Article originally published on Orlando Business Journal
The success of a Hispanic marketing campaign relies on a series of controllable and uncontrollable factors that will determine the end result. However, there is one particular element that most marketing professionals underestimate all the time: strategic planning specifically for the Hispanic audience.
Most of the time, Hispanic marketing efforts are executed as a literal translation of a company’s Anglo marketing. They don’t take into consideration cultural nuances, brand perception or current market research on the diverse Hispanic segments.
Sometimes decisions are made based on personal opinions from Hispanic employees within an organization. Perhaps they listen to or read specific Hispanic media or know what media outlet offers the cheapest rate, yet they don’t have the proper understanding of the target audience reach. As we all have learned, cheap doesn’t always mean good and, besides, your employees are not usually the target audience you are trying to reach.
The development of the SWOT — strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats — analysis plays an important role during the strategic planning process. It is crucial to have brainstorming sessions between your Anglo and Hispanic advertising agencies. They must work as team to develop the right plan so you will be fully prepared for the outcome of your campaigns. Then you will be ready to respond to changes in the market, to your competitor’s actions and, most important of all, it will help ensure your brand will engage and convert your new target audience into loyal customers.
If you really want to create a prosperous and lasting brand relationship with the Hispanic community, it is crucial to embrace the following:
- Know who you want to be: Knowing exactly where you are now and where you would like to be is key. You should conduct market research and focus groups to discover consumers’ brand perception and determine the right marketing approach. This will allow you to have a deep understanding of your Hispanic target audience and core values including brand positioning. It is also valuable information for the creative team of your ad agency to make sure that messaging is on target.
- Be open-minded: Every level of your organization has to be on board to embrace your new Hispanic marketing initiative. Remember, you do not have to change the way you are doing business. You simply have to be willing to embrace and adapt. It has to be a companywide effort, not simply a marketing manager effort, to make a difference.
- Be the referee: Working with ad agencies can sometimes be challenging. Remember, they work for you, not the other way around. Find the right Hispanic marketing agency that can guide you and become your brand ally. You set up the roles and responsibilities between your Hispanic agency and your Anglo agency. Make sure all agendas line up. And then let them work their magic.
- Become a leader: In order to be successful, you need to have a plan and be committed to it. Success is not going to happen overnight. Sometimes clients want to test the waters first and then decide if they are going to be committed or not. The problem is that if you haven’t reached out to Hispanics in the past, or what you did was halfhearted with no real planning, then your results will equal your effort.
It is vital to plan ahead and be prepared for the outcome. If you choose the right tools and the right partners, you will know how to bring Hispanics in your doors and how to keep them there. Once you do, you will have a rapidly growing segment of very loyal consumers.