Arabic Meta Advertising Management
Are you interested in running Arabic ads on Meta platforms? IstiZada offers dedicated Arabic-language Meta ad management services for a range of business profiles. Whether you are looking to run your ads on Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, or all three, IstiZada’s expertise in Middle Eastern-focused online marketing campaigns will help you achieve your goals.
IstiZada specializes in designing top-notch advertising campaigns targeted to consumers in the Middle East. While Facebook has maintained popularity in the region as both a social networking site and an online marketplace, Instagram and WhatsApp are becoming increasingly used for e-commerce. Meta also has recently launched Threads, a text-based platform similar to X (Twitter). While ads have not yet launched on Threads, we can expect this to be implemented in the near future. Given how popular the platform already is in the Middle East, this will provide advertisers with even more opportunities for Arabic advertising campaigns. Read on to learn more about the services we offer for Meta Arabic ad management!
IstiZada’s Arabic Meta Advertising Services
A key component of our advertising strategy will be using Arabic-language ads, but granted the prevalence of English language influence in the region, we often recommend a bilingual approach. We offer our services for all the Meta sites, which include:
- Demographic research for ad targeting
- Content design for ad messages
- Ad creation
- Account and campaign setup
- Tracking setup and confirmation
- Campaign management
- Testing & monitoring
- Adapting ad campaign strategy based on performance
- Performance reporting
Meta advertising in the Middle East
Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are the most important Meta apps for a marketing campaign in the Middle East. Each one attracts its demographic of users and has its preferred formats for advertisements. One of the benefits of Meta is that you can easily convert your ads to be used throughout the sites through the Meta Ads Manager. This means that we can design your ad in Arabic and English, and launch it on more than just one site with minimal additional manual work. In the following sections, we will break down the best practices for ad campaigns on these sites, and how to make the most of the opportunities provided by each one.
There are over 200 million active social media users in the Middle East, the vast majority of whom are on Facebook which consistently ranks as the most popular social media site across the entire region. This social media usage rate accounts for a significantly high portion of the population, especially when compared to other regions like Europe and Central Asia. In addition to the high number of users, Facebook advertising in the Middle East tends to be cheaper than advertising in the US or Europe. Granted these factors, many businesses see advertising on Facebook as a no-brainer. To make the most of your ads on Facebook, IstiZada recommends a targeted approach based on our research of Arab Facebook user habits and preferences.
We want to ensure the best result for your Arabic ad campaign. This means that before launching ads we test them across multiple demographics to see where we’ll get the best conversion rates. After we launch the ads, we continuously monitor ad performance, editing ads as necessary and removing ads that don’t perform satisfactorily.
Advertising in multiple languages
Meta offers a number of tools aimed at facilitating ad production. One of these is the automatic translation feature, which allows you to design an ad and have it automatically translated into a target language when displayed in a different region. While this may be tempting for some businesses, we do not recommend this tool for several reasons. First of all, automatic translations tend to result in lower quality results with reduced readability. Additionally, automatic translations on Facebook are limited to certain placements and are unavailable on placements like Facebook Marketplace and Messenger. At IstiZada, our research suggests that the best way to ensure a quality ad in Arabic and English is by manually creating the ads through the Meta Ads Manager.
Boosted posts vs. paid ads
Another choice you will need to make when running an advertising campaign on Facebook is whether to boost your posts or run paid advertisements. Our approach is to run paid ads rather than boosted posts (also called promoted posts). Boosted posts are limiting as they have fewer options for customizing your target audience than paid ads do. When using the ad format, you can choose your ad placement, so it is not limited to just the news feed.
At the end of the day, while a boosted post may be successful in generating interest on your page, paid ads are the better choice for driving traffic to your site and increasing conversion rates.
Facebook ad formats
There are a variety of formats you can choose from for your Facebook ads:
- Simple photo and video ads
- Story ads
- Messenger ads: pop up in Chats tab on Messenger app.
- Carousel ads: allow viewers to scroll through a set of images.
- Slideshow ads: an image slideshow that can be set to background music or sound
- Collection ads: viewers can click images in a collection to learn more about the product.
- Playable ads: specifically for apps, these interactive ads allow viewers to play a sample of the app.
Depending on the product or service you are offering, IstiZada will recommend the best ad formats for your campaign!
Instagram is dominating as both a social media site and a source for e-commerce among Arabs. While traditionally thought to be used more among younger users than the Facebook user base, Instagram now attracts users across all demographics.
Instagram advertising formats
Similar to Facebook, there are many options for advertising on Instagram. Both sites offer photo, video, story and carousel ads. In addition to these formats, Instagram also offers:
- Collection ads: viewers click on the ad and are taken to a section of Instagram where they can view multiple products without exiting the app.
- Explore ads: viewers will find these ads on the explore page, after clicking on an image while exploring new content.
- Shopping ads: specifically for e-commerce businesses, these ads are used on business pages and allow viewers to click on the ad for more information and make a purchase directly.
- Reels ads: viewers will see these ads while scrolling through reels. They can be up to 60 seconds long and allow for creative video content.
WhatsApp may not immediately come to mind for businesses looking to advertise to Arab consumers, as it is commonly known as a chat app rather than a social networking site like Instagram, Facebook, or Threads. However, WhatsApp has massive influence among Arabs, and is the go-to app for communication throughout the entire Middle East. Given its prevalence, it can be a trove of opportunity for a targeted ad campaign.
WhatsApp advertising format
You can choose for your Facebook or Instagram ads (in any format) to have a Click-to-WhatsApp feature. When a viewer engages with the ad and opens it on WhatsApp, they can engage with your content through an AI-managed chat window. Users can make purchases directly through the chat and ask questions about products.
Click-to-WhatsApp ad on Facebook from AQAR Talent
You can set up your Click-to-WhatsApp through the Meta Ads Manager, but you’ll also need to set up a WhatsApp business account to manage purchases made through WhatsApp. Another perk of WhatsApp advertising is that you can send product catalogs or special promotions via chat through users who have previously interacted with your ads. Overall, WhatsApp is a great way to drive traffic to your store.
Note on bilingual content
As we mentioned above, creating bilingual marketing content in both Arabic and English can be a great way to expand your reach and ensure that your ads are accessible to a maximum number of social media users. The Middle East, and the Gulf region in particular, is home to massive expat demographics from all over the world, many of whom may not read Arabic and primarily use English instead. Below we have some examples of Meta ads that effectively incorporate bilingual content:
Pricing
Take your Arabic Meta marketing campaign to the next level with the help of our Arabic Meta advertising management services! To get a quote for your company, contact us today!
