How To Market During Ramadan

Ramadan, the most special month in our region, also marks the most unique time of the year for retailers and brands. During these thirty days, strategies and tactics used and lessons learnt during the rest of the year may not apply because consumers choose to engage in a different way.

Trying to focus on what really matters, people will be more appreciative of messages that are straight to the point, content that is worth sharing, and activations that do not take the focus away from Ramadan but rather enrich the experience. Competition for attention will be intense, especially with rising multi-screen activity and little tolerance towards frequent ad breaks.

For most in business, Ramadan is seen as a slower period. But during the past few years, and a couple more to come, Ramadan has overlapped with the scorching summer, which poses an even bigger challenge for marketing and advertising professionals.

So, a few points to consider while creating a conversation with your target audience are as follows.

Make the Most of Togetherness In Real Time

Mobile devices, social media and digital tools in general will be quite extensively used. But instead of letting people individually socialise with their virtual circles, in isolation, communication activities and generated content should use the power of technology to help them enjoy the company of real people in real time.

Take Another Look At Your Target Audience

With Ramadan coinciding with the summer, a significant portion of the usual audience may be traveling. So your target might simply not be in town, instead replaced by foreigners visiting the country to enjoy the festivities. It is wise for advertisers and retailers to adjust their strategies and embrace this shift.

Be More Visual

With the highly fragmented daily routine during Ramadan and short attention spans, consumers are very selective in how they engage and tend to rely more on visuals as a shortcut. A visual message can be delivered efficiently and with a greater impact giving brands a better chance to be noticed.

Deploy Omni-Channel

Marketing strategies Ramadan is just the right time to review channel strategies. Because of the busy schedules people will allocate less time for shopping. Brands that are thoughtful, of the pressures that shoppers face during Ramadan should try to offer customers extra convenience and flexibility in executing their purchase decisions.

An omni-channel marketing approach will allow companies to utilise consumers’ attachment to their mobile devices and give people more freedom to shop when, where and how they want. Simple solutions like “click and collect” can result in a huge amount of precious time saved.

Observe And Learn

Consumer and shopper behavior during the month of Ramadan is different from the rest of the year. By observing and recognising those patterns year after year, marketers can not only improve their strategies, but also inevitably create more meaningful connections with their audiences and boost their brands’ local relevance.