3 ways to use data analytics to connect with Hispanic consumers

Data analytics is essential for marketers to understand and engage their target audiences. This is especially true when reaching distinct customer segments or attempting to broaden reach into new ones. For businesses serving — or seeking to serve — the U.S. Hispanic market, data analytics is invaluable for optimizing marketing programs to this demographic’s unique needs and preferences while enhancing the overall customer journey. 

Harnessing data analytics to reach the U.S. Hispanic market

The Hispanic market in the U.S. is enormous — it would be the fifth-largest economy in the world by GDP — making it a highly desirable business opportunity. However, it also has deeply entrenched values, clear communication preferences and unique cultural traits that make it challenging for some marketers who are not already familiar with it. 

Data analytics is a powerful conduit for shortcutting this learning curve and better serving this customer. At the highest level, data analytics provide insights into a customer’s unique attributes and preferences about products and communication channels. The power of these tools is in understanding these attributes and preferences down to a personal level, allowing for an incredible amount of customization. 

My company spent over 16 years learning about and serving this customer demographic. Using data analytics and advanced technology, we’ve cut our customer acquisition costs to a fraction of what our competitors spend and greatly increased our conversion rates. This allowed us to sell thousands of vehicles and provide over $3 billion in affordable loans to underserved Hispanics. 

Here’s how data analytics helped us craft personalized, impactful and results-oriented marketing campaigns.

1. Gain behavioral insights by region 

Collecting and analyzing data on demographics, psychographics and activities offers detailed insights into customer behavior and preferences. This understanding helps you create more effective marketing campaigns, boosting your bottom line.

At a basic level, demographic data such as age, gender, income and education provide a foundational understanding of the Hispanic market. But to make this actionable, it’s helpful to fence this information by a geographic region. This geo-targeting ensures marketing content and messages are highly relevant to customers in specific locales.  

For example, the Hispanic community is the largest demographic group in New Mexico and Arizona. We further tweak our strategies based on regional preferences by focusing on specific counties within New Mexico and Arizona. 

In Doña Ana County, New Mexico, most individuals within this group are aged 20-60, with a median age of 30, and work in sectors like agriculture, education, healthcare and social assistance. Marrying this with a known preference for trucks in New Mexico leads us to craft ads emphasizing the rugged durability and versatility of those vehicles, while the desire for sedans or SUVs in Arizona results in ads focused on comfort and fuel efficiency. 

Going further, psychographic data — covering lifestyle choices, values and interests — gives deeper insights into the customer. For instance, our research and resources tell us that residents in Doña Ana County enjoy weekend getaways and have an average commute of 20 to 25 minutes. This helps us tailor advertising messages showcasing these activities. Pairing these preferences with actual behavioral data — such as prior vehicle purchasing habits and brand interactions — helps us further customize our campaigns.  

Critical insights from sales data let you tailor product promotions in small geo-fenced locations. This boosts engagement and fosters a sense of connection and loyalty among customers.

Dig deeper: 10 steps to target and connect with potential customers effectively

2. Shaping marketing tactics with data insights

Once you have this detailed understanding, the next step is building a marketing effort attuned to maximum engagement. Data analytics allows you to reach each customer based on individualized time and channel preferences. 

In our case, we know social media and mobile platforms are powerful engagement mediums with high ROI. Suppose we’re building a personalized video campaign targeting young families in Arizona. In that case, we might turn to Facebook or Instagram using a video concept designed with demographic insights in mind — one that shows the family-friendly features of our SUV lineup, such as ample cargo space, safety features and comfortable interiors. 

We also run Facebook campaigns featuring:

• Live Q&A sessions with Hispanic influencers.
• Interactive polls about favorite vehicle features.
• Culturally relevant content that speaks to community values, boosts engagement and provides valuable feedback to refine future marketing strategies. 

These might all be supplemented by an SMS campaign to reinforce outreach or achieve even greater personalization. 

In all these cases, data analysis of prior customer interactions reveals the best times and channels to reach Hispanic customers. For example, we found SMS campaigns are more effective during lunch hours or in the evenings when customers check their texts. Alternatively, platforms like Facebook and Instagram are more effective during weekends when customers have more leisure time.

Ensuring campaigns match the culture and language is as important as picking the right time and channel. These are critical factors for Hispanic customers and one reason why the Hispanic Marketing Council recently launched “Stop Latino Coating” to protest superficial advertising. Data analytics helped us learn which customers prefer communications in English, Spanish or a mix of both — and when. This lets us create bilingual marketing materials that cater to a broader audience.

Moreover, understanding cultural nuances lets us craft messages that resonate deeply with Hispanic customers. For instance, incorporating cultural references, traditions and values into campaigns creates a stronger emotional connection. Data analytics helps identify these cultural touchpoints, ensuring marketing content is both respectful and impactful.

3. Enhancing the customer experience with technology

But data analytics is about more than improving marketing tactics, it’s also about enhancing the overall customer experience. We use insights from data to streamline the car-buying process, making it more convenient and user-friendly for Hispanic customers. For instance, by analyzing data on customer pain points, we identify areas where the buying process can be simplified, such as reducing paperwork, offering bilingual support and providing transparent pricing information.

Additionally, we leverage data to personalize post-purchase interactions, such as sending drip campaigns, offering loyalty rewards and conducting satisfaction surveys in Spanish. These efforts ensure Hispanic customers feel valued and supported throughout their journey with our company.

Dig deeper: Breaking through the noise: How brands can connect with today’s consumers

Driving business results through improved marketing

Ultimately, data analytics is a powerful way to better understand and engage the Hispanic market in the U.S. By analyzing data, businesses can understand their customers’ needs and preferences, helping them create better marketing strategies, improve outreach and enhance the customer experience.

Companies that can create marketing campaigns that resonate deeply with Hispanic customers are more likely to foster loyalty and drive business growth. As the Hispanic market continues to grow in importance, businesses that invest in data analytics will be well-positioned to succeed in this dynamic and diverse landscape.

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