Few Addiction Treatment Centers ask themselves if and how they can effectively connect with Hispanic/Latino communities.
Yet, according to SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Hispanics/Latinos are one of the fastest growing minority populations— currently 19% (62M) and expected to comprise nearly 30 percent of the U.S. population by 2060.
By 2025, Hispanics will likely contribute more to US GDP growth than non-Hispanics.
And Latinos account for 20% of the key 18-34 marketing demographic.
The Opioid Crisis in Hispanic/Latino Communities
For this reason, according to SAMHSA, the opioid crisis in the Hispanic/Latino population is an urgent issue.
The opioid misuse (heroin use and prescription opioid misuse) rate among Hispanics/ Latinos is similar to the national population rate, about 4 percent.
In 2018, 1.7 million Hispanics/ Latinos and 10.3 million people nationally, aged 12 and older, were estimated to have engaged in opioid misuse in the past year.
Imagine how many parents or family members are desperate to find help for their loved ones?
So it’s important to expand your PPC advertising efforts to these non-English speaking communities and offer the help they need.
The Growth Opportunity of the Hispanic/Latino market
If you are interested in driving a high volume of admissions by advertising at a cost significantly lower than the industry average of $6-8K, grow your Hispanic audience.
We often overlook just how much the Latino audience’s influence can be in the US.
California and Texas have the top two largest Latino populations, both just above 40%.
And there is an upward trajectory right across the map as follows:
- North Dakota at 20%, has the highest growth rate at 333%
- South Dakota at 265%
- Kentucky, Alabama, and South Carolina, are above the 200% growth mark.
The Family is Key: Understand the Unique Sociocultural Factors
Imagine this scenario:
José, the youngest son of a Hispanic/Latino mother Natalia, suffers from substance abuse and still lives at home.
They live in Miami and Natalia is the person most likely to start searching for ways to help.
Why?
In Latino culture, the parent (usually the mother, but also extended family members) will be significantly more involved in the well-being of their children into adulthood compared to many language or cultural groups.
And, her oldest son Roberto, lives in Mountain View CA where he earns $250K at Google.
While he doesn’t consider Spanish to be his first language, he is 100% Latino.
Roberto has long been extremely concerned about his brother and talks over with his Mother a plan to help José find a good addictions treatment center program…
and offers to help finance this.
The best way to connect with them?
Create native PPC ads offering to help.
When Natalia (or her son Roberto) sees an ad speaking her language (Spanish) and with the right dialect, with an image that resembles a recovered family, you immediately stand out against your competitors by providing a message that resonates in that person’s native tongue.
Knowing the significant cultural differences, you have targeted straight to the parent.
Often the stereotypes in the news and media mean that we often overlook the reality and affluence of many successful, hard-working Latinos, that facilities should be tapping into.
Suddenly your click-through rate becomes significantly higher, and the cost-per-click is significantly lower than the industry average.
So, when conducting PPC advertising to potential Hispanic/Latino audiences for your addiction treatment center, it’s critical to understand the unique sociocultural factors that influence drug use and access to prevention, treatment, and recovery in this population.
Remember, it’s important to approach this audience with sensitivity and respect for their unique experiences and perspectives on addiction treatment, including cultural nuances and language preferences.
And if income is a barrier, don’t overlook that a second-generation son or daughter may be in an economic position to afford the cost where there may be no insurance coverage.
Ideation to Admission:
7 Steps to Building Your Hispanic/Latino Campaign
Here are 7 tips to start advertising to this community:
- Use Spanish keywords:
Conduct keyword research to identify the most commonly used Spanish search terms related to addiction treatment. For example, be aware that Spanish is less homogenized than English with many dialects.
Ensure you avoid words that may carry a different meaning from one region or country to another.
- Create Spanish ad copy:
Write ad copy in appropriate Spanish that speaks directly to the needs of Hispanic/Latino individuals seeking addiction treatment.
- Use culturally relevant imagery:
Choose images and graphics that resonate with the Hispanic/Latino community, such as family-oriented visuals, frequently focused around the mother.
- Leverage social media:
Use social media platforms popular among this demographic, such as Instagram and Facebook, to reach potential clients.
Start with a specific landing page for your Spanish-speaking visitors, in Spanish.
- Build a Spanish website
As soon as possible, begin the development of a Spanish version of your website, written by Latinos wherever possible, as there are important variations in language between regions/countries
- Find a bilingual ad agency
This is an essential step for your campaign strategy. Your keyword research must be performed by, and ads must be written by, Spanish native speakers to avoid language and cultural issues.
- Assign an ad group to serve in Spanish
Yes, you read that right!
For example, Bing now supports serving in the US in Spanish on all devices and publishers by ad group and not only at a campaign level.
Since there is little competition for the Hispanic/Latino market, gain the competitive advantage of a lower cost per click by getting started now.
In addition, you may complement this approach using Zip Code targeting for Spanish speakers near your facility.
Focus your campaigns to connect in areas with a dense Latino population.
In doing so, you’ll see your ads get in front of the right audiences more frequently, and get more bang for your buck.
A Massive Growth Opportunity Awaits Addictions Marketing Agencies
If you are a facility for treating substance abuse and are not thinking about how to best capture market share with the Hispanic population, you have a lot of potential to grow.
But why are both centers and marketing agencies not advocating this approach?
Simply put, it’s a market that most don’t want to deal with due to resources, lack of Spanish-speaking staff or fear of the unknown.
They would rather be doubling down on the audiences they understand.
So if you are not thinking about your Latino audience, it might well be worth considering, particularly if you are in one of the aforementioned states.
Most companies I’ve spoken with recognize this to be the reality and a lot have strategized ways to connect with the audience.
But what they overlook is the fact that Hispanic culture is far more integrated with the family compared to many non-Hispanics.
And by advertising in their native tongue, you cut the noise and can target the right people.
Commercially speaking, the benefits of targeting PPC campaigns to this audience are potentially very significant.
Not only do you see a higher click-through rate, but the cost per click is significantly lower than the industry average.
And this will grow to become a significantly sought-after demographic for this particular service.
By incorporating this approach, you will see a much more cost-effective outcome.
It doesn’t require a lot of resources but it does require someone who knows what they’re doing and speaks the language.
If you are interested in exploring this further, elev8.io, based in the US and Colombia, is a full-service bilingual digital marketing agency positioned to become leader in this market.
And we are in the minority where we can do this now, so do reach out when ready.
