A 90-day digital marketing plan for a new business in Saudi Arabia
In short: split your first 90 days into three stages. Days 1–30: set up your presence and measurement (website or store, tracking, Google Business Profile, accounts). 31–60: test two or three platforms with different offers and ads. 61–90: scale the winner, and build free channels such as content, search and returning customers. Judge by customer cost and value, not followers.
Most new businesses in Saudi Arabia start with the same mistake: ads from day one with no measurement, then confusion a month later: “we spent and don’t know what worked”. Here is a practical plan for the first three months, ordered so each stage builds on the one before.
Why a digital plan first?
According to DataReportal, Saudi Arabia had about 34.4 million internet users at the end of 2025, close to 99% of the population, and Snapchat, YouTube and TikTok reach most of them with ads. Your customer is there; the question is how to reach them at the lowest cost and know what works.
Stage one (days 1–30): foundations and measurement
- Week 1: define your ideal customer (who they are, what they need, why they’d choose you), your core offer, your margin, and the highest customer cost you can afford.
- Week 2: prepare the website or store: fast on mobile, clear pages, easy payment and contact.
- Week 3: set up measurement: Google Analytics, the platforms’ pixels, and conversion tracking for purchases, forms or WhatsApp.
- Week 4: open the ad accounts and prepare 6 to 10 ads with different ideas, and create your Google Business Profile if you have local customers.
By the end of the month, everything is ready to be measured. Don’t rush the ads before this.
Stage two (days 31–60): testing
- Choose two or three platforms based on your audience (see Snapchat or TikTok?).
- Run the same offer with different ads and a calculated budget (see How much ad budget do you need?).
- Every week: stop the weakest, add two new ads, and review the landing page.
- Talk to your first customers: why did they buy? What nearly stopped them? That’s the best material for your next ads.
By the end of the month, you know which platform, which message and which audience bring customers at an acceptable cost.
Stage three (days 61–90): scaling and free channels
- Move most of the budget to the winner, and scale gradually.
- Start content: articles and videos that answer your customers’ real questions, bringing search visits over time.
- Turn on post-purchase messages to encourage repeat purchases and reviews.
- Ask satisfied customers for a review on Google or in your store.
The numbers you judge by
- Customer acquisition cost: total spend ÷ number of new customers.
- Conversion rate: how many visitors out of a hundred buy or get in touch.
- Average order value.
- The share of returning customers after 60 and 90 days.
Followers and views are supporting signals, not the goal.
Common mistakes in the first 90 days
- Starting ads before the website and tracking are ready.
- Changing everything every two days before data builds up.
- Spreading a small budget over every platform.
- Neglecting content and search because they’re “slow”, though they’re the cheapest in the long run.
Frequently asked questions
Are 90 days enough to know whether my business works online?
Enough to know whether there’s demand for your offer, roughly what a customer costs, and which channel works. Full growth takes longer, but your big decisions become based on numbers.
How much budget do I need for stage two?
It depends on the highest customer cost you can afford and the number of results the platform needs to learn. Work it out from your numbers before you start.
Do I need a website if I sell through WhatsApp or Instagram?
It helps a lot: it builds trust, shows up in search, and allows accurate ad measurement. It can be simple at first.
The bottom line
Lay the foundations, then test, then scale, and judge by numbers at every step. If you’d like a team to walk the first 90 days with you, from foundations to growth, have a look at our digital advertising service.
