With comprehensive research for a shopping business, we found that emails sent between evening hours substantially outperformed those sent during traditional working periods, producing one hundred eighty-seven percent higher visibility.

A medical center achieved a significant improvement in brand recognition after executing a channel-tailored branding strategy that recognized the distinctive elements of each online channel in the Saudi ecosystem.

Recently, I watched as three competitors spent significantly into expanding their business on a specific social media platform. Their efforts failed spectacularly as the medium turned out to be a bad match for our market.

When I started my e-commerce business three years ago, I was certain that our distinctive products would be enough. I ignored competitor analysis as unnecessary – a decision that almost cost my entire venture.

I use a basic document to track our competitors' costs adjustments weekly. This has already enabled us to:

• Spot seasonal promotion cycles
• Notice package deal tactics
• Comprehend their pricing psychology

Half a year into business, our conversions were dismal. It wasn't until I accidentally a detailed analysis about our industry that I understood how blind I'd been to the competitive landscape around us.

I spend at least 120 minutes each week reviewing our competitors':

• Digital organization and user experience
• Articles and content calendar
• Digital channels activity
• Customer reviews and ratings
• Keyword tactics and performance

Working with a luxury brand, we found that their local language identity was significantly lower quality than their English branding. After establishing consistency between the linguistic approaches, they experienced a 93% growth in presence appreciation among Saudi consumers.

During a marketing workshop in Al Khobar last month, I was astonished when a business owner told me he was paying five thousand SAR monthly to his "digital expert" who turned out to be a college student running campaigns from his bedroom! No judgment on entrepreneurial students, but formal training and training matter enormously in this field.

• Team members with professional digital marketing credentials
• Specialized departments (not one person doing everything)
• Proper organizational structures
• Experience with Saudi regulations and regulatory standards

I recommend classifying competitors as:

• Direct competitors (offering equivalent offerings)
• Peripheral competitors (with some resemblance)
• New challengers (new companies with innovative capabilities)

Their strategy included:

• Temporary channels: Youthful brand personality
• Business platforms: Authority-building material
• Image networks: Experience-centered brand storytelling
• Conversation platforms: Opinion shaping

I presently utilize several applications that have significantly enhanced our market intelligence:

• Search analysis platforms to monitor competitors' search rankings
• Brand monitoring platforms to follow competition's online presence
• website design pricing Saudi analysis tools to observe changes to their digital properties
• Communication monitoring to receive their marketing communications

Begin by mapping ALL your competitors – not just the well-known ones. Throughout our investigation, we identified that our largest threat wasn't the famous business we were monitoring, but a recent startup with an innovative approach.

Remarkable results:

• Snapchat outperforming Instagram for particular merchandise
• Evening promotion dramatically outperforming morning initiatives
• Dynamic material delivering higher ROI than still imagery
• Handheld efficiency outperforming computer by substantial degrees

Let me tell you, I've been through the frustrating experience of hiring the unsuitable marketing agency TWICE before finally finding one that generated results. Trust me, it's a error you don't want to make when building your brand in Saudi Arabia's challenging market.

I'm running a small business meetup in Riyadh next month where we'll be talking about more about finding and working with marketing partners. If you're struggling with this too, drop me a message - always happy to share insights over some good Saudi coffee!

For a luxury brand, we developed a Saudi-specific attribution framework that acknowledged the special buying journey in the Kingdom. This approach revealed that their platform spending were genuinely delivering two hundred eighty-six percent more value than earlier calculated.

For a digital business, we modified their global visual identity to further resonate with Saudi aesthetic preferences while keeping identity cohesion. This approach enhanced their visual connection by over one hundred twenty percent.

For a global fashion business, we developed a locally-targeted digital branding methodology that incorporated tasteful traditional elements. This strategy enhanced their emotional connection by 167% in a short period.