When you’re working with companies internationally, you need to make an effort to understand the language and cultural differences among various countries and cultures. In this article by Lionbridge we show you some of the best practices you should keep in mind and research further before you are developing a content marketing in Spanish strategy for Hispanics.
1. Understand the difference between Hispanic and Latino.
There are many interpretations of how to define Hispanic vs Latino. For the purposes of this article about content marketing in Spanish, we’ll distinguish the two in the following way: Hispanic refers to language and Latino (including Latina and Latino) refer to location. Therefore, Hispanic here is defined as one who has a Spanish-speaking origin or ancestry, including Spain.
Latino refers to Spanish-speakers as well, but only people from Latin America—including Brazil. (Portuguese is spoken in Brazil, and thus, is not considered to be Hispanic.) Hispanic and Latino are often used interchangeably, even though they don’t mean the same thing. It’s important to be aware of not only who you are targeting, but also how you choose to reference them. Not all Spanish-speaking people are Latino, and not all Latinos are Hispanic.
2. Be aware of regional differences.
Some Hispanics prefer to use their country of origin to describe themselves while some others have no preference for either term, Hispanic or Latino. However, it’s still important to localize your marketing efforts, as these preferences vary from state to state, and they also change as the Hispanic population grows.
Localization is critical for content marketing in Spanish in states with a high population of Hispanics, such as Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico, New York, and Florida. There are several dialects of Spanish and Spanish variants in the U.S. Thus, Google Translate can’t compare to professional translation services—it lacks the ability to tailor translations to these dialects.
3. Consider generational and cultural gaps while tailoring marketing tactics and content.
Hispanics, like many cultures, integrate their traditions from their countries of origin into their lives in the U.S. But cultural integration can vary depending on segments of the larger Hispanic consumer population.
Culturally, marketers tend to divide Hispanic online consumers into three different categories:
Hispanic Dominant: This group speaks predominantly Spanish at home and consumes most media in Spanish. Typically, they’re foreign born and have a mean age of 40. On average, they’ve lived in the U.S. for seven years.
Bicultural: This crowd typically speaks both English and Spanish at home, but they consume most media in English. They’re a combination of foreign and U.S. born and have a mean age of 34. They’ve lived in the U.S., on average, for 22 years.
U.S. Dominant: This bunch generally speaks English at home and consumes most media in English. They’re U.S. born and with a mean age of 37, they’ve lived in the U.S. an average of 36 years.
3. Be consistent with Hispanic marketing.
Offering a web page in Spanish is effective, but only if your landing page is in Spanish, too. The same is true for phone orders and support: Pressing “Numero 2” for Spanish on your phone keypad is helpful only if there is a Spanish-speaking representative on the other end. If you’re going to market to consumers using content marketing in Spanish, be sure to support them throughout the customer journey.
4. Understand Spanish-speaking social media.
When it comes to social media, Hispanics love variety, and even more when it comes in the form of online video. On average, they visit nearly nine different sites, apps and social media to view this content over a 30-day period. This presents a huge opportunity for marketers to implement a multi-pronged digital content marketing in Spanish strategy, where language can strategically be used across multiple touchpoints. Also, content that speaks to their heritage is popular with Hispanics, whether or not they’re fluent in Spanish.
5. Be aware of cultural diversity.
It all comes down to being aware of cultural diversity within any country, where multiple ethnicities and language dialects exist. And although no one is expected to know each dialect and market, there is much benefit and value to thoroughly researching and understanding the various linguistic and cultural differences, as well as the spending patterns within a particular country when planning your content marketing in Spanish strategy.
To learn more, read the article: 5 Principles for Content Marketing in Spanish
Are you interested in targeting an Hispanic audience? Contact Us, our International SEO Consultants will plan the best content marketing in Spanish strategy for your business.
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