As discussed in one of our previous Arabic marketing articles, The Most Popular Arabic Social Media Channels are Facebook and WhatsApp.
However, despite the popularity of these networks in Arab nations, there are other social media channels you should not ignore as they can provide you with additional benefits.
So which additional Social Media channels should you consider when reaching out to an Arabic audience?
In addition to Facebook and WhatsApp you should seriously look at:
YouTube
Let’s explore why and how you should be using these in your Arabic digital marketing strategy?
Use of Twitter in Arabic Nations
The total number of Twitter users in Arab nations in 2014 was 5,767,500, this figure has continued to grow. The estimated number of tweets produced in the Arab region in March 2014 was 533,165,900 – this is around 17,198,900 tweets per day!
Stats on Arabic Twitter Use
- Saudi Arabia has the highest number of active twitter users with 2.4 million people using it – this actually accounts for 40% of all active Twitter users in the Arab region.
- Egypt and Kuwait are also heavy users of Twitter making up 17% and 10% of the usage respectively.
- When we look at gender splits there are more women using Twitter than Facebook – so if your product is aimed more at women you might find Twitter helpful for reaching your target audience.
How to Use Twitter
You need a profile on the Arabic twitter platform to start using this regularly to post relevant tweets.
It is important here to ensure that you are aware of how your company or organisations name, brand and any strap lines will be read in Arabic. Some tweaking may be needed so that your message and company voice does not get lost in translation.
On top of this, you can take advantage of twitters paid ads to help kick start your Arabic twitter campaigns and build your audience.
Use of LinkedIn in Arabic Nations
Arab use of LinkedIn back in 2014 was 8,445,515 – a 79% growth from the number in 2013. This rapid expansion of LinkedIn use continues and makes it a strong contender, especially if you’re a B2B company looking to target Arabic businesses and network with key individuals.
Stats on Arabic LinkedIn Use
- 68% of Arabic LinkedIn users are under the age of 35.
- Whilst only 9% of the Arab population uses LinkedIn, 44% of them access it daily.
- LinkedIn is mostly used in Lebanon, Yemen, and Jordan. Countries that use the social platform the least are Syria and Egypt.
- Only 6% of its users use the social channel via the LinkedIn app. This shows a higher use at work with desktops and laptops rather than smartphones. Of the countries that do use the LinkedIn app, UAE and Bahrain are top.
- The use of LinkedIn by Arabic women is low with only 29% of their users being female.
How to Use LinkedIn
LinkedIn is good for reaching out to Arabic businesses and key people. See it as taking local business networking to an international level.
You need a version of your company page in Arabic and to post relevant business-related content in Arabic. It’s vital the quality of your Arabic content is high and using a native speaker is much better than a word for word translation.
As most people are using desktop or laptops make sure your content and any landing pages are optimised for these devices. Using a responsive design can help you ensure your content looks good across all devices.
If you’re serious about building strong Arabic links, then you will have an advantage if you employ an Arabic speaker in-house to help you develop strong connections.
Use of Instagram in Arabic Nations
Instagram use in Arab nations is around 32% with 82% of its users accessing it daily.
Countries with the highest daily use are Syria (93%) and Yemen (89%). It is used less frequently by countries like Jordan with a daily access rate of just 68%.
How to Use Instagram
The first step in using Instagram in an Arab market is to ensure that you have an account set up in the Arabic language. All posts need to be aimed at your target audience.
Remembering the heavy use of social media channels in the evening will help ensure that your posts are delivered at the right time.
At first glance, posting images may seem easy, but you need to be careful. Make sure your images are sensitive to the Arabic culture so that they are received positively. It’s best to have a strict approval process to prevent mistakes.
Use of YouTube in Arabic Nations
Throughout the Arab nations, it is reported that 30% access YouTube on a daily basis.
Stats on Arabic YouTube Use
The countries with the highest level of YouTube users are Lebanon and Morocco while Syria and Palestine have the lowest use.
On average two-thirds of users use YouTube daily with the highest daily use in Jordan and the lowest in Lebanon.
How to Use YouTube
The key with any successful YouTube campaign is to ensure that there is great content for your target audience that is interesting to watch and shareable.
You need to ensure that the videos you post are:
- Short – remembering that Arabs tend to only use social media channels for around 30 minutes a session
- Interesting – to ensure that people actually will want to be watching your video
- In Arabic – ensure that any voices or wording in your video is in Arabic so that it can be understood by an Arab audience. You could use subtitles but make sure the content is sensitive to Arabic culture.
- Shareable – the level here depends on your goals whether you want something to go viral, or your aims are more modest. Either way, you need make and encourage shareable videos. Again be sensitive to Arabic laws and customs to make sure video content won’t get your audience into trouble.
Summary
As you can see there are lots of opportunities to reach out through social media to Arabic customers and businesses.
The key is to use your chosen social networks carefully and to respect your audience with well-crafted and culturally sensitive content they will like, share and engage with.
It’s key to have access to native Arabic speakers with good written communication skills either in-house or through an agency. This will make sure your message doesn’t get lost in translation and that you can communicate more freely with your audience.
N.B. All statistics here are taken from the Arab Social Media Report, you can read it here yourself – The Arab Social Media Report, 2015.
Need Help with Arabic Social Media
If you are interested in expanding your companies reach with social media marketing in Arabic countries, then talk to ExtraDigital.
Contact our team today on +44 (0) 1227 68 68 98 or tell us more about your plans below.
