Dubai: The millions of users of Facebook and Twitter in the region may represent a captive audience for marketing campaigns, but there still needs to be a proper game plan if they are to work.
Facebook users have reached 45 million across the Mena region, with four million of them being in the UAE and 6.5 million in Saudi Arabia.
But reports suggest that only 16 per cent of “fans” can see page posts on their homepage; this makes brand advertising reach not just the fans but friends of fans as well.
“For businesses to connect with customers, they have to know their brand, develop their strategy and know how they want to communicate with customers,” said Scott Hicks, client partner at Facebook, at a recent media meet organised by TBWA.
He added, for good measure, that the goal of any such campaign should not be connecting with as many “fans”, but doing so with the right audience and who reflect the company’s customer base.
General Electric, the US multinational, recently did a campaign using social media and its tools to raise awareness among Saudi women on health issues.
“We used social listening on Facebook and Twitter where we found that women are the gatekeepers of the house and the ones who should be addressed by our campaign,” said Melanie Clancy, head of digital content at GE. “Through social media, we also found a lack of information about health and we looked to fill that knowledge gap.”
