This week, the Pew Research Center came out with some interesting data on how COVID-19 is impacting the Hispanic market. Given the amount of uncharted territory our industry is facing because of COVID-19, we wanted to summarize some of their research and share some insights about how your brand can stay engaged with the Hispanic market during this time.
For starters, the rate of unemployment among Hispanics is likely to become a major topic of conversation among the community. Towards the end of 2019, the Latino unemployment rate was near-record lows, but with many Latinos working in leisure, hospitality, and other service industries, that near-record low rate is sure to increase significantly and disproportionately more than in the general market. You can also expect the topic of health insurance to come to the forefront of many Latino workers as layoffs begin to impact health coverage for Latino households.
The Pew Research Center also provided the following data points:
- 70% of Hispanics say that new COVID-19 poses a significant threat to the US economy; a similar sentiment was felt among the general public.
- 65% of Hispanic adults say the coronavirus outbreak is a significant threat to the health of the US populations as a whole, compared to just 47% of the general public who answered the same question.
- 50% of Hispanics believe that this outbreak is going to impact their financial situation, compared to 34% of the general public.
- 49% of Hispanics believe their day-to-day life in their local community will be impacted, compared to 36% of the general public
- 39% of Hispanics say that the outbreak is a significant threat to their health, compared to 27%
This initial data strongly suggests that Hispanics perceive themselves to be more exposed financially, socially, and economically to the outbreak than the general market.
If your brand, company, or non-profit serves the Hispanic market, use these insights as part of your marketing plan in the short term:
- Like the rest of the market, your Hispanic customers will be spending more time online than they normally would, particularly on social media and communication platforms. Ramp up your activities on these platforms to keep highly targeted and relevant content in front of your Hispanic customers.
- Hispanic consumers’ time spent on social media is an extension of their socially-driven and family-focused lifestyle. Produce content that is consumable, engaging, and — most importantly — shareable. This kind of content will keep your brand top of mind among your Hispanic consumers and their vast circle of influence.
- The Hispanic consumer is interested in building a trust-based relationship with the brands they do business with. Continue to build trust with the market through the content you share and make sure it’s genuine and appropriate for your segment of the market from a language and cultural perspective.
- Younger Hispanic consumers are consuming gaming content just as much, if not more, than their general market counterparts, according to recent data from Nielsen. Consider activating content during streaming sessions on YouTube or Twitch.
- Consider activating content through WhatsApp. This will continue to be a popular platform for most of the Hispanic market, especially during the downtimes that the pandemic has caused.
- Reassure your Hispanic customers in Spanish through your owned or paid media channels that you are there for them and their families and that you are interested in their short-term and long-term success.
- Offer family-based ideas or solutions Hispanic families can do together if they are under quarantine or a shelter-in-place order.
- Offer or reshare Spanish language CDC guidelines on social distancing and any other health information offered by local, state, or federal regulations.
- If it’s organic to your brand voice, use your owned media platforms to offer the latest updates on the coronavirus that impact the Hispanic community.
- Offer immediate solutions that your brand or company can do to help your customers financially or socially through the outbreak.
- Offer “two-for-one” or family deals that will help Hispanic families stretch their dollar.
- If you are offering specific senior-only hours, communicate that in Spanish and reach them through social media, Hispanic TV, or Hispanic radio.
- Partner with local Hispanic media outlets in developing creative ways to serve Hispanic families in need.
- If you use social listening tools, look for specific Spanish keywords to track like “virus corona” in your area. Use that data to prepare live, agile responses to the community if it fits your brand voice and objectives.
Keeping the conversation going with your Hispanic customers during these trying times will be a vital part of staying relevant once the pandemic passes and the economy starts to pick back up. Hopefully, these insights will help your brand stay in that conversation. The UMG team also has ready-made tactics that can help you activate quickly and effectively. If you would like to have a conversation about how we can help you be successful with the Hispanic market, let’s get in touch!
Sources Referenced
https://www.nielsen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/04/the-online-lives-latinx-consumers.pdf