MENA marketing: effective tools for promotion in the region
The market in the Middle East and Turkey is becoming more and more attractive to companies. This region is notable for its heterogeneity, but also for its great opportunities. And while Europe is already oversaturated, there is room for development here – the UAE and Qatar, Turkey, and other promising markets. However, marketing in MENA countries has its own characteristics, which must be taken into account to promote business.
According to the World Bank, the region’s GDP will increase by more than 5% this year, which is the highest value since 2016. The average age of MENA region residents is 30-38 years old, which is much lower than in European countries. This means that the vast majority of consumers in the Middle East are of the younger generation, which means they have a positive perception of innovation, even though they are characteristically religious and conservative in the region.
As in traditional markets, performance marketing works well here. It allows us to introduce consumers to the brand and includes various approaches – search engine optimization, targeting, contextual advertising, and email newsletters.
Despite the fact that there are rich countries in the region, the cost of traffic for promotion here is lower than in Europe. At the same time, the popular services are the same – social networks Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. In addition, there are many bloggers here with a large audience of subscribers, cooperation with which will also be an effective option to introduce the brand.
It should be taken into account that despite the similarity in approaches, the promotion strategy in MENA countries is different primarily because of cultural and religious nuances. Therefore, in this case, it is better to ask for help from local marketing agencies, which will help in proper brand positioning in the new market.
People in the region value the opinions of authority figures, and this feature can be a good tool for promotion in the Middle East. And it is not necessary to look for millionaires, opinion leaders with a relatively small audience also give excellent results. Video clips are an effective means of promotion.
Effective marketing tools in Turkey and the Middle East are discounts and special offers. For local consumers, the availability of price reductions is always a sign of a positive location, which they value highly.Special importance is given to communications in the region. And they should not be standardized and impersonal, but tailored to each customer. A warm conversation with a consultant, who fully informs about the product and the company, is an effective promotional tool in Arab countries and a good option for customer retention. Formalities should also not be forgotten, especially when it comes to correspondence. Remember that in the MENA region they use the Right to Left standard of writing, as opposed to other countries, where they write from left to right.
