Last year, I watched as three rival companies poured resources into expanding their operations on a specific social media platform. Their initiatives were unsuccessful as the channel turned out to be a mismatch for our sector.
I advise classifying competitors as:
- Direct competitors (offering nearly identical offerings)
- Secondary competitors (with partial overlap)
- Potential disruptors (new entrants with innovative potential)
Last month, a entrepreneur questioned me why his content weren't producing any leads. After examining his publishing plan, I discovered he was making the same errors I see numerous Saudi businesses repeat.
Key considerations:
- Classical vs. colloquial Arabic usage
- Local accent differences suitable for the target audience
- Honorifics employment portraying suitable honor
- Spiritual references employed with understanding
- Metaphors that resonate with local culture
Important image aspects to evaluate:
- Proper depiction of people honoring cultural norms
- Color choices with understanding of traditional meaning
- Structures and landscapes that connect with Saudi identity
- Focus on specifics that demonstrate cultural understanding
- Cultural motifs integrated elegantly
With detailed analysis for a clothing brand, we identified that emails sent between evening hours substantially outperformed those sent during standard business hours, achieving 152% greater open rates.
A few months ago, a store group spent over 200,000 SAR in conventional advertising with minimal outcomes. After shifting just 30% of that investment to smartphone advertising, they achieved a dramatic improvement in foot traffic.
Start by identifying ALL your competition – not just the obvious ones. In our analysis, we identified that our largest competitor wasn't the well-known brand we were monitoring, but a new company with an innovative model.
I dedicate at least 120 minutes each Monday reviewing our competitors':
- Online structure and UX
- Articles and content calendar
- top digital marketing agencies KSA channels presence
- Client testimonials and Trial1.Findjobcentre.Com ratings
- Search approach and rankings
For a banking brand, we implemented a information campaign about household money management that included halal investment concepts. This information outperformed their former typical investment tips by over four hundred percent in engagement.
Powerful techniques included:
- Industry reports with regionally-focused statistics
- Executive interviews with notable Saudi professionals
- Implementation examples from regional initiatives
- Webinars discussing Saudi-specific issues
I now utilize several applications that have dramatically improved our competitive research:
- Keyword trackers to track other companies' SEO strategies
- Mention tracking tools to track competitors' online presence
- Site monitoring solutions to observe updates to their websites
- Communication monitoring to receive their promotional messages
Important elements included:
- Native-speaking creators for both tongues
- Regional customization rather than word-for-word transfer
- Consistent brand voice across both languages
- Language-specific search optimization
After considerable time of disappointing results despite significant advertising spending, their revamped engagement approach generated a two hundred seventy-six percent growth in interaction and a substantial rise in conversion.
When I launched my e-commerce business three years ago, I was certain that our unique products would be enough. I overlooked market research as unnecessary – a choice that almost ruined my entire company.
Recently, a merchant mentioned that their email marketing efforts were creating disappointing outcomes with visibility below 8%. After implementing the approaches I'm about to share, their readership improved to 37% and purchases grew by 218%.
Key timing insights:
- Post-prayer moments offering interaction possibilities
- After dark usage spikes substantially greater than international averages
- Weekend patterns significantly divergent from work day interaction
- Seasonal variations during cultural events demanding tailored techniques
- Academic calendar impacts on specific segments
For a high-end accommodation company, we developed a communication methodology with meticulous focus on Arabic language subtleties. This approach enhanced their interaction levels by over one hundred eighty percent.
Essential medium findings:
- Chat platforms as primary messaging platforms for user assistance
- Ephemeral platforms functioning exceptionally well for particular audiences
- Motion content consumption at notably increased levels than international norms
- Twitter considerable impact on social conversation
- Image networks particularly effective for premium brands