Why partnerships with Latinx creators matter to your inclusive marketing strategy

September 15 marked the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month. Like during Black History Month or Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, brands want to take the opportunity to market directly to Latinx audiences and position themselves as allies. But Latinx consumers aren’t a monolithic group. The Latinx or Hispanic consumer encompasses 27 distinct countries of origin, cultures and identities.

The challenge for brands is creating authentic and impactful, culturally-focused Hispanic marketing campaigns–without pandering, stereotyping or over-generalizing. The most powerful technique social teams have in their corner this month is working directly with Latinx and Hispanic creators.

Getting to know the Latinx and Hispanic consumer

If your brand is looking to enter the Latinx market, here’s what you need to know.

Latinx spending power is expected to top 1.3 trillion dollars in 2023 and 78% of Latinx and Hispanic consumers enjoy online shopping. As far as social marketing goes, they’re extremely immersed in social media. A majority (52%) of Hispanics aged 18 or older spend an hour or more on social media every day, compared to 38% of non-Hispanic whites. They’re also 5 times more likely to share content, which can have an extreme impact on your reach.

This rapidly growing demographic should be a crucial part of your inclusive marketing strategy. Reaching out to the Latinx community in your marketing can have positive effects on your overall social strategy as well. Most (60%) consumers are more likely to buy from a brand with inclusive marketing.

To improve your inclusivity, creators are the key to making an impact with the Latinx community.

Linking up with Latinx creators

The Latinx community is no exception when it comes to the advantages creators bring to social marketing strategy. Some 68% of marketers use creators to generate more engagement, and Latinx creators understand and relate to their audience in ways that make consumers want to learn more.

Their authenticity–which is the second most important creator trait–and connection with their communities are key to creating viral content. And as 74% of marketers prepare to spend more than a quarter of their budget on creator partnerships, Latinx creators are a great bet.

Cultural competency

The most obvious benefit of bringing on a Latinx creator is their intrinsic cultural expertise. As members of the community, they know first-hand what resonates–and what’s going to fall flat. Leveraging their perspective on campaign ideas and execution can help your team avoid cultural appropriation and build a meaningful sense of cultural appreciation.

Vanessa Sirias has built a following of over 250,000 people across platforms with her comedy sketches surrounding the Latinx experience. When Secret Deodorant approached her for a partnership, she created a sketch poking fun at the stereotypical Latina-oriented commercial. This approach was not only relatable for her viewers, but it established Secret’s position of being in on the joke, instead of the butt of it.

Product perspective

Different communities have different relationships with your product. This sounds obvious, but when you’re constantly creating marketing campaigns aimed at targeting the largest number of people, it can be easy to forget. Luckily, creators have unique insight into how different groups might respond, relate to and use your offerings. Partnering with diverse creators can bring your marketing team new insight into what might appeal to your target audience.

Violeta Venagas is a Selena tribute creator with 1.3 million followers across platforms. For her partnership with Dossier Perfumes, she paired each scent with a Selena song to describe the vibe. Fragrance companies often have difficulty describing their olfactory products on visual platforms, but Violeta was able to market them more concretely by associating the products with something familiar to her audience.

Niche audiences and understanding

One of the major appeals of social media is the opportunity to dive deep into niche audiences. It’s hard to justify a commercial or billboard that will only appeal to select consumers. Latinx creators combine their interests with their experiences, creating powerful content for others who share their hobbies and obsessions. Partnering with these creators gives your social team the opportunity to find their fandoms and create highly-targeted and highly-effective content.

Lis Wonder, a Cuban-American cosplayer with almost 2 million followers across platforms, built her audience around geek culture. Fandoms love dressing up for movie premieres and Lis is no exception. Her partnership with Regal centered around the comfort fans find in going to their favorite movies and the excitement of showing up as their favorite characters.

365 days of inclusive marketing

While Hispanic Heritage Month is an excellent opportunity to celebrate Latinx and Hispanic culture across your brand channels, it shouldn’t be the only opportunity. Consumers are clamoring for more inclusive content and providing them with it will only make your brand stronger. By partnering with creators who represent the communities you’re trying to reach, your strategy will be more inclusive–and more successful.

Looking to learn more about advancing diversity, equity and inclusion on social media? Check out this article with five essential things to keep in mind while building out your strategy.