hispanic origin. As a culture, Hispanics are extremely family-oriented and loyal to products and services recommended by friends and family. Although many speak English fluently, U.S. Hispanics generally prefer to speak Spanish in the home and want marketers to reach them in their native language. The current $798 billion buying power of this market is expected to reach $1.2 trillion within five years. This is a huge opportunity—so what can you do to reach this booming market?
To distribute products and services to a multicultural audience, you must be prepared to provide linguistically and culturally appropriate deliverables. Think multi-lingual from the start.
Work with a qualified multi-cultural expert to shape your message. An expert will provide the necessary knowledge to create a message that will not only be understood by your target market, but will be the right message to meet the specific needs of your unique audience.
Many marketers mistakenly wait to simply translate completed copy. This afterthought usually fails to appropriately reach desired buyers. Some translation services are performed by individuals who do not live in the area, or even in the U.S. Always use cultural competency experts and translators who live and work where your target market resides. This will help you accurately incorporate nuances and details that can make all the difference in successfully reaching the Hispanic market.
— Ingrid Christensen, president, INGCO International, www.ingcointernational.com, 612-819-1314