Using social media to better connect with Hispanic consumers

As the Hispanic population throughout the U.S. continues to increase, so do the business opportunities for insurance agencies across the country. Social media is a great tool for building on your current efforts or for getting the ball rolling to develop relationships with Hispanic consumers.

You might be asking yourself, “why focus my social media efforts on Hispanic consumers?” Well, did you know…

• There are more than 60 million Hispanics in the United States¹?
• The Hispanic market has an annual spending power of $1.9 trillion in the U.S²?
• Hispanics are “mobile-first” and super social, with 80% of Hispanic internet users being on social media? This is higher than any other ethnic group in the U.S. Also,
• Hispanics are also more likely to use social to learn about and/or share their experiences about products and services³.
• 78% of Hispanics say they need life insurance, compared to just 70% of the general population who say the same⁴?

So, you can understand how the data suggest that this influential consumer group is an audience that the insurance industry should be focusing on.

Several best practices for building your social media strategy to connect with Hispanic consumers include posting consistently, engaging with them, and using industry data and resources to your advantage.

1. Post consistently: Be aware of holidays and awareness days/months that are culturally meaningful to Hispanic consumers and celebrate them on your social media channels. These special days will provide you with a reason to post fun content and engage your audience throughout the entire year.
2. Show you care for their community: In your social post, show members of the Hispanic community how your agency is showing up in the community — whether by volunteering, participating in events or supporting local businesses. Spotlight your employees and members of your community, as well.
3. Use resources to your advantage: Nationwide offers branded posts for agents to share on their social networks. According to Insurance Journal, an effective way for an agency to build its business is by partnering “with a carrier that provides a unique service, or another agency with complementary products and services.” Doing this can streamline your strategy by increasing your posting frequency while adding credibility to your agency within the Hispanic community.

View these additional quick tips for each social channel when developing your social media strategy.

• Instagram: A visual-first network. Best for video and image sharing, educational content, inspirational messages, memes, and even screenshots of tweets.
• Facebook: The top social network in the U.S. Video works best at immediately grabbing users’ attention and click-through rates. Be sure to stick to Facebook’s recommended file format.
• Twitter: Focus short, sharp messaging. So quickly get to what you want the user to know. Include image links, which often get more click-throughs.
• LinkedIn: Good for building your brand image and connecting with other professionals. Adding more background and details about you and your agency work better on this platform. Consider using ads to connect with your audiences. Note that they can come at a premium price though.

These are just a few suggestions to get you going. Nationwide has developed a Hispanic Marketing Playbook for appointed agents, which includes Social Media Solutions and other resources to better enable your agency to connect with and provide the financial products and services that fit the needs of this specific market.

Remember that your agency’s growth and the Hispanic audience go hand-in-hand, view our webinar on unlocking the power of cultural intelligence.