MLT Blog
 
October 14, 2024

Going Beyond Business Growth: 5 Ways to Build Genuine Connections with the Hispanic/Latine Community

By: Michelle Powell, Ph.D. and Valentin Avila, Racial Equity at Work Team

Michelle Powell, Ph.D. (she/her) serves as a Director of Partner Success and manages a portfolio of Fortune 100/500 companies engaged in MLT’s Racial Equity at Work certification programs and other solutions designed to change employers practices and improve overall outcomes. She works as a consultant and strategic thought partner to CDOs and other senior leaders responsible for DEI strategic planning and programming within their organizations. Before coming to MLT, Michelle spent nearly 20 years in private practice as an organizational development consultant, executive coach, and L&D facilitator. She is a business psychologist who has partnered with business leaders from across multiple industries in both the public and private sectors to help them optimize workplace culture and organizational effectiveness.

Valentin Avila (he/him) is a Senior Associate within MLT’s Racial Equity at Work team. During his time at MLT, he has helped manage a portfolio of several corporate partners engaging with both the Black Equity at Work and Hispanic Equity at Work programs. He has helped design actionable roadmaps and customized solutions for DEI initiatives and strategies needed for companies to promote racial equity across operations, while simultaneously addressing racial disparities in leadership and opportunities. Prior to MLT, Valentin worked at New Economics for Women, a Los Angeles-based non-profit aimed at sparking economic mobility in first-generation, low-income, and immigrant communities.  

In today’s ever-evolving world, it’s not uncommon for businesses to jump on the bandwagon of designated monthly celebrations such as Hispanic Heritage Month. ​​ The celebrations bring a heightened awareness and focus on the rich history, diverse cultures, and contributions of Hispanic/Latine peoples. However, once the month is over, many companies return to “business as usual,” neglecting ongoing opportunities for engagement and ways to support their diverse staff. 

The Hispanic/Latine community is the predominant force behind U.S. population growth, reaching 63.6 million individuals in 2022, accounting for 53% of overall population growth since 2010. This group currently represents 23% of the American population, which is expected to increase to 31.2% by the year 2050, according to El Puente Institute. An estimated 45% of all Hispanics ages 25 and older have entered the workforce with at least some college experience, which has increased their overall buying power to $2.7 trillion. As the population continues to grow, organizations must acknowledge this growth and reflect a deeper understanding of the complexities of the Hispanic/Latine experience in order to effectively engage with the community. 

This article assumes that you are seeking ways to attract and retain employees, customers, and other stakeholders from the Hispanic/Latine population because you recognize the value, growth, and opportunities that they can bring to your business. Yet before embarking on any marketing campaign or business strategy, it is important to know how to engage this community in the right way. Here are five ways to develop better-informed approaches and establish genuine connections for both internal and external audiences. 

Know your audience and what they value

The heritage of Latine Americans represents over 20 Spanish-speaking countries from around the world. Consequently, there are diverse cultural differences between Mexican-Americans and those from the Caribbean, for example. However, there are commonly held beliefs, ways of interacting and communicating that, if understood and respected, can allow organizations to forge authentic relationships within Hispanic/Latine communities. In order to engage this collective community, it is essential to first understand their culture. 

Predominant values found across most Hispanic/Latine communities include a strong family orientation and values, authenticity, respect, and community ties. This means that if you are promoting a message or providing an opportunity that is self-oriented, which aligns with the commonly held mainstream American value of individualism, you will not effectively reach this audience. They often make decisions with the entire family or community in mind. The countries from which this audience originates are collective societies, meaning there is a strong belief that one’s actions affect the entire community. Other cultural differences exist that can create a disconnect between you and your existing or prospective Hispanic/Latine consumers, employees, or stakeholders. It is important to educate yourself about your intended audience; the best way to do that is to seek out and include their perspectives.

Alejandra Mielke, Ph.D., is a DEI consultant and coach specializing in Leadership Development and co-founder of El Puente Institute, which focuses on providing insights and professional development around cultural scripts that impact the Hispanic/Latine work experience. Dr. Mielke says, 

Latinos value authentic relationships characterized by close bonds amid a sense of collaboration and respect. Therefore, it’s imperative that companies develop a genuine understanding of the community’s values, traditions, and nuances.”

Dr. Mielke suggests creating and maintaining open channels of communication to learn about the needs of the community and build trust. This can be achieved, in part, by facilitating open forums where members of the community are able to directly express their needs, concerns, or suggestions to company representatives. “This ensures that any engagement efforts are addressing real, felt needs rather than being superficial or misdirected,” says Dr. Mielke. “ And keep your promises.” 

By conducting thorough research and incorporating  perspectives from within the targeted community, you increase your chances of effectively engaging with the larger Hispanic/Latine community.

Start from the inside

Before you can attract Hispanic/Latine people to your organization, make sure you are taking care of those who are already there. Hispanic/Latine culture is highly human-centric and places a strong emphasis on deep connections. Collaborative work and opportunities to build camaraderie are important contributors to the level of engagement and satisfaction of your Hispanic/Latine workforce. There are other factors to consider and questions you must answer to determine how well you are doing in ensuring that your Hispanic/Latine employees are engaged and feel a part of the organization.

For example: 

  • Have you demonstrated their value to the company by creating an environment that embraces their unique perspectives, contributions, and values? 
  • What does your board of directors’ makeup look like? 
  • Do you offer remote work or flexible schedules to assist employees in balancing their work and family obligations? 
  • Do your Hispanic/Latine employees feel a sense of belonging?
  • Have you communicated the available opportunities for growth and provided support to ensure that growth is realized? (e.g. structured mentoring, coaching, professional development)? 
  • Does your Hispanic/Latine representation include individuals in leadership positions (i.e. middle and senior management positions)?  What level of visibility and influence do they have?
  • Do you provide ongoing learning opportunities on inclusive leadership practices that consider the Hispanic/Latine employee experience? 
  • Generally, Hispanic/Latine employees prefer to work in groups; collaborative projects are preferred over individual work. What opportunities do you provide to accommodate this work style? 
  • What current disparities exist and what are you doing to close the gaps between Hispanic/Latine employees and their counterparts?

When organizations provide a welcoming and supportive environment, with culturally competent leaders, where employees feel acknowledged and listened to, they foster trust and loyalty. These are two strong values within the Hispanic/Latine community. They are also prerequisites for any word-of-mouth endorsements, which is how most information is relayed and acted upon in most Latin cultures. There is no better way to attract prospective employees or customers than through their own community. Treat your Hispanic/Latine employees well, and not only will they be loyal, but they will also spread positive recommendations. Conversely, the same is true – adverse communication will still spread and in turn hurt your brand, weaken your pipeline of diverse talent, and negatively impact your bottom line.

Engage in Partnerships

Partnering with organizations that are run by and cater to the Hispanic/Latine community can help you make inroads and establish genuine connections. Prioritize expanding your advisory board to include Hispanic/Latine community leaders, for example. Seek out other professionals (individuals and organizations) who can assist your organization in developing culturally relevant programs and services – leverage their expertise and innovative ideas. Our alliance partners at El Puente Institute also suggest sponsoring community cultural events. This can provide additional opportunities to engage directly with the community and demonstrate your interest (beyond commercial gain) and commitment to causes they care about.

Support Hispanic/Latine Economic Growth

Another way to engage the Hispanic/Latine community is utilize Hispanic/Latine suppliers and vendors. By doing this, you can support both your business and contribute to Hispanic/Latine economic growth and development. You can also be a source for eliminating some of the barriers that exist for Hispanic/Latine-owned businesses that seek to establish themselves as vetted suppliers and vendors. One common misconception is that smaller Hispanic/Latine-owned businesses are unable to meet the demands of larger companies in the marketplace, making it more difficult for them to break into the supply chain. This is combined with existing manufacturing or capital barriers. There are industry leaders who have pioneered their own efforts to embrace Hispanic/Latine business owners and have established clear results of their mutual success. 

MLT’s Racial Equity At Work Certification program partners with companies seeking meaningful, measurable ways to move the need on racial equity, particularly within Black and Hispanic/Latine communities. One such company, who successfully achieved the highest certification tier of platinum for their Black Equity at Work certification, conducts at least one roundtable discussion each year with Black minority business enterprises (MBEs) to gain a better understanding of opportunities, challenges, and ways to improve access to their company. This company also engages in ongoing efforts to facilitate connections between these MBEs and prime suppliers, advocating for subcontracting opportunities. They have established increased participation for MBEs in RFPs, which have helped the company achieve 5% of their overall spend to Black suppliers. 

Similar practices can be adopted to support Hispanic/Latine-owned businesses. Conducting roundtable discussions with Hispanic business owners can facilitate a better understanding and eliminate some of the barriers that prevent further development and investment. Another partner participating in MLT’s Hispanic Equity at Work certification has developed a repository of qualified Hispanic/Latine suppliers in key practice areas and industries. They have also identified opportunities to send out new RFPs that would include these suppliers for consideration based on merit.

Having a thorough understanding of the current availability of players and engaging in dialog with Hispanic/Latine small business owners helps to reduce their barriers of entry into the supply chain. It also allows larger organizations to better track where their dollars are currently being spent and develop a robust pipeline of diverse suppliers. Furthermore, they can determine whether further investments can help scale these suppliers’ capabilities to meet the demands of larger organizations. 

Companies sometimes find it difficult to determine which of their practices are successful in building sustainable economic growth and which are merely performative, given the often limited data their organizations are tracking or have available. Seeking additional guidance on effective diverse supplier programming would be prudent.

Craft the right message

Use Spanish and English as much as possible, but don’t stop there. Make sure that cultural representations align with your target audience. Rather than relying on generic campaigns or communications, tailor content to cater to the Hispanic/Latine audience by providing relevant information. Do your homework, learn about the Latine culture, ask questions when necessary to avoid stereotypes, and ensure accurate and respectful representation. 

In May, retailers everywhere unveil their latest advertising around Cinco de Mayo, complete with mariachi music, sombrero decorations, and the works. More often than not, however, the understanding stops there, with the occasional use of Spanish blended into their content. It doesn’t resonate authentically with the audience that advertisers are trying to connect with. As a result, Hispanic/Latine consumers often skip or completely ignore the ad entirely. These ads lack a genuine reflection of Hispanic/Latine community values. This goes beyond superficial decorations or cultural symbolism as well as mere translation of marketing materials into Spanish. 

Cinco de Mayo is just one example of generalized marketing campaigns designed to engage the Hispanic/Latine community. Hispanic Heritage Month often brings forth similar marketing campaigns that, unfortunately, overlook the extensive diversity within Latin culture. Videos showcasing Mexican traditions will completely overshadow those representing cultures from Central America and the Caribbean. It grants the appearance that the Hispanic community is seen as a singular group rather than a diverse melting pot of culturally rich populations. There is no underlying authentic understanding of the culture they are catering to and in marketing, authenticity is crucial for connecting with your audience. 

Here is an example of engaging in the right way. In 2017, Toyota, in conjunction with Conill, a Hispanic-focused agency, released an ad campaign specifically targeting Latine consumers. The advertisement depicts a young Hispanic man driving down the highway when he receives a phone call from his mother. Conflicted, he decides to decline the call and opts to relish the thrill of driving his new car. This commercial was highly successful primarily because it effectively resonated with the predominantly young Hispanic audience on NBC Universo in an authentic way. It showcased a genuine cultural characteristic of deeply cherished family values and the internal conflict that younger Hispanics often experience when trying to balance those values with their own personal lives and interests. The ad makers demonstrated a deeper understanding of the cultural drivers that influence the Hispanic consumer’s every decision, even those as small as answering a phone call. As a general practice, the Spanish-speaking trope is a great way to increase the number of people who can understand the content in the ad, but efforts should go beyond that. Cultural traditions, music, language, and imagery that evoke recognizable memories within Hispanic/Latine communities are much more effective in making the messages resonate with these consumers.

Lastly, a well-informed campaign is one that relies on the proper utilization of data to inform your approach in crafting your message. Incorporate inclusive language that will resonate with your audience. By integrating Hispanic/Latine culture into your overall marketing strategy (rather than just focusing on seasonal or targeted campaigns), you will build stronger connection, trust, and sense of belonging. 

Social media sites are extremely popular among Hispanic/Latine online consumers, who, on average, have seven or more social media accounts each. This average goes up to nine for younger Hispanic/Latine consumers (ages 16-24) and decreases to five for seniors (ages 55-64). Hispanics/Latines use social media significantly more than other potential consumers when it comes to sharing their opinions on products and services. This fact means that your digital marketing strategy should focus on this area, utilizing platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, which are said to be the most popular platforms among Hispanic/Latine consumers. 

Engaging with the Hispanic/Latine community goes beyond simply celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month or implementing short-lived marketing campaigns. It requires a deep understanding of their culture, values, and needs. By embracing diversity and making genuine connections, organizations can tap into the full potential of this growing, vibrant, and influential community. 

About Racial Equity at Work

MLT’s Racial Equity at Work Certification Programs help organizations take substantive, needle-moving steps on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Learn how you can develop a comprehensive DEI strategy and plan of action to engage your community the right way. For more information, visit mlt.org/partners/racial-equity-at-work.

 

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