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5 Tips For Reaching Hispanics in the U.S.

According to PEW research, the Hispanic population share of the total U.S. population increased from 16% to 18% between 2010 and 2019. Hispanics accounted for about half 52% of all U.S. population growth over this period. According to the 2017 U.S. Census Bureau population estimate, 58.8 million Hispanics live in the United States with a $1.5 trillion in purchasing power. Hispanics and Latinos are the second-largest ethnic group in the U.S., behind white non-Hispanics.

Considering the statistics above, you will need to consider some of these factors if you are planning to expand your brand and sell more products to this market.

  • Hispanics vs. Latinos You may have heard of Hispanics, Latinos, and Latinx. These terms are often misused synonymously. Each word has a meaning, and it is good to know the differences if you are creating a marketing strategy for this audience. Hispanic describes people descended from Spanish-speaking populations, including Spain, Central America, and South America. Hispanics come from more than 20 countries in Latin America; thus, you can't create a one size fits all marketing strategy; you will need to understand where they come from and the demographics in each state. Latinx refers to those residing in Latin America or descended from Latin American people. The term Latinx is used to denote all genders. Hispanic denotes language, while Latinx denotes geography. People from Spain are Hispanic, but not Latinx. People from Brazil are Latinx, but not Hispanic.
  • Connection It is not what you say but how you say it. Hispanics and Latinos are family-oriented; they value good relationships, friends, and celebrations, where food and music are the main components. A great example of this was shown is the film "Coco." The Pixar hit in 2017 with a total box office revenue for the five-day holiday period in 2017 of $268 million is a great example to understand connection and family and friends’ relationships between Hispanics.
  • Generational Differences There are three groups of Hispanics living in the U.S.: first generation, second generation, and third-generation or higher. First-generation Latinos 63% were born outside the United States. Second-generation 19% of Latinos were born in the United States to immigrant parents. Third- or higher-generation Latinos 17% were born in the United States to U.S.-born parents. To make things more interesting, not all people are defined from where they come from but from where they have lived most of their life. They are bilingual, and most of them communicate in English at work and with friends but use Spanish with their families and to communicate with older generations.
  • Think Global act Local As you already know, the states with a large population of Hispanics include California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois, the only caveat is that not all Hispanics come from the same country. For example, most of the Hispanics living in California come from Mexico and Central America countries including el Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. In Florida, most Hispanics come from Cuba, Colombia, and Venezuela, and there is a big community of Puerto Ricans in New York and Virginia.
  • Technology trends among Hispanics The major platforms Hispanics living in the U.S. use includes Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Zoom for calls with Family and friends. Hispanics are good adapters of technology and are mobile devices users’ sometimes with two or more devices at home. Facebook is usually used by older generations of Hispanics (35-55+), Instagram is use among Millennials Hispanics (35-25) and Zoom because is easy to use is commonly used by all family members.

Ready to put your learnings into practice? Head to the RBFF Resource Center for content you can use, more tips for reaching the Hispanic audience, and much more.