According to a recent Nielsen report, there are over 62.3 million Latinx people living in the USA. That’s over 19% of the total population, and with the median age being 28, that makes up a huge portion of your auto dealership’s target audience. Not only does this group of people deserve the same personalized attention that you provide all of your customers, but they also need to feel welcomed and valued in your showroom.
Read on to learn five tips for helping your dealership embrace your Spanish-speaking community beyond just saying “Hablamos Español” on your website.
1. Create a Spanish-Specific Landing Page
Studies estimate that 84% of Latinx shoppers use the internet to help find and buy new vehicles. That means you want to meet them on their terms with Spanish-focused SEO. More importantly, you want to create a landing page in Spanish.
Your landing page is where people “land” when they find your site from ads, social media campaigns, etc. A Spanish landing page, like the one created by Glory Motors in Rock Hill, SC, is a great example of a simple yet effective landing page. Create a first impression that will impress, and your business will soar.
2. Don’t Trust Google Translate
It might be tempting to just use an online translator to convert your existing website, marketing campaigns, and social media posts into Spanish. The best-case scenario for using an online translator is that your content will be clunky and broken. The worst-case scenario is that it won’t make any sense and will turn away potential Spanish-speaking customers.
Translate programs are fantastic for deciphering a foreign meal, but they aren’t meant for direct translation of content. For example, translators don’t know when your text is meant to be literal. If your website shortens the word “Sunday” to “Sun,” it won’t translate correctly. In Spanish, the word for Sunday is “Domingo,” and it doesn’t have a shortened version. “Sun” would then translate to “Sol,” which is the word for the literal star in the sky.
Google Translate also doesn’t understand idioms. You might want to explain how your dealership offers a great financing program and say that “getting approved is as easy as cake.” A translation program is going to translate this word for word (“pedazo de pastel”). While the words say the same thing, the meaning is different. In English, being a piece of cake symbolizes being easy. In Spanish, being a piece of cake means literally being a piece of cake. The equivalent idiom in Spanish would be “ser pan comido,” which translates to “to be bread eaten” or “very easy to do.”
It’s worth hiring a native speaker to help write and translate your content.
3. Highlight your Spanish-speaking Teammates on Your Website
While it’s always nice to mention that “Hablamos Español,” you don’t want to stop there. Make sure your “about us” or “our team” page highlights Latinx team members. People like shopping with people who are like them. That is to say, shoppers tend to prefer people with similarities.
When you show that you have Spanish-speaking staff or Latinx employees, you reveal that you understand your Spanish-speaking audience.
4. Support The Latinx Community
Your online efforts have to complement your offline efforts, and vice versa. One way to get your name out there and build a connection with this population is to support their community. This could be anything from sponsoring an event to volunteering for Latinx organizations.
The more you support and interact with this community, the better off you will be to understand and meet their needs.
Hablamos Español
The Latinx community is a powerful shopping force in the automotive market. It’s not enough to simply advertise that you speak Spanish. Earning the business of this group takes commitment and understanding. The reward, of course, is well worth it, as you will earn customers for life.
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