For decades, the lack of positive outreach into bilingual communities has left generations of people unaware of animal shelters, what is happening at them, and how they, as pet lovers, can help save lives. And it truly is millions of pet owners. The Hispanic community alone accounts for more than 22-million pet owners.

The focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion across the industry has brought visibility to the untapped potential for more pet lovers in our communities, ready to help us achieve our goal of ending the killing of pets in shelters by 2025. But multilingual marketing is a specific skill and an area where you must act with intention if you are going to reach this untapped market effectively.

This week we talked with Mia Navedo-Williams, the manager of multicultural marketing at Best Friends. We learned more about the history of animal welfare’s involvement in the Hispanic community (or lack thereof). We also learn about setting ourselves up for success as we all do more to support all pet owners across the nation.

To learn more about Mia and the multilingual efforts of Best Friends, and to access the resources mentioned in the episode, check out the website: Episode 82 - Expanding our reach with multilingual marketing