Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are a dynamic segment of the Middle East economy, contributing to GDP and being critical for job creation and innovation.
However, despite their importance, SMEs face significant growth challenges while navigating their businesses in a landscape that is dominated by large enterprises with access to substantial resources and expertise. In the Middle East, these challenges are also intensified by traditional attitudes towards risk and failure and an extremely diverse target audience. This underscores the increasing importance of leveling the playing field for SMEs by providing customised growth solutions tailored to their needs.
AI plays a vital role here in helping SMEs grow, but keeping up with the ever-evolving AI landscape for sales and marketing requires know-how and time that SME owners may not have, as they often juggle multiple roles within their business.
Make AI cost-effective
While SMEs may know that AI is a game-changer that can redefine their competitive edge, opening doors to new opportunities and wealth creation, much like the internet did decades ago, they often perceive it as being excessively complex and even out of reach.
There is a need to provide SMEs with easy-to-use, cost-effective AI tools that will help them unlock this technology’s potential without overwhelming them with a steep learning curve or cost.
In the Middle East, there are several initiatives by the leadership that are pioneering efforts to enable organisations and people to navigate the complexities of AI and emerging technologies. Innovators and entrepreneurs, attracted to the region’s dynamic environment, have to understand how they can better support this ambitious yet challenging goal. Martech solutions will be at the forefront of this endeavour by providing SMEs with an easy way to directly apply AI to solve some of their most pressing growth problems.
Consolidate AI tools
Many entrepreneurs manage their marketing efforts independently or with small teams. Today’s fast-paced innovation produces more technologies than they can effectively understand and prioritise.
According to our research, a typical SME uses anywhere from five to 15 different SaaS tools to run their business, making it difficult, costly and complicated to keep up. There could be one tool for social media, another for managing reviews and listings, and others for ad campaigns, website design, e-commerce, CRM, email and SMS marketing, content generation, digital asset management, reputation management, and so on. It soon gets too much to manage, resulting in missed opportunities, inefficiencies and a ‘spray and pray’ approach.
Instead of relying on several standalone software products, the process should be geared towards making life simple for SMEs through one easy-to-use and cost-effective tool, obviously enabled by AI.
At Webidoo, we are developing one such tool that covers most marketing tasks, takes no more than 30 minutes to understand, with a personalised AI assistant trained specifically for marketing, harnessing AI capabilities to automate tasks and empower SMEs to achieve their business objectives more efficiently – even with resource constraints and no prior knowledge of marketing tools. This approach empowers business owners in the Middle East to concentrate on their core operations while leveraging AI for success.
Tailor AI tools to to the SME’s needs
It is important to have a strong emphasis on data-driven decision making and user centric design principles to ensure that future product updates align with the evolving needs of SMEs in the Middle East.
By grounding product development in validated research, addressing pain points identified through meticulous market analysis, and leveraging the power of AI including collaborations with the regional AI ecosystem, it is possible to continually evolve to meet regional SMEs’ requirements. They need a product tailored for them, instead of something designed for enterprises or other markets.
Contrary to fear mongering, such applications of AI will not replace people; instead, this will free up limited resources and talent who can then add more value to SMEs. It will create successful businesses that will form the backbone of regional economies. With millions of youth in the Middle East entering the workforce annually, and only a fraction of corporate jobs being created, successful SMEs will be the region’s employment lifeline.
In essence, unlocking the power of AI in marketing for SMEs in the Middle East will equip them with the tools necessary to compete effectively with larger businesses. Such initiatives characterise the transformative potential of AI in equalising access to innovation and supporting SMEs’ growth ambitions. By delivering accessible and integrated marketing solutions, we can lay the groundwork for a more inclusive and vibrant SME ecosystem in the region
By Ketaki Banga, CEO and Co-Founder Webidoo MEA
