Hispanic Marketing Trends Show Video and Social Media Still Growing

Video is el Rey

When it is targeted correctly

Hispanic digital marketing digital trends are rapidly developing in a changing world driven by social media consumption. No longer considered to be a niche market, Hispanics occupy a mainstream market for content and advertising. Any brand hoping to snag a share of this vast audience needs to adopt a diverse company culture and show a willingness to be open and flexible to new advertising methods.

Effective brand advertising hoping to influence their consumer audience needs to understand these trends and tips.

Trends in Hispanic Social Media

Hispanics consume more mobile video content on social media than any other ethnic group. Currently, the Hispanic consumer views 66 percent more video content on their smartphones every week than non-Hispanic consumers. This gives Hispanics a powerful voice in driving social media, direction and advertising dollars. That voice increasingly calls for original material in brand advertising.

Traditionally, an advertising campaign would focus on a Caucasian audience. When a Hispanic digital agency used that same brand's advertising, they simply relied on the same content. Subtitles or a rough translation into a Hispanic dialect was the only change made to the original advertising by any brand. If there is any constant in advertising, it lies in the power consumers hold in determining the direction a brand takes.

 As long as brands directed the advertising to their assumed audience, the only concession to Hispanic audiences was content marketing in Spanish. Now, given the quantifiable numbers proving the power a Hispanic audience holds, brands are held to a higher standard. Once brands realized the sheer number of Hispanics consuming social media video, they started catering to their audience.

To cater to their audience, brands must understand the synergy affecting the Hispanic digital marketing culture. Most brands prefer to remove as much guesswork as possible from their advertising campaign. This creates an ideal opportunity for a Hispanic digital agency to step in and offer cultural insight from inside out.

 Family is a favorite focus within the Hispanic culture. Brands need help understanding how this influences the average Hispanic's buying power. Without a pervasive diverse environment throughout a brand's company, they stand little chance of understanding how family influences brand purchases.

For example, they risk marketing toy products to an adult audience as that's where the money is. In reality, a study quoted by Forbes Magazine shows that children influence the Hispanic audience 74 percent more often with purchases than in a Caucasian audience. Preserving language and culture is particularly appealing to the Hispanic consumer. 

Offering Appealing Content to the Hispanic Audience

The best method to discover what your audience wants is to ask that question. Like any large group of diverse people, Hispanics enjoy viewing content appealing to all age groups. Millennials are the holy grail for most advertising campaigns. Hispanic Millennials have disposable income that brands crave. However, certain advertising techniques may not work as well as some directed toward Caucasian groups during earlier generations.

Making a broad statement about how a brand is different or better than the brand their parents used is unlikely to show successfully to the Hispanic Millennial. Pitting one generation against another is not an effective use of brand advertising. Using a central, cohesive theme targeting Hispanics specifically is far more likely to succeed.

Additionally, Hispanics make more of an effort to retain their second language, unlike past generations of American immigrants throughout history. Therefore, content marketing in Spanish is usually a safe and effective use of brand advertising dollars.

Allocating Your Advertising Dollar

Hispanic social media presence is bigger than ever. While most of the Hispanic social media interaction takes place on Facebook and YouTube, the wise advertiser spreads their budget far wider.

Brand advertising for any group is not an exact science. The most effective approach is taking a pragmatic approach. Start by learning from other's mistakes. Use target marketing to select groups. Spread advertising dollars across select venues, but avoid overextending yourself.

Money spent on research is never wasted. Thus far, the most effective advertising to the Hispanic consumer uses a combination of TV and social media content. Leverage digital channels to target-market to your intended audience accurately.

Aim advertising to your specific audience at a specific time to increase your returns. If you do not see the returns, move on and continue searching for the right venue. Measure each advertising venue and keep those bringing advertising success.

Traditionally, this audience is receptive to suggestions by media and TV personalities. Currently, combining advertising with a digital audience as well as TV campaigns bring an increased ROI of 60 percent over a straight TV advertising diet.

Reach the Hispanic Consumer During and After Advertising

Keep your brand message short and to the point. Increasingly, the most effective advertising takes place in video bursts of 10 seconds or less. Digital audiences have little patience and an even smaller attention span. Take a judicious, succinct approach to brand advertising and watch the rewards roll in.

After viewing, the average Hispanic consumer shares social media content five times more often than the non-Hispanic viewer. Hispanic consumers are twice as likely to buy the brands they share than other viewers. The Hispanic viewer is 35 percent more likely to click on content they share or that is shared with them. So, keep that campaign under 10 seconds and reap the benefits.

Harness this highly receptive market by combining the right Hispanic viewer holding high purchasing power with a targeted advertising campaign. Gear your marketing to the right audience. Trending gadgets and clothing should target their buyer audience. Speak to your audience without patronizing or dumbing it down. These are tech-savvy consumers. Treat them as such.