The Holy month of Ramadan is a time for giving, togetherness and spending time with family. A such, it is also one of the most important marketing periods for brands operating in the Middle East. Weeks and months ahead of the Holy month, small businesses gear up their marketing strategies to meet their customers’ needs. Consumer behavior changes dramatically – online and offline, and as people’s sleep and work schedules change. At this time, Ramadan is considered a key season for social media marketing and for brands to shine and ramp up their activity on social media.
Selina Bieber, General Manager, MENA, GoDaddy said, “As we approach the Holy month of Ramadan, entrepreneurs and small businesses are getting ready for the season with strong social media and digital presence activity. GoDaddy is there for them along their entrepreneurial journey to help them create and grow their businesses online.”
Below we have curated a list of quick and practical tips to help small business owners and entrepreneurs capitalize on the unique characteristics of the Holy month. If you’re a small business owner, or are in the process of launching a new business, this list is for you.
1. Prepare for Ramadan
The key to a successful Ramadan is planning. Whether it’s to find the best deals or identify all the relevant items they need, the importance of marketing correctly during the Holy month is unmeasurable. Brands should consider promoting their products and services in advance of the actual start. It is equally important to consider offering special and occasional gifting opportunities, as we will discuss in detail below.
2. Amplify Social media usage
It’s essential to get your social marketing strategies targeted for Ramadan. It is no secret that social media plays an important role in people’s lives during the Holy month.
Facebook is a popular social media channel to post content and sponsored videos. Facebook notes that searches and planning of large purchases such as clothing, automobiles and jewelry increase, which makes it a great time to plan online ads to engage and reach your consumers.
There is a large increase in watching TV and video during Ramadan. Viewers watch longer content and actively engage more often. Businesses can consider the use of video platforms, such as YouTube, to help increase their brand’s exposure and awareness.
Consumers use Instagram for inspiration during Ramadan, where people discuss topics on Instagram such as fashion, iftar venues and recipe ideas. Consumers will also be looking for extravagant gifts for Eid, luxury brands shine the most during the last few days of Ramadan.
Prepare your business for outstanding social media performance this Ramadan, from customizing and localising your messages across all platforms, to creating eye-catching content and assets specifically for the month. GoDaddy offers personalized support through a number of tools, solutions and resources available in both languages; English and Arabic, for businesses to grow online. GoDaddy Arabic Website Builder allows businesses to reach their customers in their own language.
Finally, search engine advertising and sponsored ads can provide your brand with increased brand reach and awareness, as well as increased possibility of sales activity during this time.
3. Create Ramadan-related content
Ramadan comes with its own social media themes and rules. During Ramadan, it is important to find at least one theme that can be associated with your brand and work around with it. So, whether it’s charity, family, spirituality or hospitality, brands can increase their brand equity by focusing on one of the themes. And be authentic in your content, message and the relevance of your business to your audience.
Set up your Ramadan content calendar and start building a social media content plan inspired by your selected theme. Identify a theme relevant to your brand and appropriate for Ramadan, then plan your content around it. Try to tie your theme with all your social media activity, and use that theme to engage and connect with your customers. Implement your content plan by scheduling your social media posts across channels ahead of time.
It is also important to note that most brands turn towards a more conversational tone during this time. People love to engage and receive personalized communications from brands during the month.
4. Promote Ramadan offers
Ramadan sales, discounts, promotions and offers are attractive, especially for certain industries. Coming up with the offers is halfway, but to see results, your customers need to know about your offers, the question is how? These promotions can be in the form of discounts, promo codes or cashback.
To attract customers, try to make promotional content as creative as possible, which you can then post on your website or e-store as well as on your social media channels. If you are planning special Ramadan promotions, make sure you announce and promote them on your social media platform to reach a larger audience.
Whether it’s through offering dining and restaurant promotions, group or family deals or special night offers, have a plan for how your brand or small business can customize these promotions and seize the opportunity of increased purchase appetite. GoDaddy customers can also use the dedicated GoDaddy E-Store to offer an e-commerce solution for their customers with an easy way to sell their products on-line.
5. Gifting
Ramadan is the time when people are most likely to offer gifts from home décor and jewelry to food and clothing,And the best way to do so is by providing your customers with dedicated gift promotions.
This sheds light on the trend of shopping activities that commences before Ramadan and escalates in the following weeks, with sales usually rising in the third week as month end approaches.
This highlights that it is important for small business owners to consider the shift in habits during this time and tailor their offers to consumers to provide superior value, become part of the consumer narrative and meet their needs.