Digital marketing always sits at the cutting edge of the latest user behaviours; in order to capture a customer’s attention in the digital landscape, you need to be responding to the newest ways people are interacting in online spaces, and finding innovative, captivating, and unique ways to not only capture their interest, but drive that interest to conversions.
Gone are the days of setting up a few Google and social media ads and hoping for the best. Not only are customers more savvy to all forms of advertising, they also expect both authenticity from brands and a personalised experience. And when we say personalisation, we mean in terms of both the individual customer and the platform the message appears on. Content creation needs to be compelling and well crafted, but also platform specific. Video content, for example, is a powerful tool for your brand. But the kind of video you create to run on Facebook is markedly different from what approach will resonate on TikTok.
From voice search optimisation to influencer marketing, and everything in between, here’s our guide on the latest digital marketing trends you’ll want to be aware of in order to capture your UAE audience in 2023.
Social media marketing grows even more
It will be no surprise to any brand that social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are widely used in the UAE, and that in order to reach your audience, you need to curate the right presence on these platforms.
With the amount of data analytics available to marketers on these platforms, you really have no excuse not to create a highly personalised experience for your audience as they use these platforms to stay in touch with friends, family, and the latest in news and culture. In the quest to create a tailored experience that offers something of genuine value to these audiences, a more sophisticated approach is now required.
The further rise of the influencer
Influencers have firmly moved from an interesting new phenomenon to a mainstay of digital marketing. The value in using influencer marketing for your brand is that the right fit can give you a boost of authenticity and create a genuine community around your product or service. Influencers go beyond the standard role of a brand ambassador – at their best, they give a highly relatable face to your brand, associating it with a person who is both aspirational and can be an authentic voice connecting you with your consumer base.
In the UAE, influencers that have large followings and are highly engaged with their audiences can assist you in creating a presence that can help you dominate in the local market.
Enter the metaverse
If you haven’t heard about the metaverse yet, you need to familiarise yourself. The word itself is used to describe a new kind of digital space, one where virtual reality and mixed reality combine to create a world which facilitates real-time experiences and interactions between people, regardless of their physical distance. Accessed through both web browsers and on headsets, the metaverse is being touted by many tech heavyweights as the future of Web 3.0; a new place where e-Commerce, social media, entertainment, work, community and social interaction will all take place, creating a more integrated and immersive space than ever before.
The current reality of Facebook’s Metaverse is that the platform isn’t teeming with users – yet. But with the company’s recent refocus on immersive metaverse technology (it’s one of the main reasons behind the entire rebrand to ‘Meta’), it’s clear huge tech companies have already put their money on the table when it comes to this new frontier. And where the tech giants blaze a trail, the rest of us will eventually follow, with new opportunities for digital marketing widely available.
Video marketing continues to trend
It’s no secret that video content has become more and more popular in recent years, spurred on by the exploding popularity of TikTok with generations Z and Alpha, and Instagram’s new move of preferencing video content creation and Reels. Video content also helps marketers, offering opportunities to immediately engage audiences with compelling, highly digestible content that quickly demonstrates the appeal of your brand story, product, or service.
Mobile is becoming more important
Over 90% of UAE residents already own smartphones, making mobile-first marketing increasingly important for reaching customers where they are. Mobile is a dramatically different user experience than desktop browsing, and brands need to ensure that mobile optimised campaigns are where they’re investing.
E-Commerce was already on the rise, but COVID-19 gave it the boost it needed to really dominate in the UAE and the Middle East more broadly. Ensuring customers have a seamless experience from mobile marketing to point of sale is also crucial for brands that want to successfully pivot to this new device dominance.
The dawn of artificial intelligence and voice
Second only to the metaverse in digital marketing avenues producing buzz and breathless tech journalism is the role of artificial intelligence and voice search to optimise campaigns. As AI and machine learning develop, it’s fast becoming an invaluable tool for predicting trends, capturing new customers, and guiding digital marketing strategies.
Over 100 languages are now available in Google’s voice search, including Arabic. The data also shows that voice search is being used in particular for local results; with 58% of consumers using it to discover local businesses. As the number of voice search users is rising, so is the amount of searches; 46% of these users rely on voice search repeatedly. In order to keep local SEO strong, brands will need to employ voice search optimization to make sure they’re discoverable in local searches.
Stay ahead of the trends with OMG
At Online Marketing Gurus, we make it our business to understand how digital trends will affect your brand’s digital marketing approach – before your competition. If you’re searching for new ways to get your brand noticed in the crowded UAE market, you need to talk to our Gurus about creating your bespoke digital marketing campaign today!
