Tapping into the Market of Over 40 Million Native Spanish Speakers in the United States
Native Spanish speakers make up 12% of the U.S. population, a consumer group of more than 40 million Americans. That’s an estimated annual purchasing power of almost a trillion dollars. Only a small fraction of U.S. attorneys speak Spanish, so there’s a vast untapped demand for lawyers who can provide quality legal services to this large segment of the population.
You’ll need to be fluent in Spanish or have access to translators to communicate with Spanish-speaking clients. But to get those clients, you have to reach the Spanish-speaking audience, and that requires you to have online Spanish content integrated into a well-designed and comprehensive digital strategy. At GetLegal, we have extensive experience providing clear and effective Spanish translations of internet content, and our team can help you incorporate a Spanish-language marketing strategy into your overall approach.
A Deeper Understanding of the Potential in the Spanish-speaking Legal Market
The 2017 Simmons Research reportThe State of the Hispanic-American Consumer found that three-quarters of Hispanic adults in the U.S. prefer to speak some or mostly Spanish. It’s worth targeting that large segment of the Hispanic market by incorporating Spanish content into your digital marketing plan. The Simmons report found, “Advertising in Spanish matters to all Hispanics, even those who are English-dominant, and can drive purchase decisions and brand loyalty.” Consider these additional facts about the Hispanic market:
- Between 2006 and 2015, the share of Spanish-dominant Hispanics who use the internet about doubled, from 36% to 74%.Hispanics make up more than a quarter of all millennials, a market of approximately 19 million. According to Viant, these millennials are both social media and mobile users, with more than twice as many Hispanic millennials using mobile ads to make purchases.
- There are more than seven million Hispanic households in America with an average annual income over $100,000, dispelling the myth that the Hispanic segment of the population is low-income and not in the market for legal services. In addition, sources say that Hispanic household income in general has been steadily rising for the last decade.
- There are a similar number (approximately seven million) Hispanics in America over the age of 55, providing a strong market for estate planning and elder law services.
- The growth in the American Hispanic population is not limited to immigrants from Mexico. It’s estimated that about 33% of the total Hispanic population in the United States is from other countries, including Puerto Rico, Columbia and Venezuela. This group, 19 million strong, has a higher per capita disposable income than Mexican-Americans and tends to spend more.
- Research also has found significant growth in Hispanic communities outside the traditional markets in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Houston and Dallas. There has been rapid growth in such municipalities as Denver, Atlanta, Nashville, Sacramento, Charlotte, Salt Lake City and Washington, DC.
Successfully Marketing Your Practice to the Spanish-speaking Population
One of the first things to understand about Spanish-dominant consumers is that they prefer to purchase goods and services in their native tongue. That means that any initial appeals to them should be in Spanish, and that they’ll want to communicate with you and your office in their native tongue. Don’t make the mistake of using an automated or online translation tool—they typically don’t understand or incorporate idiomatic Spanish and can produce errors that reflect poorly on you. At GetLegal, our translators are all native Spanish speakers who know how to communicate your message in everyday language.
It’s also important to understand, as you develop and implement your online marketing strategy for the Spanish-speaking community, that it’s a culture that places a high value on family. Don’t be surprised if a potential client brings a number of family members to an initial consultation or to client meetings. There’s a powerful sense of generational respect and trust in the Hispanic community.
At GetLegal, we have years of experience translating website content into Spanish, and we always ensure that it’s fully integrated with your comprehensive online marketing strategy. To learn more about how we can enhance your firm’s online presence in 2018, call us at 817-359-7077 or get started online.
