Hola! Attorneys Catch on to Latino Marketing
 I don't always drink beer, but when I do... I keep ENLawyers number on hand. |
- Berg Injury Lawyers announced free cab rides home in San Francisco in a press release.
- Eldridge & Nachtman DUI lawyers put celebration advice from your Maryland Lawyer on its website. Hilariously, they offer advice from The Most Interesting Man in the World.
- PI lawyer Brian G. Price of Kingston, PA, wishes online visitors "Happy Cinco de Mayo – from Your Spanish speaking lawyer."
I recommend that you download Nielsen’s recent State of the Hispanic Consumer: The Hispanic Market Imperative report right now. Then read it, highlight key points and memorize it. The U.S. Hispanic population is the largest minority segment and is growing dramatically. The future legal economy will depend on Hispanics because of demographic changes and cultural shifts.
- Latinos are a fundamental component to law firm success, and not a passing niche on the sidelines.
- Latinos are tech-savvy, are active in social media, go online with smart phones and watch a lot of online video.
- Rapid Latino population growth will persist, even if immigration were somehow to be completely halted.
- Latinos have significant buying power, despite perceptions to the contrary.
- Hispanics want their kids to speak Spanish as well as English.
- Rather than disappearing into the American melting pot, Hispanic culture is being preserved as a feature of American culture. Can you say benvenidos?
- Technology and media use do not mirror the general market but have distinct patterns due to language, culture, and ownership dynamics.
- Latinos exhibit distinct product consumption patterns -- they purchase less often but spend more when they do.
Tiene su negocio habla español? It's time your law firm did.
I have long respected Larry's insight into legal marketing and, for the most part, agree with his observations and advice. When I first read this post, however, I thought it was a joke. I couldn't agree more with the statement that firm's need to focus their marketing efforts on the growing Latino community, but the fact that he refers to two firms who offer incentives or gimmicks for people who become intoxicated and irresponsible as "smart law firms" effectively marketing to the Hispanic community is just plain offensive.
First and foremost, Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday, not one celebrated by the 19 other countries comprising Latin America (and one that is not even widely celebrated in Mexico). Secondly, these firms are marketing to folks who will go out, get intoxicated and be irresponsible (when you drink beer, you can always count on us). This is not marketing to the Latino community; this is marketing to the millions of Americans of all ethnicities who use the holiday to go out and indulge on margaritas and Coronas. In fact, the Law Offices of Eldridge & Nacthman, LLC acknowledge this, stating "you might be unaware that the majority of celebrants of Cinco de Mayo aren't Mexican." With this understanding, I doubt this firm was trying to supercharge its targeted Latino marketing efforts. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find Latinos who see the blog post or press release from the firms and think "Oh wow, these attorneys get me and my situation."
If you want to market to Hispanic clients become a tangible resource for the Latino community. Offer all of your content and articles in both Spanish and English. Make sure that you have attorneys and support staff who are fluent so translators are not always required. Reach out to community centers and local parishes that serve the Latino community and offer seminars on issues that matter to them. The aforementioned examples may be clever in terms of gaining attention, but they are not the kind of services or tactics that will resonate with the growing Hispanic population.