what are you really saying?

When you use social media (or any marketing communications) to talk with your customers, are you sure they are hearing what you are really saying? Or, more simply put, do you know your customers well enough to talk with them?

I ask because this week was Cinco de Mayo and with it came a collection of great articles - and some not so great examples - of communicating with or about a specific ethnicity, in this case, Hispanics.

One article is from AdAge's "How To Market to Hispanics Like Me" by Deena Montoya-Crowley, who makes some very good points about the need to dig deeper past cultural stereotypes to effectively communicate with - and effectly market to - specific audiences.

Another helpful article was USAToday's "Don't Hijack Cinco de Mayo" by Bill Gallegos and and Bernardo Rosa, in which the point was made that recently the food and beverage companies have co-opted "a day of ethnic pride [and it is] being used as a marketing prop to encourage drinking among Latino and Chicano youth."

And then there were the bad examples. Like the TV spot for a chain of local tanning salons that went so over the top with out-dated stereotypes my mouth actually fell open while I was watching it. I'm providing the link with some hesitation, as it is not my intention to offend (or endorse the company putting it out, for that matter), but do want to illustrate the point of how wrong communication can go with it. Super 5 Cent Cinco de Mayo Sale.

I am willing to bet that it was not the intention of the people who created this ad to offend, but rather that it is their lack of a deeper understanding of a culture that they were trying to celebrate that is responsible.

So, let's bring it back to you, the small business owner. Do you build marketing upon a specific holiday or heritage or cultural celebration? And if you do, are the things you're saying really saying that when they reach your customers and potential customers?

For example, let's take your online communication back to the real word. If you were at a business networking luncheon and met a Hispanic colleague, how would you converse with them? Chances are you would ask them questions about themselves and their business vs. pulling a Michael Scott and breaking out in a Mexican hat dance.

In the end, it really is simple: taking the time to really research a specific audience or cultural event can make or break your efforts, because it shows you are being real and taking the time to get to know your customers. As a result, you can either offend people or win customers over.