Latinos represent a huge market both in terms of numbers and buying power, but do your homework

With reports that Latinos are on pace, nationally, to wield $1.5 trillion in buying power in 2015, a 50 percent growth over 2010’s $1 trillion, according to a recent Nielsen report, it’s no wonder everyone is trying to figure out a way to market to the fastest and the youngest demographic.

Before running out of the gate, it is important do your homework.

Taking shortcuts is the easiest way to invite mistakes.

For the Hispanic demographic, one of the most common mistakes is to assume that Hispanics are a monolithic group, they’re not.

The problem with that is that it fails to consider important cultural differences among all of the different countries that make up the Latino population. Mexicans and Puerto Ricans will generally speak slightly differently and probably have different likes when it comes to cuisine and music. Ditto for Argentinians and say someone from El Salvador.

Study up on the primary national origin

Taking the time to study up on the primary national origin of the targeted demographic can help you better calibrate your pitch and ensure that you are using the right message, not to mention finding the right messenger and the right approach.

The next thing to consider is the age of your target audience within the Hispanic demographic.

Does the median age of your target audience skew younger or older?

If it’s the former, then reaching out to them in Spanish may not make the most sense. But if it’s the latter, then having a Spanish language component may be required.

If that’s the case, don’t skimp on good translators. There are plenty of examples of terrible translations out there ripe for ridicule.

Here are some examples:

Kaley…& Más in An American girl in Spain wrote a piece called Beware of These Spanish Translation Mistakes where she shared ten major translation mistakes. Here are five of the ten.

1. Estar embarazada vs. to be embarrassed

2. Ser bueno/malo vs. estar bueno/malo

3. Estar constipado vs. to be constipated

4. Estar excitado vs. to be excited

​5. Estar molesto vs. to be molested

Then there are the all too familiar photos on Facebook:

Next page: Generational target and media