Article originally published in Orlando Business Journal.

One of the most important outlets to engage with U.S. Hispanic consumers — the fastest-growing segment within multicultural consumers — is radio.

And knowing how to purchase and leverage the right media outlets is key for the success of an advertising campaign.

According to a Nielsen report, 97% of all Hispanics are reached by radio every week. That is the highest penetration across all demographics, ethnicities, and platforms, making it the top media platform for reaching Hispanics each week. When you break down the statistics even further into age groups, Millennials (adults ages 18–34) who identify themselves as multicultural, listen to the radio on average 11-plus hours each week.

Here are 5 ways to market effectively to Hispanics via radio:

1. Be relevant: Among first-generation Hispanics and beyond, both English-dominant and bilingual Hispanics connect to in-culture content dynamically in English and Spanish, choosing to view or listen Spanish-language content because they “want” to, not because they “need” to. People engage with content in the language of their country of origin because it is more meaningful, even among the young. So do not simply translate your English radio scripts into Spanish. You are forcing a general market message/strategy to be relevant to Hispanics via language and you will end up producing the opposite result.
2. Be partnership friendly: Develop great relationships with your local Hispanic radio stations. Take advantage of the established relationships they have developed in the local community. It not only will boost your existing campaign, but it also will amplify it if you partner with them supporting some great causes that are relevant in the local community.
3. Be persistent: Frequency is a key component for the success of any radio campaign. Make sure to have a strong presence during morning and afternoon drive times, supported by streaming. Depending on what type of service or product you are offering, live remotes at your retail locations could be a strong tactic to drive traffic and generate sales.
4. Be community driven: Radio stations are known for big concerts and community events that will allow you to get to know your existing customers or potential ones by interacting with them. Community events do something that traditional advertising doesn’t do: They give you the opportunity to interact face-to-face with your consumers
5. Be a strong player: It is important to develop relationships and run ad campaigns with more than one Hispanic radio station, depending on your budget. Putting all your eggs into one basket will limit the outreach and success of your campaign. Identify which ones will better fit your needs and audience, based on the message you are trying to get across.

Knowing your audience will pay off big dividends. For example, Hispanic Millennials differentiate themselves by demonstrating a significant connection with their Latino culture. They are trendsetters who mash up mainstream influences with Hispanic music, food and culture. They seek to “pay it back,” strive to be agents of change within their neighborhoods and aim to make their family proud.

According to the latest census report, almost half of all Gen-Zers and 44% of Millennials come from multicultural backgrounds. Together, these two groups represent nearly 42% of the country’s population. In order to assure sustainable brand growth, catering to multicultural consumers is a key component for business success.