One of the greatest places for international businesses to gain a business presence is the United Arab Emirates (UAE). With a vibrant, booming economy, capturing the attention of Emirates and businesses located in the UAE can be challenging. This guide will look at several ideas for effective advertising in the UAE to enable your business to make a strong impression in this market.
Culture of the UAE
While UAE is typically thought of as one of the most cosmopolitan regions for doing business in the Middle East, it is predominantly Islamic culture. By being collectivists by nature and history, most Emirati prefers the family structure over independent-mindedness. However, because of the country’s wealth, status is important, and many Emirati value luxury items that appeal to their sense of wealth and social standing. Emiratis are also risk-averse, which can make it difficult for newcomers to be accepted without a period of uncertainty. For new businesses, it’s important to adhere to these values to capture the appropriate target markets.
Social Networking Sites
Like most developed and wealthy nations, social media plays a huge part in how individuals and businesses reach a wide audience in the UAE. With 9.38 million active users, making up over 99% of the country’s population, businesses must use social media to interact with Emirati customers and businesses. Facebook is the clear leader in usage, as 82% of its preferred platform, followed by Youtube at 79%, and Instagram at 53%.
[Visit this website for a complete guide on social media in the UAE]
Search Engine Optimization
As part of your inbound marketing strategy, “search engine optimization” (known as SEO) is an important factor in your advertising efforts in the UAE. Essentially, the better written and more carefully your webpages are constructed (according to Google and others’ guidelines), the higher your page appears in search queries. There are several best practices for SEO for your web content, but they should generally include some of the following features:
- The use of well-written content that avoids bad grammar and incoherent data
- The use of keywords that pertain to the subject matter at hand
- Linking to high-authority webpages and related industries, as well as offering internal links that connect users with your other related webpages
- Optimized images with correct alt text and file names
- Fast load times
- Proper HTML/ CSS techniques
And to give you an idea of the UAE’s search habits, Google is the top search engine, with 93.26% of all Emirati users.
UAE Virtual Phone Numbers
Of course, one of the keys to reaching an Emirati audience is establishing communication methods with those you’ve enticed with your advertising. That’s where UAE virtual numbers serve as the bridge between your advertising efforts and actually contacting customers. When an Emirati customer dials your virtual phone number, the call is seamlessly redirected to another phone number anywhere around the world. This is a great advantage to foreign businesses that may not have the capital or resources to expand to the UAE but want a piece of the action. By leveraging digital means, your business can provide products and services without a brick-and-mortar presence in the country.
Furthermore, virtual phone numbers are available in several types, each suited for a particular advertising purpose. For instance, if you choose to use UAE toll-free numbers, you can allow a toll-free line of communication for Emirati clients to get in touch with your business (normally, they would be charged or blocked by their service provider dialing an out-of-country toll-free number). Similarly, you can use vanity numbers — or phone numbers with a visually-appealing set of digits to appeal to customers with marketing campaigns designed around those numbers.
How can you get UAE virtual phone numbers for your business? Using a trusted service provider, like Global Call Forwarding, has phone numbers available in the UAE, particularly Dubai. If you’re looking to gain a business presence in the UAE, virtual phone numbers are your ticket to advertising success.
