Muslim Consumer Marketing: 4 Easy Words to Bear in Mind When Marketing to Muslim Consumers
Muslims make up the majority of Malaysia, making them a highly suitable demographic to target for your marketing campaigns. Photo by Hasan Almasi on Unsplash
When it comes to writing copy (words to sell your brand and product) for your precious brand, tailoring your message to a specific audience is key to producing engaging content— and with engaging and inspiring content, comes brand loyalty and a higher likelihood of generating leads and sales.
Put simply, your content (be it for campaigns, advertisements, or content marketing) has to speak to the hearts of a selected group of people, whether that’s working mothers under the age of fifty, busy millennials who value fast fashion, cat owners who live in Asia… or Muslim consumers.
Imagine you’re selling seasonal gifts and on your online store and email newsletters, and your copy lacks any specification of who you’re directing your message to, for example: Look no further than this because we’re offering a 20% discount when you leave with another item; in contrast, check out the following: No time to pick a gift for your colleague? We’re offering a 20% discount to generous souls looking to get their friends something to treasure this season. We’re willing to bet that most of you reading this would prefer the second copy, as it strikes as more impactful.
The difference? The much-preferred bolded second message (or copy) is made possible only when you’ve pinned down who your target audience is, elaborating too on what their problems are (in the above scenario, the target audience is very busy) and the kind of people they want to be (a thoughtful and giving person). In this case, who refers to those:
a) without much time to go shopping for gifts,
b) those who would like to see themselves as kind and generous individuals, and
c) those with friends.
When such specifications have been laid, brand copy becomes more purposeful, hence effective. Similarly, as you go about marketing your brand during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are ways to ensure your copy caters to the minds of people living through and battling the coronavirus. In short, when you define the characteristics of your target audience (you could never run out of ways to define them), along with their unique set of daily problems and their values— who they aspire to be as people and the things that matter to them the most, you’re likely to come up with copy that sells well.
In essence, all you have to do to level up your brand copywriting strategy is to identify who and then simply define the traits of who you’ve chosen. Not sure where to start? Think about the location of your business and who the majority are: if you’re living in Malaysia, know that more than 60% of Malaysians are Muslims, which makes Muslim consumers a fantastic demographic to start targeting. For the rest of this article, we will show you one step you can take to take into account this statistic…
If it has never occurred to you to customize your marketing strategies to the Muslim population, take this opportunity to discover 4 easy words to bear in mind when marketing to Muslim consumers, no matter the platform of the content (a flier, Instagram post, blog article, your website, landing page, or email newsletter) due to the deep meaning and connection these words have within Islam.
Word 1: Knowledge
Knowledge is a powerful word even outside the context of Islam, but within Islam, the world’s second largest religion, there has always been a longstanding tradition of encouraging Muslims to read and reflect for the purpose of having a better understanding of god, the Quran (Islam’s religious text), and all of god’s creation. In fact, the very first word revealed to the prophet to be written in the Quran was Iqra, a word which means “read” in Arabic.
Indeed, Muslims have been instructed by their religion to read and seek knowledge…therefore, if you want to be a Muslim-friendly brand, place an emphasis on knowledge, whether it’s by sharing your knowledge and expertise with weekly videos and blog articles*, hosting a real-time Q&A session with Instagram Live, or a monthly webinar. Copy-wise, use phrases such as ‘to increase your knowledge” when encouraging Muslim consumers to sign up or view a post or article, and other words related to ‘knowledge’ such as ‘understanding’ and ‘awareness’.
*Want to set up a remarkable blog for your business? Make sure your blogs have these 7 things all impressive blogs have in common.
Word 2: Strive
Give your all and fight for what you believe in: that’s the real definition of striving (or ‘jehad’) in Islam. Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
Another impactful word in addition to knowledge is striving, or ‘to strive’. When we strive, we put a lot of effort to achieve something, and even struggle on our way towards achieving success if it’s necessary. In other words, striving is about giving our best shot, going all out in whatever is being attempted.
Striving has a special meaning to Muslims because throughout Islamic history, advocates of this religion experienced a lot of aggressive pushback, causing these early Muslims to struggle in their fight towards a more just society, which resulted in a strong spirit of fighting hard (or striving!) towards causes that please god. Next time you’re talking (in a podcast, webinar, IG Live, or videos) or writing (blogs, newsletters, social media posts) to Muslim consumers, don’t hesitate to use the word strive. For instance, ‘strive towards brand success’ instead of ‘work towards brand success’ will subconsciously make all the difference to a Muslim mind, even if they aren’t aware of it.
Word 3: Bring
A Muslim target audience cares about what they bring to others, as doing so brings themselves rewards in the afterlife. Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash
The word ‘bring’ is yet another everyday word that you can use when communicating to Muslim consumers, not only because it’s one of the most widely used words in the Quran but also because it contains several meanings in the context of Islam such as to serve and to give.
Muslims believe that the will of god brings about good fortune and guidance, and that as Muslims their duty is to bring themselves closer to god, precisely by doing just that: bringing joy to other people such as by doing good (e.g. charity work) and avoiding what Islam prohibits, which is also why it is a religious obligation for Muslims to give away a percentage of their wealth to the needy.
Thus, when promoting your brand, apply the word ‘bring’ so that your copy starts to naturally center around the topic of human beings bringing value to each other. For instance, write ‘No matter what life brings, you can bring joy to others with a bottle of [your product]’ instead of ‘no matter what happens in life, you can make others happy by buying them a bottle of [your product]’— a beverage brand being used as an example here.
Are you a beverage brand looking for more efficient ways to sell your drinks? You might want to read this later.
Word 4: Reward
One great way to reward any audience, but especially a Muslim target audience, is by replying to their comments with a direct, personal message that shows them you hear and understand them. Photo by Nasik Lababan on Unsplash
Did you know? In Muslim countries, Jazak Allahy Khair is a common phrase that means ‘May god reward you for the good’, implying gratitude towards someone when they have been helpful, kind, and patient.
Rewarding your followers with great content is key to both brand loyalty and a sustainable brand, but especially for a Muslim consumer, the word ‘reward’ goes beyond the meaning of the word itself, and extends to how Muslims think about the main meaning of life as stated in the Quran, which is to believe in god and do good in order to receive a never-ending reward in the afterlife.
Truly, Muslims are brought up to believe that there will be a reward for every activity, interaction, or engagement. Therefore, not only should you promise a reward for every subscription or comment on a social media post (for instance, you can reward Muslim followers by replying to their comments to your post with a warm and personal message) but also use the word reward itself in your copy e.g. Reward yourself to a hard day’s work with our [your product]’ versus just ‘treat yourself to a hard day’s work with our [your product]’.
Final Words
Words play such a big role in marketing that businesses hire agencies to work on their copy whether it’s for advertising, content marketing, or SEO, and in order to come up with captivating and relevant copy, agencies rely on their understanding of a target audience of a business: not only who they are but the specific problems they struggle with and their cultural values, and how culture and even religion shapes their response to life’s challenges.
At the end of the day, a Muslim consumer appreciates copy that elaborates on values such as acquiring knowledge, striving towards what is desired, bringing good to others, and rewarding oneself for doing good— not to say that non-Muslims don’t value these things— it’s just that these things certainly linger at the back of the minds of Muslim consumers due to their connection to Islam.
If you have questions about what your business can do to target an even more specific audience such as Muslim millennials or Muslim mothers, reach out to us today.
