The most successful Saudi brands know that customers don't think in terms of platforms. My financial client saw a substantial improvement in potential customers after we unified their previously disconnected channels.
I still laugh when clients tell me they're using the "latest" digital marketing strategies but haven't revised their methods since 2022. The online environment has changed significantly in just the past few months.
When I launched my online business three years ago, I was certain that our distinctive products would be enough. I dismissed competitive research as a waste of time – a decision that almost ruined my entire business.
Through comprehensive research for a store chain, we discovered that emails sent between evening hours significantly exceeded those sent during standard working periods, generating one hundred eighty-seven percent greater visibility.
Recently, a beauty brand spent 300,000 SAR in conventional marketing with minimal outcomes. After redirecting just 25% of that spending to creator partnerships, they achieved a dramatic growth in sales.
A few weeks ago, a clothing brand consulted me after using over 150,000 SAR on online marketing with minimal returns. After restructuring their strategy, we generated a 631% increase in advertising efficiency.
Recently, a hospitality client discovered that their digital platform was entirely absent from audio queries. After executing the strategies I'm about to share, they're now showing up in nearly half of applicable audio queries.
For a furniture company, a campaign with 20 smaller creators produced a three hundred forty-seven percent better performance than a exclusive agreement with a high-profile creator with a large quantity of followers.
I currently utilize several tools that have dramatically improved our competitive research:
- SEO tools to monitor other companies' keyword performance
- Mention tracking platforms to monitor competition's digital footprint
- Website analysis platforms to observe modifications to their digital properties
- Newsletter subscription to get their promotional messages
A cosmetics company shifted from multiple single partnerships to continuous associations with fewer influencers, generating a one hundred sixty-four percent growth in purchases and a significant decrease in acquisition costs.
Working with a food brand, we created a technique where influencers naturally integrated products into their daily lives rather than generating obvious advertisements. This method resulted in interaction levels significantly higher than standard advertising content.
Assisting a hospital, we restructured their content to incorporate entire queries that patients would verbally request, such as "Where can I find a dermatologist in Riyadh?" This strategy enhanced their audio query discovery by over seventy percent.
For a store owner, we found that their voice search appearance was restricted because they had prepared mainly for foreign language queries. After incorporating tailored native audio query optimization, their findability grew by over two hundred percent.
Not long ago, I observed as three similar businesses poured resources into developing their business on a specific social media platform. Their initiatives were unsuccessful as the channel turned out to be a poor fit for our sector.
I use a simple spreadsheet to track our competition's rates modifications weekly. This recently helped us to:
- Identify seasonal discount patterns
- Recognize product bundling tactics
- Grasp their value positioning
I spend at least two hours each week examining our competitors':
- Arabic website User experience architecture and navigation
- Articles and posting schedule
- Online platforms presence
- User feedback and evaluations
- Search tactics and positions
Start by mapping ALL your rivals – not just the obvious ones. In our research, we discovered that our most significant threat wasn't the well-known business we were tracking, but a recent company with an novel approach.
Two quarters into business, our conversions were underwhelming. It wasn't until I happened to a thorough study about our industry that I understood how oblivious I'd been to the competitive landscape around us.
I suggest categorizing competitors as:
- Main competitors (offering nearly identical solutions)
- Peripheral competitors (with partial similarity)
- Emerging threats (new businesses with innovative capabilities)