Back in the day, advertisements were all about big billboards that everyone in the city could see. These days, thanks to targeted advertising, things have gotten personal. Now, your customers can get relevant ads based on their demographics and needs no matter where they are.
As a result, a digital marketing company must know their audience better than ever. Hiring a foreign marketing firm that doesn’t understand local culture could be a huge loss in potential. If your audience is in Dubai, you need advertising companies in Dubai.
As you sift through Dubai advertising companies for the right one, keep the following 15 tips in mind.
Although Dubai is a multicultural city with many foreign inhabitants, the official language is still Arabic. Arabic is a very challenging language that requires several years of practice to master. It has a rich heritage, going all the way back to Classical Arabic used in religious texts.
Languages are complex things, especially when you translate between them. For this reason, it wouldn’t be a good idea to create advertising in English and then translate it into Arabic. Localization can lead to unique linguistic and cultural translation challenges.
Marketing companies in Dubai already speak Arabic fluently. They have a good grasp on all of its peculiarities and tendencies. A Dubai marketing company won’t commit a linguistic faux pas by accident.
Arabic is not a monolith. There are hundreds of Arabic dialects across the world, from Morocco to Saudi Arabia. The Gulf variant used in Dubai is very different from that spoken in Tunisia.
In addition to this, there is literary Arabic as well as spoken Arabic. All Arabic speakers understand Modern Standard Arabic, or MSA. But the only time they use this language is in news and books, never in conversation.
Arabs switch between MSA and their spoken dialect as the situation demands. Advertising that only uses MSA from a translator may feel impersonal and uninviting. But if you hire Dubai marketing companies, they can use the more personal, spoken variety.
Further, they understand the slang and idioms specific to the Gulf region, and Dubai in particular. Someone from neighbouring Saudi Arabia may not even understand some of the Dubai-specific sayings.
All of this is to say that you want the most local company you can get.
Dubai is at a crossroads between many prominent Arab countries. There is a fascinating history here, going back hundreds of years. All of this intertwines with Islam, the primary religion of most Arabic speakers.
Advertising campaigns can fall flat on their face if advertisers don’t understand the culture. Even worse, they can lead to unintentional insults with something as small as a poorly-written blog post. This could forever burn customers from purchasing from you again.
You can avoid all of this with a Dubai advertising company.
Dubai is a wealthy city that brings in a lot of business. As such, the local makeup is that of many high-income individuals. These are people who have grown accustomed to a very high calibre of life.
Marketing companies in Dubai thrive in this sort of culture. Make sure you find one that knows how to reach your wealthier clients.
Ghostwriting is when a writer creates content for you, which you then put your own label on. Ghostwriting helps you get high-quality written content that still positions your company as an industry leader.
Find advertising companies in Dubai that provide this service alongside their standard services.
The luxury appeal of Dubai can often lead to a steep markup for many services. Advertising companies can become a victim of this.
What tends to happen is that people looking to reach the Dubai market get swindled by companies who take advantage of their ignorance. Find Dubai advertising companies that treat you and your money with respect.
Small companies can often feel fledgling and perhaps a bit wet behind the years. Big companies, on the other hand, can feel impersonal and bland. You want to find a company that is the right size and culture.
Primarily, you want a company that can provide personalized, bespoke services. You don’t want a company that makes you feel like just another customer they need to serve.
Dubai is a modern city with all of the Internet functionality you would find elsewhere. But like any city, it has its idiosyncrasies. Advertising mediums in Dubai will vary greatly from those in your home city or country.
In Dubai, there is a healthy mix of television and radio advertising, in addition to regular online ads. Find a company that allows you to access all those mediums.
Modern advertising is all about PPC (pay-per-click), SEO (search engine optimization), and much more. These are the tools that allow you to make sure that your content reaches the right audience. Further, it allows you to measure engagement so that it is effective in concurrent iterations.
These concepts are already commonplace, so a company that doesn’t employ them is one that you should avoid.
Advertising evolves with every passing year. Even though targeted advertising and ad impressions are more effective, the market still experiences subtle changes. For example, astroturfing with new social media sites like TikTok.
New trends will include things like chatbots. It’s important that you work with an advertising company that is finding ways to implement new technologies and trends into their work.
Word of mouth is still important in this day and age. You should vet a potential advertising partner with review sites and referrals from others. These are powerful tools to determine if the company you are looking at is the right one.
Spread your research across multiple review sites. Aggregate review sites can give you access to reviews from multiple providers.
Your Dubai advertising company should have proof that its work is effective. There is no better way to do this than with testimonials and case studies. These are direct evidence that there advertising is effective.
Case studies offer you a clear-cut example of their work in effect. You can even ask for examples of previous advertising campaigns.
SEO, or search engine optimization, makes sure that searchable content reaches Dubai locals. One of the most effective ways to do this is with SEO blog posts. These are informative articles on your subject matter that link back to your site.
Google will be one of your primary sources of new customers. Locals will search for Dubai-specific services that suit their needs. If your website and articles have the proper SEO, then you will see a considerable uptick in traffic.
For starters, make sure your potential advertising partner has the right certification to operate in Dubai. Some companies may put up a false front to give the impression that they are a Dubai-located company. But if you dig a little deeper, you will discover that they are not.
Find companies that have other documents in order. It’s very easy to search online for a specific company to establish its bona fides.
These should be companies that have a strong industry reputation that precedes them. Ask around and see what you get back about a potential advertising partner. The things you hear may cement how effective they are–or warn you away from them.
Crafting an effective advertising campaign requires close collaboration between you and your advertising company. Oftentimes, you will need to adapt to make your advertisements more effective. You may often have to return to the drawing board to fix something that isn’t working.
One of the most important things you can have is a team that will be at your back through thick and thin. Advertising companies that make it a priority to keep you in the loop as much as possible are most desirable. Only team up with companies that can stick to that high standard.
Advertising companies in Dubai are a dime a dozen, so it will be worth your while to know what to look for. You want a company that can create Arabic-centric content with cultural considerations in mind. In addition, they should have a robust understanding of modern SEO principles.
Underground.ae is your source for the Dubai-centric content you need. Take a look at just a few of the projects we have worked on over the years.
