LinkedIn Advertising In The Middle East: A Guide For B2B Marketers

Business-to-business (B2B) marketing strategies in Asia, Africa or the Middle East tend to vary based on the target audience. But there are a few tips that can turn out to be effective when it comes to LinkedIn advertising in the Middle East

• The key is to focus on the pain points of the customers and provide tailored solutions
• Build credibility and trust through online sources, testimonies and case studies
• Resort to the use of digital marketing channels like LinkedIn advertising search engine optimization and webinars
• Network and collaborate with the industry leaders, key decision makers and influencers
• Personalize communication along with a sales approach to culture differences in the Middle East region.

The Middle East market is enormous

The Middle East market is one of the rising markets and it has become effective due to the following reasons

• Demographic statistics have an interesting story to tell. The reason is that half of the population in the region is below the age of 25 years.
• The young segment is spending more time on social media than the global average. It provides great opportunities for marketers to use platforms like LinkedIn advertising in the Middle East.
• In the Gulf region most of these younger consumers are affluent professionals. Hence this turns out to be a great market for luxury brands or electronics.

Though some countries of the world are encountering some form of economic stability in comparison to European markets the region still has low taxation.

Easy to segment

Arab consumers are easy to segment, and identifying the customer persona becomes easy. But if you are keen to adopt  LinkedIn advertising in a traditional way then it is a bad idea. The Arabs in general are unlike other nations and they are more conservative when it comes to sharing honest feedback.
Monitoring the trends and tracking social media engagement are effective tactics in defining the key motivations for your potential customers. With proper data-centric approaches, it can figure out the insights that you need.

It is not only about localising your LinkedIn advertising in the Middle East but the brand has to be localized in reaching out to the target segment. If you do not have locals who are not crafting your local marketing message then you need to hire someone who is an expert in the domain.

A practical approach

The statistics are impressive and answer whether a B2B should have a LinkedIn presence and promote itself on the platform. If you are starting out on the platform and reaching the full potential then go back and start with the basics.

Defining the target audience

Any B2B business targeting to establish itself in the Middle East will require the right connections. Which are the companies who are willing to target, and what job titles or skills are required

Building your audience

LinkedIn allows you to build an audience and create targeted campaigns based on job title, education, skills etc. Combine targeting criteria to build ideal personas.

Language

Use a combination of English and Arabic. Since you are targeting an Arabic market, of course, your video titles, ads and posts will be in Arabic. But take note of the fact that there are a reasonable number of non-Arabic professionals in the MENA region that you may want to target. A sensible approach is to present an English version of your content. This is what the well-established and reputed companies end up doing.

Advertise, optimize and repeat

The ads should be tested with different content, content types and audiences to understand which elements are performing best. If you are running a lead generation campaign consider the cost per click. On the other hand, if you are running a  brand awareness campaign then consider the cost per impression. The ads need to be optimized in order to achieve the best results for the lower cost.

Content marketing

Content marketing is a valuable tool for businesses targeting Africa, Asia Pacific and the Middle East region. Below are a few content marketing tips that you need to follow in the Middle East region

• Outline the specific pain points and figure out the needs of the target audience in the Middle East region
• Creation of localized and relevant content that addresses the pain points and their needs. Examples may be in the form of blog posts, eBooks and infographics
• Utilize search engine optimization techniques to enhance the visibility of content in the region
• Promotion of content through various channels including social media marketing and influencer marketing
• Measure the success of your content marketing efforts and continuously refine your strategy based on the results.

 To conclude, LinkedIn advertising in Middle East is all about understanding the language and cultural preferences of your audience in the Middle East region. Then you will be able to formulate the content strategy accordingly. Even you may consider partnering with local influencers or industry to reach out to a wider audience and establishing credibility.

For more such blogs, Connect with GTECH.