After attending law school in Latin America and through my years of experience with Hispanic marketing in the US, I have been able to identify several useful suggestions for lawyers who wish to market to Hispanic clients, which will make their practice more successful.
Here are 5 things to take into consideration when marketing legal services to Hispanics:
1. Explain the difference between a notary and a lawyer -In Latin America a lawyer and a notary are basically the same thing. However, in the US you do not have to have a law degree to be a notary. As such, recent Latino immigrants might believe that US notaries hold a law degree when in fact not all of them do. It is important for lawyers to educate the Hispanic consumer about the difference between notaries and lawyers and about the services each one of them can provide.
2. Hire a bilingual assistant - There is a shortage of Spanish-speaking lawyers in the US, therefore an attorney who takes the time to target this segment will have great return on investment. Even bilingual Latinos appreciate having an attorney who speaks both English and Spanish. Spanish-speaking and bilingual Latinos feel more confident having someone represent them who can communicate with them on a personal level in Spanish, yet also represent them in English, the language of the American legal system. If you don't speak Spanish you can hire a bilingual assistant to provide that personal touch.
3. Get your own certified translator - Translation fees have to be taken into consideration when targeting Latinos. Attorneys have to keep in mind that there might be a series of documents that were originally executed in Spanish and will have to be translated into English to have legal validity in the US. Translation costs can raise your overhead and the residual expense that gets passed on to your client, which make your rate less competitive. You can create a strategic partnership with a certified translator to get discounts for your clients or even better have you're a translator in-house as opposed to sending your customer to find a translator of his or her own.
4. Do not charge by the hour - The Latino community will always prefer to be charged by results or project rather than by the hour. Hispanic costumers do not like to be "on the clock" when it comes to legal services since sometimes it's hard for them open up and share personal information with you. A long lunch might be a better meeting than a 30 minute appointment at your office. If you can't do this then just be mindful that conversations, consultations or interviews tend to last a little longer with Hispanics.
5. Include family and friends - Schedule meetings with more than one family member at a time. When it comes to legal matters, Latinos may not make decisions entirely on their own. You can save a lot of time by allowing and inviting the people who will be involved in your customer's decision-making process to your meetings. This way you can ensure everyone gets the correct information and your client will have fewer reservations about your services, feeling that the important people in their lives are adequately informed.
Follow these tips and you will be more successful in marketing legal services to Hispanics. For more tips or questions about how to market to Hispanics visit http://www.HispanicMarketing.CO
Sell it in Spanish thrives on the belief of its founder, Sofia Echeverria Keck, who came up with the vision of, "integrating Hispanic culture into the heart of your business and becoming a part of the Hispanic community."Here are 5 things to take into consideration when marketing legal services to Hispanics:
1. Explain the difference between a notary and a lawyer -In Latin America a lawyer and a notary are basically the same thing. However, in the US you do not have to have a law degree to be a notary. As such, recent Latino immigrants might believe that US notaries hold a law degree when in fact not all of them do. It is important for lawyers to educate the Hispanic consumer about the difference between notaries and lawyers and about the services each one of them can provide.
2. Hire a bilingual assistant - There is a shortage of Spanish-speaking lawyers in the US, therefore an attorney who takes the time to target this segment will have great return on investment. Even bilingual Latinos appreciate having an attorney who speaks both English and Spanish. Spanish-speaking and bilingual Latinos feel more confident having someone represent them who can communicate with them on a personal level in Spanish, yet also represent them in English, the language of the American legal system. If you don't speak Spanish you can hire a bilingual assistant to provide that personal touch.
3. Get your own certified translator - Translation fees have to be taken into consideration when targeting Latinos. Attorneys have to keep in mind that there might be a series of documents that were originally executed in Spanish and will have to be translated into English to have legal validity in the US. Translation costs can raise your overhead and the residual expense that gets passed on to your client, which make your rate less competitive. You can create a strategic partnership with a certified translator to get discounts for your clients or even better have you're a translator in-house as opposed to sending your customer to find a translator of his or her own.
4. Do not charge by the hour - The Latino community will always prefer to be charged by results or project rather than by the hour. Hispanic costumers do not like to be "on the clock" when it comes to legal services since sometimes it's hard for them open up and share personal information with you. A long lunch might be a better meeting than a 30 minute appointment at your office. If you can't do this then just be mindful that conversations, consultations or interviews tend to last a little longer with Hispanics.
5. Include family and friends - Schedule meetings with more than one family member at a time. When it comes to legal matters, Latinos may not make decisions entirely on their own. You can save a lot of time by allowing and inviting the people who will be involved in your customer's decision-making process to your meetings. This way you can ensure everyone gets the correct information and your client will have fewer reservations about your services, feeling that the important people in their lives are adequately informed.
Follow these tips and you will be more successful in marketing legal services to Hispanics. For more tips or questions about how to market to Hispanics visit http://www.HispanicMarketing.CO
Sofia has extensive experience in marketing and customer relations in Latin America and the United States. Furthermore, she attended Central America's most prestigious Law School, Universidad Francisco Marroquin and holds a degree in Economics from the University of San Francisco.
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