Reaching Multicultural Communities with Influencer Marketing

Nowadays, social media is undoubtedly a game-changer for every business. Social media exposure helps businesses generate leads, connect with their clients, and spread their message and values to the world. Influencer marketing is one of the most favoured ways for brands to grow their audience and get the word out about the provided services and products. 

In North America, working with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) or social media influencers has become a standard practice.

Influencer Marketing for North America’s Diverse Market

If you want to connect with a diverse audience you need to work with influencers who can help you reach them. Let us take a closer look at social media influencer marketing and explore why diversity is crucial for brands looking to engage with a diverse audience. 

Did you know that in Canada, over 22% of the population is born outside the country? 

That is a massive number of potential customers with unique cultural backgrounds and preferences your brand can cater to!

What exactly is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is similar to word-of-mouth advertising, where the brand or product is recommended by someone who already has a trusting relationship with the customer, but for a much wider audience! 

Brands team up with social media personalities or celebrities who have a massive following on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or other platforms to promote their products or services. KOLs share their thoughts and their experience with the brand’s products in a way that relates to their followers, exposing the brand to a much broader audience organically and authentically.

The concept has been around for a long time, but it has boomed with the rise of social media.

Why is diversity so important in influencer marketing?

A person who shares a similar ethnicity, background, and culture to you will be more familiar and convincing. Brands want to build trust with their audience. A person who belongs to the targeted community already has a headstart in building trust.

North American audiences are diverse, and your business needs to connect with multicultural communities on a personal level. Working with KOLs who belong to the community you want to reach will help deliver your marketing message in a more relatable way. Influencers who represent different body sizes, abilities, genders, sexualities, cultures, and age groups help create more inclusive campaigns.

Engaging with Canada’s Diverse Marketplace

Roughly 25% of the Canadian population is French-speaking, and another 25% comes from another country. The three largest groups are Chinese, Punjabi, and Filipino (source). So marketing in Canada requires a multilingual, multicultural and inclusive mindset. KOLs can be a key element in getting this right. Adapting your marketing content linguistically so that it appeals to each community is another key factor. Connecting with communities with well-adapted marketing campaigns provides a significant return on your investment.  

Here are a few ways by which your brand can engage with diverse communities through KOLs.

1. The Chinese Community:

Chinese immigrants represent one of the largest and fastest-growing demographics in North America. They are proud of their heritage and value authenticity when it comes to brand communication. Since mainstream apps like Facebook and Instagram are blocked in China, campaigns on these popular platforms will not reach them. To engage with a Chinese audience, it is important to feature your content on popular Chinese apps, such as WeChat or RED. Many KOLs here in Canada have built a massive audience on these apps and can propel your brand forward among the local Chinese community. 

Even smaller KOLs can go a long way in supporting your brand. With a limited budget, smaller KOLs can still be a great help. Here is an example from a campaign we did to raise awareness about a winery. The Chinese KOL specializes in sharing wine-related content on RED. His pinned posts featuring a tasting event helped generate engagement with the community.

2. The Punjabi Community:

There’s always a lot to learn about someone else’s culture. But even taking a few key elements that are known to be important for someone and integrating these into your marketing will go a long way in building connections. People from India will have typically brought along with them their love of music, food, and family. Connecting with this cultural group requires an understanding of their basic values.   

Lilly Singh is a popular Canadian Youtuber known for her comedy content and famous collaborations with celebrities. 

Take a look at one of her associations with Coca-Cola:

• The Filipino Community:

Many Filipinos in North America are bilingual, with Tagalog spoken at home. They value family, community, and cultural heritage, and use digital platforms to stay connected to their roots. Popular online platforms for Filipinos include Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. 

Kyne, a world-class drag queen, mathematics communicator, and keynote speaker, has amassed a substantial social media following of over 1.5 million followers across platforms, where he passionately spreads math education and scientific literacy, bringing STEM education to the queer community and queerness to STEM. 

Check out one of his posts:

4. The Spanish Community

The Spanish community is booming in Canada, with over 1.8 million Spanish speakers – a 28% increase since the last census (source). Although these numbers pale when compared to the Hispanic population in the US (over 62 million people in the United States speak Spanish at home. That’s more than the entire Canadian population!), it is a growing demographic that should definitely be taken into account when crafting your marketing campaigns for the Montreal (287,856 people), Toronto (396,459 people) or Vancouver (151,500 people) markets.  

If you are looking to engage with this vibrant community, teaming up with Spanish-speaking KOLs who understand Hispanic cultural nuances is key. 

One such influential figure is Diala Canelo, the talented recipe creator and writer behind Diala’s Kitchen. With her roots in the Dominican Republic and a passion for cooking and baking, Diala brings a unique perspective.

By collaborating with Diala, brands tap into her expertise in food and travel to create captivating campaigns. One notable example is her collaboration with CF Sherway Gardens which highlighted the brand’s products and demonstrated Diala’s ability to create engaging content that resonates with her audience.

5. Black Community

The Black community in Canada is also a lot smaller than in the US, but there is a growing number of entrepreneurs and highly educated people from a wide variety of countries who come to Canada to pursue their career, their education, or to seek better opportunities for themselves and their family. Depending on the specific market (region), product or brand, adapting your marketing to engage with the Black community requires a solid understanding of their specific preferences, and collaborating with a KOL from the Black community that is aligned with your industry will go a long way. 

6. LGBTQ+ Community

Jamie is a transgender content creator based in Toronto. Her content revolves around fashion and beauty, and she fearlessly shares her personal journey of transitioning. Her audience adores her positive and empowering content and appreciates her unwavering authenticity.

Her posts resonate with her audience, and she can authentically showcase and promote fashion and beauty brands that support and uplift the LGBTQ+ communities. One of her noteworthy posts on Instagram highlights her collaboration with various fashion and beauty brands.

Benefits of Working with Influencers in Reaching Diverse Communities

In today’s digital age, influencer marketing has become an integral part of any brand’s marketing strategy. Influencers have a significant impact on their followers’ purchasing decisions. 

Opinion leaders have a considerable following on social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube in the West, but also on Chinese platforms such as WeChat, RED, and Weibo. 

Working with influencers to engage with diverse communities has several benefits: 

1. Authenticity: Influencers are part of the community they represent. They understand their followers’ needs and preferences, which enables them to create content that resonates with their audience authentically.
2. Reach: Influencers have a broad reach and can introduce your brand to new audiences. Collaborating with influencers from different communities can help your brand expand its reach and connect with new customers.
3. Trust: Influencers have built a relationship of trust with their followers. When an influencer promotes a product, his or her followers trust the recommendation, which can lead to increased sales for the brand.

Working with Influencers 

Here are some key steps to follow when approaching KOLs:

1. Identifying the right influencers: Before reaching out, research and identify individuals who are popular within the community you are targeting, and who are specialized in the industry (food, fashion, health, fitness, cars, etc). Look for influencers who align with your brand’s values and have a strong connection with their followers. You can see this by studying how people react to the posts. Do they comment, like, or share? Engagement is key.
2. Creating a community-specific campaign: Once you have identified the right influencers to work with, create a campaign that is authentic and speaks to the specific interests of the community. Incorporate cultural elements and expressions that relate to the target audience. Make sure the timing of the campaign is respectful of cultural holidays and special events.
3. Setting expectations: Be clear about your expectations for their involvement in the campaign, including the frequency of postings, sharing, and commenting, and the duration of the campaign.
4. Compensation and incentives: Compensation for influencers can vary depending on the scope of the campaign, the type of content they are creating, and the size of their following. Negotiate these incentives upfront to ensure everyone is clear on the terms of the agreement.
5. Supporting the influencer: Provide resources to help influencers create high-quality content that resonates with their followers, such as product samples or access to behind-the-scenes events, high-quality images or videos.
6. Measuring success: Track the success of the campaign using metrics like engagement, click-through rates and conversion. Depending on the specific goals of the campaign, gather all data to make informed decisions and optimize budget allocation.  

Influencer Marketing to Diverse Communities: Overcoming Challenges

Certain challenges may need to be addressed to ensure a successful campaign. Here are some of the most common challenges and how to overcome them:

1. Cultural sensitivity and appropriation: It’s crucial to be culturally sensitive when marketing to different communities. Take the time to understand the cultural nuances and avoid any cultural appropriation. To ensure that your message is presented appropriately and respectfully, work with KOLs who understand the culture and can represent the brand authentically.
2. Language barriers and translation issues: North America is a diverse market made up of many communities that speak different languages. Make sure to adapt your campaign to different languages. Work with KOLs who are fluent in the community’s language to help communicate your message effectively.
3. Authenticity and representation: KOLs should represent the community authentically and genuinely. Look for influencers who are relatable and actively engaged with their followers. Inauthentic representation can damage the brand’s reputation. So choosing the right influencers is very important.

Conclusion

Engaging with diverse communities through influencer marketing is a great way for brands to expand their reach. To be successful, approach these campaigns with cultural sensitivity, authenticity, and respect. It is a great way to build trust with your target audience and maximize your impact.

Canada is increasingly diverse. Brands need to adapt their marketing strategies to reach communities effectively. If you’re looking to engage with multicultural audiences and need assistance with your influencer marketing campaigns, LAT Multilingual can help. 

Our team specializes in multicultural marketing and can guide you through the complexities of working with diverse communities. Contact us today to learn more!