Has your dental practice tapped into the Spanish-speaking population?

Did you know the US has become the second largest Spanish-speaking country in the world? It’s not difficult for dentists to tap into the largely overlooked opportunity of conversing with this population in their native language.

Why should dentists care about marketing in Spanish? We do not live in Mexico or any other Spanish-speaking country. However, according to a report about the Spanish language that cites various census statistics, the US has become the second largest Spanish-speaking country in the world.(1) With 41 million native Spanish speakers and even more bilingual citizens, it’s surprising that this demographic is not usually targeted by dentists.

To help remedy that situation, here are five effective tactics for reaching the Spanish-speaking community.

Develop brand awareness with a Facebook campaign

Facebook is great for brand awareness due to its relatively inexpensive cost-per-click. The targeting options allow you to reach users by their selected language setting or their ethnicity. You can take the campaign one step further by welcoming Spanish speakers to your practice who recently moved to the area.

Create a Google AdWords campaign

Google AdWords has targeting options that allow you to target searches in Spanish or users who visit websites that are typically in Spanish. Big Buzz, a bilingual dental marketing agency, recently conducted research that revealed a highly opportunistic environment on the Google Search Network. The largest contributor to this opportunity is the incredibly low competition for Spanish keywords. Some key findings include a 61% reduction in cost-per-click and a 466% increase in patient conversions, despite a lower budget than its English campaign counterpart. The Google Trends snapshot here shows how interest in “dentista” (Spanish for “dentist”) has increased year-after-year.(2)

Integrate a Spanish webpage

If you’re looking for organic traffic to your website from Spanish speakers, a web page with relevant information is the best way to go. Your search rankings are largely impacted by the competition for specific keywords. Since there is less competition for keywords in Spanish, it is easy to rank higher, assuming the web page follows search engine optimization best practices.

Design display ads for Spanish websites

The Google Display Network allows you to place responsive ads on thousands of popular websites in Spanish, such as Univision, WebMd (Spanish pages), and Telemundo. By placing ads on popular Hispanic websites, you’re also creating your first brand perceptions as a Hispanic-friendly practice.

Introduce your practice with YouTube

A 30-second video is a great way to introduce your staff, office, and any compelling offers you might have. Videos are a particularly effective strategy for building relationships through brand awareness because they’re more personable and informative than traditional media. YouTube offers targeting options that let you reach users who have their language set as Spanish or those who are interested in Spanish music videos. You can also target the specific age and parental status of your ideal patient.

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Alex Lopez is the Search Engine Marketing Specialist at Big Buzz, a full-service dental marketing agency. He manages over $150,000 in yearly online advertising for leading dentists across the nation. Discover what marketing can do for your practice with a complimentary consultation at bigbuzzinc.com/contact-us.

References
1. Burgen S. US now has more Spanish speakers than Spain–only Mexico has more. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/29/us-second-biggest-spanish-speaking-country. Published 2015. Accessed March 17, 2016.
2. Google Trends. Google Trends. https://www.google.com/trends/explore?geo=us. Accessed September 16, 2016.