• by Tanya Gazdik , Staff Writer, June 1, 2017

Despite all the buzz about Instagram and Snapchat, 49% of U.S. Hispanic auto buyers are on Twitter, and smart automakers are figuring out ways to best use the social platform. 

Bilingual Hispanics are the most mobile-centric buyers and fastest to purchase, according to research from Twitter. An overwhelming majority of bilingual Hispanic buyers relied on mobile for most of their automotive purchase research. In fact, Hispanic buyers are 1.25 times more likely to use a mobile device to search for cars compared with the general population. That’s a powerful statistic. 

Twitter partnered with Ipsos Connect to recruit participants from an online panel to take a device-agnostic survey with questions regarding their recent new vehicle purchase or lease. There were 800 participants, which included 300 monthly Twitter users. All participants were adults in the U.S. that identify as Hispanic and had purchased or leased a new vehicle within the past 12 months. The sample was balanced to ensure a distribution of Spanish-dominants, bilinguals, and English-dominants to be naturally representative of the U.S. Hispanic population.

Because bilingual buyers are fastest to purchase, it’s critical that auto brands meet them on their mobile devices. Twitter suggests making content easy to read and eye-catching for someone scrolling through on their phone. Further, automakers need to make it easy for buyers to get the information they need to consider their brand with native mobile experiences, like automated experiences in Direct Messages.

“One of the most interesting things we found is that Hispanic auto buyers are 39% more likely to use social media to help decide which car to buy, demonstrating the powerful value of social media in the decision-making process for this audience,” says DJ Capobianco, research manager at Twitter.  “We also found it incredibly compelling to learn that Hispanic auto buyers on Twitter are truly car enthusiasts. Nearly 8 in 10 self-identify as a car enthusiast—that’s 80% more than Hispanic buyers who don’t use Twitter. This is powerful insight for automakers to leverage as they think about their media strategy and the value Twitter holds in reaching this affluent, tech-savvy group.”

Authenticity is important, he says. 

“People on Twitter have even voiced how off-putting it can be when an ethnically focused ad lacks authentic execution,” Capobianco says. 

Toyota and Honda are both great examples of brands doing it right.

“They both have a designated handle for their Hispanic audience and are able to connect authentically with this tech-savvy group,” Capobianco points out. “Toyota Latino, for example, leveraged conversational video ads during the Copa America Centenario games to build brand awareness and association with Copa America. Honda, on the other hand, partnered with the L.A. SPCA and Carlos Pena to align with a relevant cause as part of their broader CRV campaigns, pairing video with conversation actions to align with the audiences’ highly social behavior.”

Hispanic consumers actively look for and interact with content on Twitter.

Hispanic Twitter users aren’t afraid to ask questions. As a demographic group, Hispanics are the most likely to tweet about auto topics. Over one-third posted a public comment/tweet asking questions or for feedback, or privately messaged a brand with a question or requesting information. 

Seventy-nine percent of Hispanics appreciate auto ads more when the ads reflect their culture. This makes them feel more connected to and understood by the brand. In addition, the culture is family-first: family plays an important role in vehicle choice and their family’s opinions are very important in the decision.

It’s important that marketers respect the Hispanic culture and tweet in their language. 

The best practices include creating content that shows a deep respect for, and understanding of, their points of view, history, traditions, lifestyles, regions, and values. Marketers should publish in both English and Spanish to resonate with audiences who prefer their tweets in English, Spanish, or a mixture of both.

Finally, the best campaigns are interactive. If there’s an audience to drive engagement with, this is it. Use conversational ads — they’re a powerful way to extend your brand’s presence across Twitter. Conversational ads are exclusive to Twitter and make it even easier automotive marketers to engage with and then spread their campaign message.