Marketing changes after an abrupt change in technology. The advent of digital media and smart devices attracted the users, thus the medium of communication for marketers also shifted. The recent era is dominated by digital platforms that’s why ignoring them may prove to be a greater sin for business owners.

The need for digital marketing in Dubai is also on the rise. With a population of about 9.6 million, the Emirates have about 9.52 million internet users, as the Media Lab reports. It makes digital marketing a mandatory part for any business that aims to target the region and serve the people.

This post discusses some of the preliminary measures you need to take before promoting a business in the digital space of Dubai. Go through this comprehensive guide to find, evaluate, and choose different activities for running impressive campaigns of digital marketing in Dubai or any other state of the UAE.

Understand UAE Culture

Before you get feet wet in the field of online marketing for UAE, there is valuable knowledge about the region that must be shared first. Everything that connects Digital marketing with the consumer is deeply intertwined with elements such as the culture, environment, demographics, climate and regional preferences, etc. Without the knowledge of these elements, a successful marketing structure cannot be built or implemented for your company. To understand what you will be dealing with, we have put together all the regional preferences of UAE consumers and how they tend to reach to online shopping platforms.

Cultural and Religious Preferences

First off, UAE is an Islamic country with a majority Muslim population. Most of the decision making is enforced with religious values without compromising the culture of the region. However, this does not mean the price and quality are sidelined in the process. The best bidder is sought out in terms of the best quality and the least price. The local population shares a deep connection with their ancestral heritage and belongings. This makes the UAE an ideal market for goods that represent ancestral fashion such as clothing apparel, accessories, jewelry, and another wearable.

Demographics

As far as the demographics go, the males are concerned about the luxury items while household items are managed by the female members. Being collectivists in nature, UAE consumers naturally place their family goals over individual choices. However, uncertainty and risks are heavily despised in the shopping culture. Security is one of the prime characteristics that are sought first before buying anything online or from brick and mortar outlets.

Top Digital Marketing Practices in UAE

1. Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization or more commonly abbreviated as ‘SEO’, is an online marketing practice used for ranking your website on top of search results on popular search engines such as Google, MSN, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo. For a busy online environment such as the UAE, SEO success rate is high and also cost-effective, especially for online startup companies.

2. Search Engine Marketing

Online advertising offers instant exposure against your targeted keywords and phrases. It activates marketing vessels on the internet such as banners, pop-ups, pay-per-clicks, classified ads, and search engine adds to exhibit your content. It can be easily be integrated into your marketing mix and is highly result-oriented in the UAE.

3. Email Marketing

It is quite simple and the most prevailing form of internet marketing in the UAE. Email marketing is evergreen, cost-effective, and easily executed. With the already booming online market, several companies have compiled databases of online users in the UAE and offer their email lists for marketing purposes for a reasonable rate.

4. Social Media and Content Marketing

Blogs and Social media platforms are simply loved by UAE customers. They open doors to communication and help users in making informed buying decisions. These are two-way platforms that require attention and resources from the business's end as well. If there is anything that can convince a customer to buy from your store, it is the word of mouth from another customer who has already purchased from you. Similarly, UAE also has a wild number of bloggers in the region giving it an ideal environment for product content marketing to target the local buyers.

Step 1: Search Engine Optimization

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a process of acquiring organic traffic from search engines. SEO is one of the most productive and budget savvy internet marketing techniques to get noticed on the internet. 93.26% of users in the UAE prefer Google.ae as their primary means of online searching which makes Google a reliable search engine to rank with. Analyzing the current statistics and trends, we highly recommend SEO marketing since it goes beautifully with other marketing practices, does not deplete your marketing budget, and keeps a healthy online presence for your business. Consider choosing a Professional SEO Company as they can lift your site above your competitors. Search engine optimization includes

• A. On-page optimization
• B. Local Listing
• C. Infographics for link builiding

A. On-Page Optimization

On-page optimization concerns all the efforts that are done within the website such as page titles, internal linking, Meta tags & descriptions, etc. to improve its search rankings on popular search engines such as Google. On-page optimization is the split half of SEO. Here are 8 useful tips that you can integrate into your On-page SEO strategy to achieve maximum results.

1.  Buy Location based TLD:
Location-based domains are nifty means of getting your local attention on the radar. They are cheap and commercial scoped. The location-based domains rank higher on local search engines. To rank on Google.ae try to find a domain name as www.yourbusiness.ae

2.  Google Search Console:
A Google Search Console is a free tool that helps you get specific site search traffic and performance, and fix issues. Once you have purchased a domain and launched your website, make sure you integrate it with Search Console. Here is a guide on how to integrate Google Search Console on your website.

3.  Keywords Research:
SEO is all about producing top rankings for through a bunch of keywords to generate sales. However, it is very important to choose the right keywords for your business. Choose location based keywords as they have high conversion intent and low competition. You can use keyword planner and make sure you select the location as UAE so you can have the exact idea of how many searches are done on Google.ae

4.  Page Titles & Descriptions:
These are no doubt that the Meta Title & Description are most important SEO factors present on your site. Getting a unique title & description to your pages is basically assigning an identity in the search engine results. The character limit for title is under 60 and description is & 150-155 respectively including spaces. Make sure you use your keywords with maximum search volume and high conversion intent are add in the Title and description.

5.  Keyword Density:
Add keywords in H1 and rest of the content on your page. The keyword density is the percentage of keywords you use in your content. Although keyword density standards have changed since the last decade, having a stable density is in the best interests of your website. It helps search engines skim your content neatly and rank them accordingly. However, you must never overdo keyword density. You must keep the content for users. Since search engine standards have improved greatly, new smart algorithms are overseeing keyword density and are more than capable of spotting unusual behaviors.

6.  Image Alt Tags:
Adding visual content not only gives unlimited benefits to your online marketing but also helps cleave boring chunks of content. However, uploading them without Alt tags is a waste of potential. Include relevant keywords in titles with Alt Text and Descriptions to rank them in Google Image Search.

7.  Internal Linking:
Internal linking is voluntary navigation within your website that helps users connect with pages. At the same time, it’s also a powerful weapon in your SEO arsenal. While it does help users navigate to pages fast, it also helps search engines crawl your pages like a hot knife through butter.

8.  Avoid Duplicate Content:
Avoid using any duplicate content on your website as you will end up being penalized by Google for using duplicate content. Your website will never rank in Google unless you publish unique content.

B. Local Listings

Never underestimate the power of Local listings. These local listings help secure your presence on local directories so you can advertise your business. They help create brand awareness in the local market by diverging the audience towards your company. You can start with Google My Business listing. Google business listing page ranks higher in Search results, giving you an opportunity to drive sales with fewer efforts. Ask your customers to post reviews on your Google My Business page as reviews help your pages to rank higher.

As of Today, more than 70% of the population prefers online search for a particular product or service locally than seeking them from international platforms. It’s highly effective for building the brand image from scratch in the most cost effective means possible.

C. Infographics:

Infographics are an excellent source of building engagement and organic link building. Infographics are a mixture of information and graphics to show data in a manner that is digestible to the average user. They are an essential part of your website’s visual content and can deliver a full dose of marketing on a much lesser space and effort. You can start by gathering useful information such as fun facts about popular cities of UAE such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. Then you can connect these facts with your product specifications and how it affects the consumer base you intend to target. Once you have gathered the data, assign your designer to create an attractive template and add the content in it. With an appealing visual detail combined with reading a worthy text, you will make your infographic irresistible to the viewer. However, producing a good piece is not enough as you must know how to spread it as well. Here are 4 simple steps to expose your infographic to the business niche.

• First off, you need to publish it on your own blog or website. This will keep your daily users in good terms with your website and light up the internal linking.
• Now you must outreach to similar website owners who are interested in spreading your infographic. Find a site that has good authority and deals in similar content.
• You can find a guest site by contacting them through email, phone or even meeting in person. But a good email with a meaningful message can do the trick and save you the hassle.
• Once the publisher and yourself reach terms, you can add a link to your introduction that helps readers link back to your website. This brings organic traffic and potential customers to your doorstep.

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Step 2: Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing or SEM is a method that encompasses practice of buying traffic through paid search listings.  For region such as UAE where internet penetration is 78%, SEM can expose massive portions of internet content through website promotion and paid visibility in in search engine results pages (SERPs). A massive percentage of UAE shoppers are influenced by sidebar promotional content and exercise their buying through advertised links. On a documented survey, UAE spends more than 70% of their active hours on the internet.

A. Pay Per Click Advertising

Pay per click of PPC advertising is not very budget friendly, especially when you have an odd business niche. However, it is also a foolproof method of approaching your audience compared to other online marketing practices such as SEO, which takes months to settle in. Platforms such as Google dominate more than 90% of the local searches. The best means to initiate a PPC campaign is going for a “Search Ad” campaign or Display Network campaign. This entirely depends on the keyword and the audience you intend to target. However, you must decide which products and services can be used for such campaigns and if they are affordable to your marketing capital.

Keywords that exhibit good search volumes are preferred with search Ad campaigns, while keywords with low search volume can be done with search Ad and display network campaigns. This way you can get maximum exposure to the audience. You must also keep in mind the cost involved in such campaigns to make sure the juice is worth the squeeze.

B. Advertising on Niche Related Websites

When it comes to presenting your content on paid platforms, it should serve a mutual interest to your marketing campaign as well. Your content can only flourish if it is placed on a meaningful pedestal that shares the same purpose as your website. For instance, if you are promoting a product that concerns the eatable category, then you should contact blogs, forums and similar platforms related food. If you get a green signal, you can start negotiating the placement rate for the banners, the size and other specifications that need approval. Sharing on niche related website gets you the maximum exposure since customers seeking similar products visit such platforms. This improves the accuracy of your campaigns and helps potential customers to convert.

Step 3: Content Marketing

The rule of thumb in your content marketing campaigns is relevancy. You need to understand the connection of the niche and what you are selling before producing any content. Anything from text-oriented post to a visually rich one can fail to reach its mark if it doesn’t address the needs of the user. For instance, if you are selling sneakers, it is imperative that your blog about the fashion trends and rising demand for a particular type of sneakers that match the regional preferences of the consumers. You can be informative, friendly and persuasive at the same time if your play your cards right. Here are 4 types of posts that you can produce to magnify your content and create a profound visibility for the users.

• How To

It’s an informative post that underlines the procedure or instruction of using a product or service effectively. It highlights the instructions through a step by step guide and softens the element complexity attached to it. It’s best for generating organic traffic and serving users top tier products that need attention.

• List Posts

List Posts are articles produced in a list format. It focuses directly on the reasons, methods, tips, secrets, shortcuts, trends, types and ways the subject can be broken down in the form of the list. It’s highly informative and quite easily absorbed by the readers. After info graphics, list posts are the most shared content on social media platforms.

• Thought Leadership

Thought Leadership posts are the powerful piece of content with the ability to innovate and inspire the users almost spontaneously. They provoke users through new ideas backed by logic and proof and how to implement them in reality to favorable results. You can use statistical data based on research and surveys to explain the fundamental shifts in an industry.

• Newsjacks

These types of posts are mostly about keeping the user updated with the latest news about the industry. The main goal is to capitalize on the popularity of the news by using its element of surprise to generate marketing success. Time is the key to such type of posts.

Step 4: Social Media Marketing

Social media has quite the charming numbers in the UAE. Digital marketing in Dubai is not complete without social media. It is helping businesses to secure a presence amongst millions of users and exercise your marketing strategies flexibly unlike other marketing mediums. You can post content daily, add text, images, and link your blogs to it without any complicated procedure. Social media channels are popular in the UAE with millions of users in their folds. It's in your best interest to capitalize on them by creating a company account on each of them, starting from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn, and even Snapchat.

Feedback is as essential as air and water to your e-business.

• In the latest survey, 84% of online UAE shoppers rely on positive feedback to buy products. Social media streams such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and LinkedIn are widely used to search product feedbacks, offers and other contact details for online businesses.
• Latest statistics on social media presence in UAE has revealed that more than 45% of the UAE’s population has a Facebook account while 77.76% users rely on it to make their purchase decision.
• According to latest UAE trends, Facebook tops the polls with 46% usage on the internet followed by Twitter at 30% while other social media streams such as Instagram, Google+ and LinkedIn share an equal percentage of 25%.
• B2B marketers can benefit from social media on macro levels. According to a recent survey, 83% B2B companies join social media to increase brand exposure, 69% to increase web traffic while 65% to enhance market insight.
• Get a Facebook account first since it’s easy to signup and covers most types of content. It was revealed that 70% B2C marketers have acquired customers through Facebook marketing. If you want to manage multiple accounts, you can hire dedicated resources for the task.
• Twitter can also generate a lot of conversions if used appropriately. Make your posts short and fact oriented. Trends show that 37% of Twitter users are susceptible to purchase from a brand they follow.

Step 5: Email Marketing

Email marketing is considered the initial approach to online marketing. It’s the first step to reaching out to your customers and introducing your products and services. In regions such as the UAE, email marketing has always been a stakeholder to the success of an online business.

You can easily acquire regional email lists through companies. What is even better is these lists are segmented according to age, gender and profession etc. which makes them more resourceful for targeting your specific products and services. You can utilize the mailing list to build your customer base by informing them about your new products, events, special deals, and offers.

Some metrics that affect this database is misspelled email addresses, inactive accounts or deleted accounts. Other factors include users not checking their emails daily, put in the junk folder or ignoring them for personal reasons.

• Always Verify your Database First

To make sure your email addresses are on point with a stable receive and open rate, it's best that you have the database verified. Automated tools are available for such tasks that can help your database free from fake accounts, unsubscribed accounts, and inactive accounts. These tools can easily verify the data from agencies such as Nexa. In order to keep tabs on your database, you can make it a bi-annual practice. This will prevent your lists from running dry and being replaced with active email accounts on time.

• Keep Track of the Clock

Timing is important if you need your email marketing to touch down. You must find the ideal timings when users access the email accounts. You can find the regional peak times by conducting surveys and searching trends. According to trends in Dubai, a spike in email activity is observed after 21:00 in the evening. Make time your friend.

• Quit the Stuffing It

Emails are always judged by the cover, unfortunately. Keeping this in mind, show only what is necessary from header, content, CTAs, visual details and links etc. You can introduce catchy phrases such as “Buy One Get One Free” or “Now 50% Flat Sale”. The more attractive the introduction is, the more chances you have for it being read than thrown in the trash can.

• Add Personalization

Using a predesigned template is a fast means to spread your content. However, not everyone would find it appealing. While to some it may be enough, others require more personalized content to engage with the email. You can introduce a personal message or target the user’s name in the introduction such as “Dear John” or “Hello Jane” to get the receiver’s attention.

• CTAs

Call to Actions or CTAs are highly useful in converting customers. They provide a direct link to the sign-up and checkout page so customers can save time and you can close a sure lead. Use text, color, and design to incite an emotional response from the user. Also, keep placement of the CTAs on top so it gets noticed first.

Step 6: Affiliates

Affiliate marketing is the latest form of partnership campaigns. Affiliate marketing campaigns or affiliate programs allow other interested marketing parties to pitch in your efforts by helping you sell your products through their platform. In return, they get a satisfying percentage from the sale in a number of methods and criteria depending on your affiliate marketing rules and policies. Starting an affiliate program requires a partner, so don’t get too stingy on the sharing part and let them have a fair cut at the commission. A 50% or higher is understood by most merchants in case of digital products since there is no cost of replication. You can either lure a partner to your program or start off by yourself through shadow affiliating. Either way, it’s a good kick to get your products up in the market, especially in the UAE where affiliate culture is already on the boom.

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Advanced Digital Marketing Tips

To conclude this, we have some very important tips to help guide your e-commerce startup in the Gulf. Here are 10 Pro tips on what to Do, and what to Don’t.

• Choose Your Partner, Not the Other Way Around

The first pro-tip that we think every online marketer should be aware of in the UAE online marketing culture is acknowledging the environment, especially while picking partners. Your company partnership should be based on the commercial synergy that defines a long lasting relationship. While local partners can be charming at first, many Gulf Companies would start off just instantly know there is a foreign company at the doors and leech off your resources. Always be informed while picking a partner and make sure they align with your commercial agendas.

• Add Life to Your Conversation

Keep your methods of engagement profound with your partners. Arabs prefer business terms with people they already know so make sure you converse freely with enthusiasm. Keep some start off conversation stories in your arsenal as well.

• Learn Some of Their Language. “Hello” is a Good Start

Learn a few basic Arabic words to break the ice. Gulf Arabs share language as a form of bond and what better than words establish a bond with your partner. Such efforts are appreciated highly even if they don’t get pronounced correctly.

• Don’t Waste your Money on Frustration, Use It to Hire an Intermediary

Hiring a professional intermediary can be a wise decision if you lack the assistance of an influential friend or a business associate. They can help you find the right person in the organization to open business ties instead of wasting your time on solo skirmishes.

• Patience Can Be Your Best Friend in the Gulf

Conserve your patience. The Gulf thrives on this virtue and its best that you adapt to it. Many business decisions can take days even weeks to process so exhibit as much patience you can and everything will seem easy.

• Maintain Your Composure

Keep your body language in sync with your wording. Meeting with business executive and partners will be routine in the Gulf so make sure your gait, facial expressions and hand gestures do not offend the locals in any way.

• Be Open to Local Metaphors and Phrases

Understanding Arab metaphors, terms, stories and phrases is part of the deal. This is not a cunning approach to irritate you, but on the contrary, they are means to connect with your business goals so take these terms seriously and respond to them with angle.

• Never Make Texting Your Primary Modes of Communication

Have you ever heard about the devastation that caused by a “Break Up” text? There is a reason textual coms are frowned upon. But they are despised for the obvious reasons. Important information that concerns your partners cannot be expressed through words. Use a phone call at least or go in person to settle the issues.

• Gifts are a Token of Friendship

A small gift can be warm notion of friendship and respect. You don’t have to make an announcement about it, just bring it as a surprise and present it to the host. Since most technology related things are already available in the UAE, how about a cultural gift such as a vase or a locally woven cloth. Make sure they represent top quality.

• Show Your Color in the Battlefield

Be tough, yet respectful. It’s a difficult combination to score but it helps in every foreign environment if you get the swing of it. In the Gulf, haggling is part of hitting a bargain. You need to make your stance clear without offending your Arab partners, so give them a short note on how you like to deal with them stealthy while introducing yourself. I normally prefer stories to inject my motives.