Effective Brand Positioning for the Saudi Consumer Base
A few weeks ago, a entrepreneur questioned me why his blog posts weren't generating any business opportunities. After reviewing his content marketing strategy, I found he was making the same blunders I see numerous Saudi businesses repeat.
A few weeks ago, my friend's e-commerce store was struggling in search results even with selling excellent products. After executing the methods I'm about to share, his organic traffic increased by 164% in just eight weeks.
- Clear reporting systems - My biggest annoyance with my previous agency was the lack of clarity around results. Now we get regular reports that actually make sense, showing exactly what's succeeding and what isn't.
Important advancement aspects to assess for differentiation:
- Functional advantages concentration over originality
- Group endorsement of technological adoption
- Conventional method augmentation rather than replacement
- Simplicity of incorporation into existing lifestyles
- Family benefits positioning
For a luxury brand, we created a Saudi-specific attribution model that recognized the special buying journey in the Kingdom. This approach revealed that their platform spending were genuinely producing 286% more returns than earlier assessed.
Unexpected discoveries:
- Snapchat exceeding Instagram for particular merchandise
- Night advertising significantly exceeding afternoon campaigns
- Dynamic media producing better ROI than fixed imagery
- Smartphone performance outperforming desktop by considerable differences
A few weeks ago, a hotel owner realized that their website was entirely absent from spoken searches. After implementing the strategies I'm about to share, they're now being found in 47% of appropriate spoken questions.
For a retail client, we discovered that their spoken question discovery was limited because they had prepared mostly UI/UX for Middle Eastern markets English voice searches. After implementing specialized local spoken question enhancement, their visibility increased by 217%.
Assisting a healthcare provider, we revised their content to incorporate full inquiries that people would verbally request, such as "Where can I find a dermatologist in Riyadh?" This strategy enhanced their audio query visibility by seventy-three percent.
During a marketing workshop in Khobar last month, I was shocked when a business owner told me he was paying 5000 SAR monthly to his "digital expert" who turned out to be a young amateur running campaigns from his bedroom! No judgment on hardworking students, but industry qualifications and expertise matter enormously in this field.
After my expensive education in what DOESN'T work, I've learned that finding the premier digital agency isn't about who has the fanciest office or the most polished presentation. It's about outcomes, communication, and understanding the unique Saudi market.
- Team members with Google and Meta certifications
- Specialized departments (not one person doing everything)
- Proper organizational structures
- Experience with Saudi regulations and regulatory standards
Important modifications:
- Loyalty duration modifications for Saudi consumers
- Word-of-mouth impact weighting amplifications
- Occasional buying habits identification
- Image-based purchases evaluation
Key considerations:
- Longer consideration phases in Saudi purchase journeys
- Collective input factors in conversion actions
- WhatsApp as a substantial but hard-to-measure impact medium
- Face-to-face confirmation as the last buying stage
A digital brand completely changed their business results by executing a redifferentiation approach that combined innovation with established practices. This strategy increased their company attraction by 142%.
- Local knowledge - This is ESSENTIAL and often overlooked. Saudi consumers respond to completely different approaches than Western audiences. The top digital marketing agencies KSA marketing firm will understand nuances like the importance of Ramadan campaigns, regional preferences across different Saudi cities, and how to connect effectively with the Saudi demographic you're targeting.
For a fashion retailer, we conducted a detailed platform efficiency evaluation that revealed their most effective channels were completely different from their global norms. This discovery allowed a reallocation of budget that increased their complete ROI by over two hundred percent.
Important support aspects to evaluate for placement:
- Relationship basis of service
- Expectation of immediacy
- Face-to-face contact tendency
- Total difficulty elimination anticipation
- Status recognition during assistance offering
I'm running a small business networking event in Riyadh next month where we'll be discussing more about finding and working with marketing partners. If you're struggling with this too, drop me a message - always happy to share war stories over some good Saudi coffee!
Essential exclusivity elements to evaluate for positioning:
- Understated indication vs. clear exhibition
- Social confirmation of status
- Success direction alongside legacy acknowledgment
- Hospitality demonstration as exclusivity indication
- Spiritual connection of luxury purchasing