I chuckle when clients insist they’re using the “latest” digital marketing agency in Saudi capital approaches but haven’t updated their methods since 2022. The online environment has evolved dramatically in just the past few months.

The most successful Saudi brands recognize that customers don’t distinguish in terms of mediums. My investment client experienced a 76% improvement in prospects after we connected their once separate touchpoints.

For a high-end retailer, we discovered that image and temporary channels substantially exceeded traditional networks for connection and purchases, resulting in a intentional redistribution of effort that increased total results by 167%.

When I launched my e-commerce business three years ago, I was sure that our special products would sell themselves. I dismissed competitor analysis as superfluous – a mistake that almost ruined my entire company.

Powerful publication characteristics:

• Image quality with local context
• Short-form dynamic media with local narration
• Authentic views that add personality to the brand
• Traditional occasions recognition

I spend at least 120 minutes each week analyzing our competitors’:

• Online architecture and navigation
• Articles and publishing frequency
• digital Marketers Riyadh channels presence
• Client testimonials and ratings
• SEO strategy and performance

I now employ several resources that have dramatically enhanced our competitor analysis:

• Keyword trackers to monitor competitors’ search rankings
• Social listening platforms to monitor rivals’ social activity
• Site monitoring tools to track modifications to their digital properties
• Newsletter subscription to receive their campaigns

I use a simple tracker to record our competitors’ rates modifications weekly. This has helped us to:

• Spot periodic price reductions
• Notice product bundling strategies
• Comprehend their cost structure

I recommend classifying competitors as:

• Main competitors (offering nearly identical solutions)
• Peripheral competitors (with partial overlap)
• Emerging threats (new companies with disruptive capabilities)

Current platform adoption in Saudi Arabia:

• Image network: Dominant for aspirational brands
• Temporary network: Extremely popular with Gen Z demographics
• Twitter: Strong for updates and social conversation
• Brief content: Rapidly growing particularly with youth audiences
• LinkedIn: Valuable for business-to-business messaging

Recently, I witnessed as three similar businesses invested heavily into developing their business on a certain social media platform. Their attempts failed spectacularly as the medium turned out to be a mismatch for our sector.

Start by mapping ALL your competitors – not just the well-known ones. Throughout our investigation, we found that our most significant threat wasn’t the well-known company we were tracking, but a recent startup with an innovative model.

Half a year into operations, our sales were disappointing. It wasn’t until I accidentally a detailed report about our market sector that I realized how oblivious I’d been to the business environment around us.