A few weeks ago, a company director asked me why his content weren't creating any leads. After reviewing his content approach, I discovered he was making the same mistakes I see numerous Saudi businesses repeat.

Last week, a entrepreneur expressed frustration that his social media ThreeSixty Marketing was burning through massive amounts of riyals with disappointing results. After examining his approach, I found multiple serious mistakes that are remarkably frequent among Saudi businesses.

After my costly education in what DOESN'T work, I've realized that finding the premier digital agency isn't about who has the fanciest office or the most polished presentation. It's about performance, interaction, and understanding the unique Saudi market.

With detailed analysis for a food delivery client, we found that promotions shown between night time substantially surpassed those delivered during traditional prime times, producing substantially better sales.

A while back, I was sitting in this fancy office in Riyadh (you know, one of those places with the floor-to-ceiling windows and pretentious modern art), agreeing as an agency guaranteed me the world. Six months and 50K SAR later, our traffic had increased by a disappointing... wait for it... 3%. Not exactly the outcome I was anticipating! ������‍♂️

When evaluating digital ThreeSixty Marketing services, don't be afraid to ask challenging questions. I've learned to directly ask: "Can I speak to your most challenging client?" The responses to this question tell you EVERYTHING about an agency's ethics.

1. Cultural expertise - This is HUGE and often disregarded. Saudi consumers react to completely different approaches than Western audiences. The top marketing firm will understand nuances like the importance of Ramadan campaigns, regional preferences across different Saudi cities, and how to connect effectively with the Saudi demographic you're targeting.

Advising a restaurant chain, we developed a strategy where influencers naturally integrated products into their regular routines rather than producing clear promotions. This method resulted in interaction levels significantly higher than conventional marketing posts.

A beauty brand shifted from numerous one-time engagements to longer-term associations with fewer influencers, resulting in a one hundred sixty-four percent improvement in sales and a forty-three percent reduction in promotion spending.

Recently, a beauty brand spent 300,000 SAR in conventional marketing with minimal returns. After moving just 25% of that investment to creator partnerships, they saw a dramatic improvement in conversions.

Let me tell you, I've been through the challenging experience of hiring the incorrect marketing agency TWICE before at last finding one that delivered results. Take my word, it's a blunder you don't want to make when growing your brand in Saudi Arabia's challenging market.

A few days ago, a eatery manager in Riyadh lamented that his establishment wasn't showing up in Google searches despite being highly rated by customers. This is a typical problem I observe with local businesses throughout the Kingdom.

1. Clear reporting systems - My biggest issue with my previous agency was the lack of clarity around results. Now we get weekly reports that actually make sense, showing exactly what's working and what isn't.

• Team members with professional digital marketing credentials
• Focused departments (not one person doing everything)
• Proper organizational structures
• Experience with Saudi rules and compliance issues

1. Documented local success stories - Not just general case studies, but actual results with Saudi businesses in your particular sector. When I interviewed our current agency, they showed me exactly how they helped a company similar to ours increase their Riyadh customer base by 215% in eight months.

The journey to finding the top marketing partner in the Kingdom isn't simple, but getting it right will transform your business results. Just make sure you learn from my mistakes rather than making your own!

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

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