The 3 Types of Business Owners in Hispanic Marketing

When it comes to doing business with the Hispanic community, there are three types of business owners:

1.The ones who “get it,” meaning they understand the depth a variety within this homogenous “Hispanic” term used so often, and how to create and deliver the proper messages.

2.The ones who want to reach out the Hispanic market, are unsure of exactly where to start, but are willing to jump into this vast demographic with both feet and the best of intentions.

3.Finally, our friends out there who find the idea of entering the Hispanic demographic a bit overwhelming or still cannot grasp why they should even attempt to reach out to the Hispanic market.

While I would most hope those of reading this are at least in category number two, I guess if everyone were in the first category, I would be out of a job, right? If you are entertaining the idea of entering the Hispanic market, or are ready to start a solid program, I want you to consider doing a “Hispanic Ready Assessment” of your business. There are six key areas you must consider before stepping into exciting world of Hispanic communications:

Customer Service
What is your current customer service system Is your staff trained and prepared to offer outstanding, courteous, timely customer service?

Availability
What hours are you available? Do you keep “bankers’ hours” from 9am-5pm? Are you open on weekends? Do your hours accommodate customers with long/late work hours?.

Ease of Access to Language
Do you offer Spanish language, or Spanish-English bilingual, signage and materials? While a large percentage of the Hispanic population has become more acculturated, an equally large portion still prefers to read and listen in Spanish and see positive images of Hispanics.

In House, Knowledgeable Bilingual Staff
Do you have a bilingual staff prepared to meet the incoming increase of Hispanic customers/clients? Are they well trained, and knowledgeable, about your product or service and share the same enthusiasm as everyone else in the company?

Follow-up
What happens after the sale? How will you stay in contact with this community to increase word-of-mouth and referrals? The Hispanic community offers strong word-of-mouth business and referrals, but your business has to be prepared to stay in touch and stay on the top of their minds.

Internal Ideas, Notions, and Expectations of the Hispanic Community
Have you done your research on where your customers/clients come from? How old are they? What language do they prefer to speak? Who makes most of the decisions in the house? Does your staff need cultural sensitivity training to better understand and relate to the Hispanic community?


Keeping these six keys in mind as you prepare your Hispanic outreach campaign, will help prepare your business to offer outstanding service and help you look at every angle of the Hispanic community.

Great success in your efforts!