How to target Hispanics in San Diego

In the first part of our series, we explored the reasons why marketing to Hispanics in San Diego not only makes sense but is a prime and ripe opportunity. Now let’s continue with Part II and see how you can do this successfully within San Diego’s unique Hispanic demographic.

3 ways to successfully reach Hispanics in San Diego

1. Speak their language, know their culture

With such a diverse population from different Latin American countries, simply translating general market executions to Spanish isn’t enough. In San Diego, the majority of the Hispanic population is from Mexico, but some are from other Central and Southern American countries, and those cultural nuances cannot be ignored.

Hispanics in San Diego have different levels of acculturation and assimilation and savvy marketers are aware of this and bake it into their execution. For example, according to Geoscape’s San Diego DMA:

• 30% of Latinos are 2nd generation Hispanics with many Hispanic cultural ties, and often retro-acculturate.
• 28% are bicultural, bilinguals that also have many Hispanic cultural practices. What does this mean? Language communicates, culture connects.

The takeaway here is: language communicates, but culture connects. Hispanics in San Diego will respond to campaigns that they can culturally identify with. Think about a message tailored in all English, all Spanish, or both, and that portrays cultural relevance.

2. Focus on a digital platform

Hispanics over index on mobile use nationwide, this is also true locally. Our Facebook audience analysis reveals that the potential reach for Hispanics in San Diego is more than worthwhile:

• 425k Hispanics overall
• 225k Hispanic millennials

Additionally, San Diego Hispanic Millennials trend much higher in online spending than general market Millennials in San Diego (32% vs 26%).

3. Tailor messaging to your audience

Generally, digital online marketing should always be tailored according to the target audience and the marketing channel, but taking into account age and the different levels of acculturation and assimilation for Hispanics in San Diego elevates your message and cuts through the online noise. Facebook stats for San Diego Hispanics reveal that:

Language matters – San Diego Hispanic Millennials are:

• 42% bilingual
• 33% Spanish dominant
• 24% English preferred

Consider a campaign in English with hints of Spanish or an all-Spanish campaign.

Age matters – In San Diego 425k Hispanics are on Facebook, and 53% of them are millennials. Don’t forget to factor this in when planning your campaign strategy. Visuals, copy and the overall message should be different for young adults vs an older market segment. For example, older Hispanics may prefer an all Spanish message with many cultural ties, while younger Hispanics will respond better to a bicultural message in English with Spanish infusions.

Social channel matters – Tailor your message according to your audience on each social channel. Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram users usually skew younger, Facebook still reigns as the most used social channel across the board, and Snapchat use is still on the rise (via Pew Research Center). Also, take into consideration that Hispanics across the nation over index on mobile and video. The time U.S. Hispanics spend on video has increased by 53% according to a Yahoo Study, and “more Hispanics watch YouTube than any other cable network in the U.S.” A Google study reveals that “53% are more likely to watch ads on their smartphones vs. the general population” making the San Diego Hispanic demographic a prime digital market opportunity.