It is no secret that a large percentage of Latinos who reside in the United States can actually understand and communicate, to a larger or lesser degree, in the English language. According to the U.S. Business Bureau, more than half of the 38.4 million U.S. residents 5 and older who spoke Spanish at home in 2013 were also fully bilingual.

For this reason, many business owners question the idea of investing in a marketing plan for the Spanish speaking community when the majority of them are able to understand English. It is a valid concern since the cost of say, translating a full website, or running a TV commercial in their mother tongue, can add up very quickly.

So, why should any business bother to cater to the Latinos in the U.S. when many of them speak English?

Even though general marketing efforts will reach all ethnic groups in the U.S. as whole, going the extra mile to connect now with the largest ethnic minority in the U.S. is a smart move for any business owner. Here’s why:

1. The Latino Community Continues to Grow –According to the U.S. census bureau, the Hispanic/Latino population of the United States–as of July 1, 2014–goes over 55 million, making people of Latino origin the nation’s largest ethnic or racial minority. Furthermore, the projections for the Latino population by the year 2050 will more than double to an impressive 116 million—over 30% of the U.S. population. This is a significant growth that business owners should not overlook if their goal is to grow their business and become well known among the U.S. Latino community.
2. The Latino Community Loves Technology –According to a study run by the Nielsen company in 2010, 62% of all Latinos have access to the Internet at home. They also love their smart phones—44% of them are more likely to have phones with internet access and pay higher fees (14%) than the rest of the U.S. population. Also, when it comes to TV viewing, Spanish speaking homes are more likely to watch TV in Spanish. Therefore, reaching Latinos through Spanish TV broadcasting is a great idea since there are only a few channels available—Galavision and Univision primarily—compared to the large number of TV channels available in English language TV.
3. The Latino Community Values Connections –All Latinos value their connection to the language of their parents and grandparents, whether they are fully bilingual or not. Preserving their language and Spanish heritage is the main pillar of the Latino home. So, businesses that make an effort to communicate with the Latino community in the language that defines their identity will develop a strong connection with them and gain their trust from the start.

In my own experience with being Latina and having lived in the U.S. for over twenty years, I can attest to the fact that Latinos—even those who speak English well–DO value businesses who reach out to them in their native language. It makes them feel valued and cared for. It is a way of acknowledging their worth in a land where their inability to speak the English language well may set them back from enjoying and reaching out to businesses like yours.

I still remember the first time I came to the United States to go to school in Provo, Utah, and over heard a group of students speaking Spanish in the near vicinity. I felt like going up to them and giving them a big bear hug! Listening to my native language in a foreign country felt warm and safe, which is the same feeling you can create when you make it a priority for your business to connect with the U.S. Latinos in their mother tongue.

Whether your goal is to increase your website traffic, to reach the international market, or to stand out among the rest in your field of expertise, marketing to the U.S. Latino audience in their own language will open up the doors of opportunity for your business and help you build and maintain a strong and trusting connection that will undoubtedly set your business apart from the competition.

About the author: Beverly Hayes specializes in English>Spanish translation/localization in the marketing, social, education, adoption and health-related fields. A mother of five, Beverly is the founder/owner of Spanish Connect Translations, a translation agency based in Rexburg, Idaho. She graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah with a Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Laboratory Science, and this last December she finished her Master’s degree in Spanish Linguistics from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Being a stay-at-home mom for most of her life, Beverly has now taken upon herself a new goal–to contribute to the world in a different way by jumping on the entrepreneurship bandwagon. She has the education, the cultural background, and the writing skills that are necessary to succeed in this competitive field and provide a quality product that’ll stand out among the rest. You may visit her website at spctranslations.com, or contact her via Twitter:MySpanConnect and email: beverly@spctranslations.com.