It’s National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15): Esta su práctica médica amigable para los Hispanos?
Depending on where you practice, who your current clientele is, and who you hope to reach in the years to come, the question — Is your medical practice friendly to Hispanics? — is well worth asking. As the insights below suggest, Hispanics represent a unique and growing market for aesthetic practices, especially those that understand their needs and preferences and make the effort to accommodate them. Consider:
The Hispanic population in the U.S. is growing quickly
- The U.S. Hispanic population now stands at 57 million, making Hispanics the nation’s second-fastest-growing racial or ethnic group after Asians. Hispanics make up 18% of the U.S. population, up from 5% in 1970. [Pew Research]
- Hispanics are the youngest of the major racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. At 28 years, the median age of Hispanics is nearly a full decade lower than that of the U.S. overall (37 years). [Pew Research]
- In any given year, more than 800,000 young Hispanics turn 18. [Pew Research]
Hispanics have a unique relationship with the general healthcare system
- Many Hispanics have a cultural uneasiness with the American style of healthcare. They have different expectations for doctor/patient interaction and often need more time with the physician to feel comfortable sharing their questions and concerns. [Sensis]
- Hispanics are cost-conscious as it relates to healthcare. This is partially driven by the fact that many are comfortable paying cash for many services. [Sensis]
- Hispanics are more comfortable with alternative, lower-cost providers of healthcare and are more likely to get health information and seek care from providers other than doctors. [Hispanic Millennial Project].
- Hispanics 35-64 trust doctors (71%) and internet resources (69%) equally as sources of healthcare information. [Hispanic Millennial Project]
Hispanics are interested in pursuing aesthetic procedures
- Hispanic patients accounted for 9.7% of aesthetic procedures in the U.S. in 2015, more than every other group except Caucasians. [ASAPS]
- Hispanic patients underwent almost 1.7 million procedures in 2015, up 3% from 2014 and 13.4% over the last five years. [ASPS]
- Hispanics are comfortable and willing to pay out-of-pocket for healthcare services. Also, in some regions of the U.S., Hispanic consumers often over-index in expensive elective procedures, including bariatric and cosmetic surgery. [Sensis]
Hispanics embrace mobile, social, and internet technology
- In 2015, 84% of Hispanics used the internet. Among these online Hispanics, 94% access the Internet via a mobile device at least occasionally. [Pew Research]
- In 2015, 77% of Hispanic internet users accessed social media at least once a month, more than any other group, including African-Americans (72.7%), Asians (69.7%), and Caucasians (69.1%). [eMarketer]
- 69% of Hispanics use social media once a day, compared to 62% of non-Hispanics. Hispanics are also 6% more likely to follow companies and brands on social media and 30% more likely to buy products they see advertised on social media sites. [Experian]
Put it all together and you can see why Jose Villa, president of Sensis, an L.A.-based cross-cultural marketing agency, says,
Hispanics represent a growing, young, health-conscious market that’s very open to new products and services. The key to success is to engage thoughtfully based on the platform, language, and messaging needs of the smaller subgroups within the larger demographic.
Doctor Takeaway
Young, social, and mobile, Hispanics represent an excellent market for aesthetic practices
Engaging successfully with Hispanic patients comes down to a combination of understanding their aesthetic concerns — tummy tucks, breast augs, and nose reshaping are all popular procedures — and recognizing how they like to interact with providers. That’s not so different than other audiences, of course, but based on the above data, it clearly heightens the need to be aware of cultural preferences, optimize for mobile, and join the social conversation.