The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) populations are among the most active users of social media, with trends varying by country, sector, and age group. It is essential to know the trends and implement a targeted communication strategy for those who decide to start a new business in these countries.
Nowadays, the region’s large percentage of youth population and high mobile penetration rate have made these countries the ideal market for companies like Instagram and Snapchat, although it is Facebook that remains the dominant platform for the Middle East.
In their 2019 annual report, Hootsuite and APCO Worldwide conducted an analysis of the social position of different industries, including automotive, telecommunications, financial, banking, fintech, ride-hailing, gambling, media, and e-commerce: the automotive industry ranks first as the most discussed industry on all social media platforms, with over 60.7 million interactions, followed by the telecommunications industry and the media industry, and lastly the financial technology industry.
In addition, was conducted an overview of the languages used, which showed that Arabic is the preferred language in all industries except fintech.
Let’s look specifically at the characteristics of different Arab countries.
Saudi Arabia
According to the American company Bain and Company (a top management consulting firm), in Saudi Arabia, the main social media platform is Snapchat, with nearly 14 million users and an almost equal split between men and women.
Also, the number of Saudi users on Twitter has grown by 100% since 2017, driven primarily by Generation X.
Meanwhile, Millennials are driving the growth of Instagram, which now has 13 million users in the country.
In the kingdom’s social, users showed interest mainly in topics such as religion, nationalism, social development, and culture, and they interact mainly in Arabic.
Egypt
During the so-called “Arab Spring”, social media in Egypt -especially Facebook and Twitter- saw a real boom in use as they were perceived as a tool for hope and change since they helped in the non-violent revolution of January 2011.
To date, Twitter’s growth has stalled, while Facebook remains the dominant platform for Egyptians with 40 million users and 20% growth since 2017.
The social media penetration rate in Egypt is 40%, according to Bain and Company.
There are now just over 2 million Twitter users in the country, with 18% growth driven mainly by Millennials who tweet mostly about food and travel.
Instagram is the second most popular platform: the 11 million users usually post mostly about travel, music, and fashion.
Also, there are 3.5 million Snapchat users. Most of them are women who follow lifestyle and fashion topics, as well as the news of the day.
Finally, users in Egypt, compared to those in Saudi Arabia, are interested in a much wider variety of topics, such as religion, sports, politics, and social development.
United Arab Emirates
When it comes to the country’s social media trends, the population of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is highly differentiated. English-speaking users tend to outnumber Arab users, while social media penetration is 99%, according to Bain and Company.
The main platform is Facebook, with more than 8.8 million users, and this is why companies tend to advertise more on this social network.
Also, gambling advertising on this social media works very well, and it is significantly more appealing to young people than to adults.
For those interested, for example, in playing live blackjack online in the Middle East, on your Facebook profile will appear many ads regarding websites that provide a list of the best live dealer blackjack casinos, in which you will find recommendations for the safest and best casinos in the area, security tips, and of course, the best bonuses too.
Regarding Instagram, this social network had an increase of 700,000 users during 2019 and now has more than 3.7 million users, while Twitter boasts 2.3 million users, a 15% increase over 2017 driven primarily by Generation X.
About Snapchat, the country has the lowest user base, which amounts to just 2 million.
The UAE also has some of the most popular social media influencers in the region, including the makeup artist Huda Beauty, who has 36 million followers.
According to an analysis of the most followed social media influencers, UAE users are primarily interested in culture (mostly art) and nationalism.
A growing phenomenon not to be underestimated in the Middle East (particularly in the Emirates) is the increase in the use of Chinese Apps, as a result of the growth in foreign direct investment (FDI) from China and the number of tourists who are likely to increasingly bring their technology and services to the region, including social media platforms.
E-Commerce
When it comes to e-commerce, consumers in the Middle East are using social media to conduct research; that is why platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter play an important role in purchasing decisions.
For example, a small business in Dubai, a wholesale bakery called “For The Love Of Bread”, estimates that over 90% of its customers came through its Instagram account.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can state that the best platform to use to target consumers in Egypt is Facebook, with an advertising budget dedicated to it.
In Saudi Arabia, Twitter is likely to produce the best returns if you post in Arabic, while in the UAE, it is Instagram that will engage the most users, as it transcends language barriers.