Marketing to hispanics & selling to hispanics means that you are selling to people who speak Spanish, right?  Yes and No.   There are over 440 million people in the worldwide hispanic market, and I made this video to better explain this market. This is me, and these are my words:

Let’s assume you are starting by marketing to hispanics in the United States.

This group has various degrees of cultural assimilation, so imagine a range of people from newly arrived immigrants to people who look “Latino” but don’t speak Spanish at all.

Before you start selling to hispanics make sure you know who they are.   Show some respect for your prospects by getting your terminology correct. People don’t like when you misunderstand their world.

If you are marketing to hispanics for the first time, just relax. There is plenty of cultural information available; by understanding the following cultural misconceptions you will be light years ahead of the “average American.”

5 cultural misconceptions when marketing to Hispanics

1. All Hispanics Speak Spanish

“Hispanic” refers to individuals who trace their origins to Spanish speaking countries, and originally Spain. It is possible for a “Hispanic” person to speak only English.  This cultural group is more diverse as it includes people from all Spanish-speaking countries. Don’t get confused with race. Hispanics come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Don’t call your prospect “Hispanic,” not because it’s bad, but people don’t do it.

2. “Latino” is the same as Hispanic

“Latino” typically means someone with cultural ties to Latin America and does not refer to language. By definition, “Latino” includes people from countries that were once under Roman rule. The common use of Latino includes people from Latin America, including non-Spanish speaking countries like Brazil and Haiti. The term Latino is positive and widely used.

• Latino: When referring to mixed gender groups and men.
• Latina: When referring to women.

3. Spanish-Speaking means “Spanish”

Just because someone speaks Spanish don’t assume that they are from Spain. “Hispanics” trace their cultural roots back to Spain, but Hispanic Latin Americans have their own culture and nuance of language. In fact, the Spanish spoken throughout the world varies just like any other language.

Remember that Spain makes up less than 10% of the worldwide hispanic market. It’s much more likely that the Hispanics you encounter will NOT be from Spain (unless you are in Europe, of course).

4. “America” means the United States

America is “the lands of the Western hemisphere, comprising the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions.”   It’s a common error for people to say “America” when they mean “United States.”

“America” refers to a continent, not a specific country. I’m not trying to debate this, and I know that we call the USA “America,”  but if you are trying to make international friends, stop calling the USA “America.”  Instead, just say “United States.”

5. All Hispanics are Poor

As a demographic group in the United States, it’s true that Hispanics have lower median income levels. On a worldwide scale, Spanish speaking countries combined have about one quarter of the GDP of the developed world. Lower income and GDP noes not mean that all Hispanics are poor. Just like in any other culture, there are poor, rich, and middle class Hispanics.

Marketing To Hispanics: Keep Learning

To start marketing to Hispanics, it’s important to learn as much as possible about the market.