Top 5 Challenges in Digital Marketing Consultancy in Saudi
In the ever-evolving landscape of Saudi Arabia, companies are rushing to adapt to the digital revolution. Driven by the ambitious 2030 vision initiatives.
This shift highlights the growing reliance on digital marketing channels. They use them to captivate consumer attention and build an online presence. This created the need for specialized consultants. They help guide and grow these businesses into new horizons.
As a digital marketing consultant, the role is pivotal in driving companies towards success. It means better online visibility. It also means improved marketing and tangible results. But what exactly makes up tangible results?
The answer lies in achieving a measurable return on investment (ROI). ROI is a clear indicator of successful digital marketing efforts. This is where digital marketing consultants shine by ensuring long-term goals are included in the plans.
The challenges faced by the consultants differ from one market to another. To succeed in your digital marketing consultancy career in Saudi Arabia, you must navigate these obstacles:
Clients with Ambiguous Requests
(Unclear Briefs or needs)Navigating Reports and Documents
Multiple Points of Contact
Resource Allocation from both sides
Missing/incomplete data and information system
Clients with Ambiguous Requests
This is the most common issue you will face. clients approach with vague requirements, unsure of their objectives. Even if they know what their needs are, they can not justify the activity by linking it to the business goal.
So to deal with this sort of challenge you need to ask the right questions. You should have a brief template ready with you to fill it. Do not expect it will be filled by the client. The most important things are what do you need out of this activity and what does success look like?
Another thing is to ask for the budget. So, you do not go above and beyond in your proposal or plan for the marketing activities. I usually ask them whether they provide clear goals and KPIs or a budget.
It is rare but some clients will give you both budget and KPIs. These are precious few and we need to preserve them.
Navigating Reports and Documents
Digital Marketing Plans will include a lot of technical terms, new scopes, and ideas. Most people will find it difficult to navigate and understand.
Address this issue. Do it by linking business goals with digital KPIs in your digital marketing strategy. Say which metric will help the client's bottom lines.
Another solution is to clearly show the estimated impact of the plan's activities. keep the details attached in the appendix or later in the flow of your file so they do not overwhelm the receiver.
One challenge in Saudi will be the language barrier. So what you should do if you have a client who can not deal fully with English? provide a summary slide in Arabic and the rest of the reports in English.
An example: search engine optimization (SEO) reports are difficult to digest for most stakeholders. You can simplify this report by displaying the scope of work and achieved results in one table. The rest of the report can be technical and ready for the savvy ones.
Multiple Points of Contact
Like any business activity, you will have many stakeholders in your projects. That's fine. What’s considered a challenge is having many inputs from multiple points of contact at the same time. Without any prior alignment, this leads to fragmented communication and inputs.
A good project will run through 1 point of contact from the client side and 1 from the agency/consultant side. There is no easy way to deal with this challenge. you need to be direct with the client and ask them to assign a single point of contact.
It will be met with a lot of resistance in the start but with time it will ease out, especially if they start to see results. To prevent misunderstandings and foster effective collaborations, put all communication in one place.
If you are in Saudi the chance the email thread will turn into a WhatsApp group. That is another challenge you need to overcome to smooth the communication process.
Resource Allocation
Resource allocation applies to everything in the process of your digital marketing activities. You would need the client's IT team to give you access to their info. For example, you need their website analytics for your marketing plans.
You may need to schedule a workshop. Stakeholders must attend to give the full picture or the inputs needed to finish a document. But, they can't due to their busy schedules. Other times it will be from the consultant side. The client demands immediate action but you lack the resources to help.
To solve this challenge, be transparent and deal with the client as one team. if you do not have the manpower to deal with this request say so and provide alternative solutions.
Tasks are always important but it is not always urgent. Alignment is key here and everywhere else in life. As Marry Brown, the writer of Dare to Lead book, clear is kind. Meaning with clarity and honesty kindness rises.
Missing/incomplete data and information system
Let’s say you took a project to launch a campaign or plan it. As a digital marketing consultant, you would need access to their social accounts or Google ads accounts.
Either way, you will be surprised. The client does not know the passwords or how to access their accounts. To deal with this, you need to make a clear documentation process. You also need to enforce archiving between you and the client.
Of course, here there is no easy route if you can not just create new accounts you will need to start hunting. You will need to go on an adventure to find it. It will involve the client's team and often past marketing agencies and freelancers.
Conclusion
Navigating the digital marketing consultancy landscape in Saudi Arabia is hard. It involves understanding and overcoming unique challenges. Clear communication is key. Consultants must also align resources. They must also foster transparent client relationships.
These actions can drive big digital advancements. See these challenges as chances to innovate and lead. They are in the fast-changing Saudi market. This will help the nation's ambitious digital goals.
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