Hispanic Heritage Month: Now Is Not the Only Time to Tap In, But It Is A Good Time to Learn A Few Things.
Hispanic Heritage Month: Now Is Not the Only Time to Tap In, But It Is A Good Time to Learn A Few Things.
We’ve tapped into the conversations about #HispanicHeritageMonth to better understand how we can connect with Hispanic and Latinx voters online.
It’s Hispanic Heritage Month! Time to take to socials to celebrate and support our Hispanic and Latinx communities. This is not only about recognizing the contributions Hispanic and Latinx communities have made to American society in the past, but also all they are doing for us now.
But when it comes to our political outreach it is also critical that we examine how we are engaging with Hispanic and Latinx communities, if at all. Hispanic and Latinx communities have often been forgotten about in our mainstream strategic outreach, largely considered a solidly progressive voting block, but would you feel encouraged to get out and vote for a group that isn’t listening to you?
BIG TAKEAWAY: We can encourage political engagement through genuine celebrations of heritage and diversity while highlighting the issues that matter most to Hispanic and Latinx voters.
#HispanicHeritageMonth is a passionate and positive celebration of young Hispanic and Latinx users on social media.
Hispanic voters are a rapidly growing and largely untapped voting block, the majority of which are ages 18 to 25.
These younger Hispanic voters are concerned with issues such as the environment, legal immigration, and gun reform.
SLEEPER TAKEAWAY: These takeaways from Hispanic Heritage Month can and should be implemented year round - not just when it is culturally relevant - aiding the authenticity of your campaign.
More and more users are celebrating Hispanic and Latinx Heritage month year after year. The volume of online mentions has increased by +300% between 2020 and 2021 and continues to grow even further, as indicated by the high volumes we are seeing as the month kicks off.
These conversations are characterized by overwhelming levels of positivity and passion, as online users take the opportunity to celebrate diversity and highlight their heritage.
These celebrations are drawing in a younger audience with more than 70% of users talking about Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month being between the ages of 13-34.
While these young creators and their audiences are online praising the influence their heritage plays in their work, we are less than two months away from the midterm elections.
Now is the time to tap in online as this year Latinx voters are set to play major roles in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. We have discussed in our newsletter before the power of authentic content, but to accomplish this it is important to first know who your audience is and what is most important to them.
The Latinx and Hispanic voting base is young and growing - similar to what we are seeing online - with 1 in 5 voters who reached voting age in 2020 being Hispanic.
Additionally, they tend to lean Democratic on issues such as climate change, immigration reform, and gun policy.
When turning to social media for advertisements we want to be sure that the messaging resonates with the audiences online. Considering those who are most active are between ages 13-34 we will want to highlight the issues younger, traditionally more progressive audiences care about.
Bottom line: If the goal is to encourage political engagement and connect with the community then simply translating an ad from English to Spanish isn’t enough. Instead try creating personal, relatable ads that demonstrate a clear understanding of the diversity of the Hispanic and Latinx communities while also highlighting these issues we all share a common concern for.
Here are some examples of how People First elevates the lived experiences of Hispanic and Latinx creators:
Lau Camargo from Chicago shares how she teaches her kids about their family heritage and how they can practice celebrating their culture daily.
Jennipher from Florida also shared with her Spanish-speaking followers why she will vote for candidates with bold climate plans. She says climate change is one of the things that worries her most about her daughter Camila’s future.