eWavelength sees 300% year on year growth thanks to government initiatives and the ‘digital revolution’ in the UAE.
Something amazing has been happening in the UAE, a strong and powerful digital revolution. According to Global Media Insight, the ‘UAE has now grown into the most digital-friendly country in the Middle East.’ This openness to all things digital, coupled with favourable government initiatives supporting and encouraging start ups, has seen digital marketing companies such as eWavelength, grow 300% in the past year alone with exciting prospects for the future.
Rosie Seldon, Director of eWavelength, says the conditions in the UAE offer fertile ground for digital businesses:
“The new business set-up options are beginning to make it so much easier to register a business and make it possible to operate and thrive here. When you consider that in the UAE people are online for just under 8 hours daily, spending as much as 3 hours on social media every day - it’s not hard to see the growth opportunities for the digital sector.”
With over 500,000 business licenses issued in 2018, the word is out that the UAE is the go to destination for companies wanting to launch their businesses across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The UAE Government has a clear and decisive vision for business growth such as the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (MRM) Business Award and the Mohammad Bin Rashid Innovation Fund Accelerator to name but a few.
Thanks to investment in infrastructure and hardware, UAE residents and visitors enjoy very fast internet speeds, especially on mobile, with Etisalat currently doubling speeds for home internet subscribers. Add to this unrivalled sporting and cultural events, the upcoming Special Olympics 2019 and Expo 2020, and you have digital audiences growing at an exponential rate.
eWavelength has worked with 31 clients, delivering over 300 pieces of work. Rosie says that the key to success is getting on the same wavelength as her clients, spending time to understand their business in depth and working with them as part of an extended team. The eWavelength business delivers and manages projects through its team of digital and marketing consultants.
“Our aim is to work as an extension of their team”. Bringing digital knowledge into the organisations or delivering specialist skills such as high quality English and Arabic copywriting, digital design, digital experience journey analysis, data analytics, and social media and web strategies. The team work as part of the client’s wider team to deliver digital strategies to boost brand awareness, digital exposure and sales enquiries.
Looking to the future, eWavelength is investing in the long-term, implementing a digital training scheme for all employees, attracting new creative talent and championing the UAE as a thriving digital and creative hub. “We’re hugely excited about the future opportunities for growth, investing in new talent and supporting some of the region’s leading businesses to grow and reach out to new audiences. Our door is always open, whether that be to start ups, international businesses, or new talent.”
As a trainer for Google’s Digital Training Academy, Rosie wants to use her digital strategy to support the Knowledge Economy vision to upskill the UAE. When Rosie arrived in Abu Dhabi five years ago she noticed that many companies were struggling to find strong digital marketing talent. It is very expensive to recruit from abroad so Rosie is designing an ongoing in-house training programme for all staff to be rolled out later this year. She is also hoping to work with other training companies in the region, to help deliver the UAE’s bold 2021 Vision for a knowledge economy.
Rosie’s advice to new start ups is simple: ‘It takes time to build up trust with prospective clients and build a name for your business here. Success relies heavily on developing your company’s skillset and connections, but if you put the effort in, there are a lot of opportunities for growth in the UAE and it is a hugely rewarding place to work.”
eWavelength is a digital marketing consultancy that manages and delivers digital projects in the UAE through our network of digital consultants. We have helped some of the region’s leading entertainment, finance and aviation businesses implement and deliver digital strategies to boost sales and income. Talk to us to discover powerful digital strategies that work across platforms and channels.