Commentary
What Every Marketer Should Know About Latino Influencer Platforms
- by Arturo Nava , Columnist, January 29, 2015
In the last few years, a number of talented and entrepreneurial Latina and Latino content creators have launched digital platforms across different niches that entertain, educate and empower other Latinos and Latinas. These emerging platforms are addressing a huge need for culturally relevant, authentic and valuable content made specifically for Hispanics.
From Latina Mom bloggers, Facebookers, to You Tubers, Instagrammers, Viners and podcasters these platforms are attracting increasingly larger audiences. DulceCandy, LeJuan James, Lizza Monet Morales of XoxoLizza, Jorge Narvaez, Kathy Cano-Murillo of Crafty Chica, George Torres of Sofrito for Your Soul are just but a few of the many talented Latino & Latina influencers that are making a difference. The wide array of choice, variety, niche specialization and high quality content is unmatched by traditional media outlets.
A recent Facebook/IPSOS study, “Digital Diversity: A Closer Look at U.S. Hispanics,” referenced in Lee Vann’s Engage:Hispanics article earlier this year, confirms the well-known underlying trend that is driving this shift: Technology has become integral to how U.S. Hispanics connect with what is most important in their lives —immediate and extended family, friends and culture. Facebook is now the #1 go-to platform for U.S. Hispanics’ communication, with 26 million Hispanic monthly users, 71% of which use Facebook to connect with loved ones every day. If Facebook is the preferred medium, culturally relevant content that brings value to consumers lives and tells a story is the preferred vehicle through which Hispanics connect with their families, friends and culture.
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Latino & Latina influencers are creating a wide range of these culturally relevant valuable content platforms across all types of niches.
These content creators bring something that traditional media can’t replicate: themselves. They are mission- authentic and passionate with deep knowledge of their niches. This gives them the ability to build deeper, more authentic and culturally relevant human relationships with their audience. Consumers can relate more to a real person with a story and a platform than they can relate to a large media corporation using paid talent. No wonder Hispanic consumers are discovering them and following them in increasingly larger numbers and why traditional media is struggling to find its footing in this fast-changing content landscape.
As the content creators’ audiences grow, the brands and the money will follow.
Already we see a number of leading brands building relationships with top Latina/Latino influencers in a number of consumer categories. One visible example is General Mills partnering with three Latina food bloggers to create the Celebra Lo Rico video series. This trend will only accelerate.
I have seen the power of Latino/Latina influencer platforms. A number of brands that have built strategies around creating value for their consumers and their Hispanic communities through these influencer platforms are having success. They are having success because influencers embrace the brands with passion and bring their audiences along with them when they genuinely believe in the brands and when their missions align. The influencers provide brands added credibility and content which builds consumer trust more quickly and at a much lower cost than traditional means. This added trust and credibility builds brands and sells products.
Trailblazing Latino/Latina content creators across the nation are building authority in many niches and will only continue to attract increasingly large and engaged Hispanic audiences, just the kind which marketers dream about.
This March, the top digital Latino content creators in the nation will be at Hispanicize; the top conference in the Latino world, in my humble opinion. The content creators will share their insights on how to build successful influencer platforms and how brands can tap into their audiences. I can’t think of a better investment for any Latino/Multicultural marketer than going to Hispanicize.
See you in Miami!
There is a lot of good research on the flip side showing that transparency is the new black. Look at the info published in th last year about how truly deceived folks feel when they find out a brand influencer/blogger is being paid off by a PR firm and is really a paid ad, when they thought this person was a trusted source of content. Hint: people do not like it. This is the strategy for which this post seems to advocate. A big quote kicked around by some CMOs last year in 2014 was this requote of this idea that: "We like twizzlers and we like guacamole" (we like great editorial and content and we like great marketing) - that doesn't mean you should mix them. Nobody likes twizzlers in their guacamole and Latinos even less so. Because blacks and Latinos in the US are seeking TRUSTED sources of info and have good reason to be distrustful. Unfortunately for some who are too focused on efficiency plays and a magic bullet. Traditional media with real trust and connections such as Hispanic newspapers and their Web sites and yes, folks, print ads in publications that respect the differentiation between church and state will be required to grow sales in this exciting emerging market we call the US Hispanic space. Those of you who try to cheaply buy off a few bloggers and sponsor a $5,000 booth at Hispanicize will be disappointed that no, this does not a Hispanic media strategy make for sales growth. XO
We're not saying don't do that. But get the PR dollars under the paid media umbrella and get serious about investing in this space in paid media.
Look at a company like Timberland. Or Sherwin Williams. They grow sales using traditional media. Investing in traditional media. This plus Spanish-language messaging and inclusion of 360-traditional Spanish-language media will grow sales for companies who are serious about doing so in Hispanic and serious about tapping the emerging market segment of US Hispanic where the growth is.
We can help.
Cara Marcano
Director, board of directors, National Association of Hispanic Publications
Publisher
Reporte Hispano
609 933 1400
Thanks for your comment Cara. The point of this article was to shed some light on the emerging Latino influencer platforms which are generating much needed content and who are building authority across niches.
I disagree with your broad generalization that Latino influencers/bloggers are not transparent about disclosing their relationships with brands that your comment seems to suggest, that is just not the case. I agree that transparency is critical for success and in no way am I advocating any strategy that is not based on transparency. Actually the successful Latino influencer platforms are built on trust, if people don't trust them they would not be successful and have growing/engaged audiences, it is that simple.
It is very powerful a thing when trusted influencers embrace brands because they genuinely support the brands they have relationships with not just because of the financial compensation. So I think that brands are wise to continue to innovate how they market to the Latino market and also tap into trusted Latino/a influencer platforms.
Arturo- Great piece, thank you for referencing my previous post. Like anything else, influencers can be powerful and support brand objectives when the execution is authentic, real and transparent.
Thank you very much Lee ! I enjoyed your post very much, I found it insightful and thought provoking. Totally agree, for influencers to be successful and be able to help brands they need to be authentic, real and transparent.
As a blogger of 10+ years, I've ALWAYS disclosed sponsored posts so that my readers know up front if I was paid or received product for review. This is industry standard, we all disclose. Bloggers have a valuable reach, we are the grassroots of marketing, reaching out one-by-one to consumers! I'm proud to represent brands that embrace new media as well as traditional. Both play a very important role. Thank you so much for including me and the others listed in this article about this topic, we are all very grateful! :-)
Thank you very much for your comment Kathy ! I felt it was very important to shed light on the wide array of talented Latino/a content creators and the impact you guys/gals are having with your platforms. You are changing the content & marketing landscape and marketers are taking notice !!
Cara, the Latino Digital Influencer industry actually works very strongly with full disclosure. I am remiss at your comments and I invite you to look at the stories many great influencers like the ones listed here and others are producing. The fact remains that Hispanic social is exploding and you should be happy for that. This means growth for the industry we all cherish and does not mean marketers should not take a holistic view of the different media they now have at their disposal: social, newspapers, TV, radio, direct, and yes, even little events like Hispanicize :-) Every tool has its strength and its weaknesses. Come to Hispanicize and see for yourself how we give everyone the space to share the industry's overall evolution. You have a full access pass on me :-)