With almost two billion Muslims globally, Ramadan is observed by a significant percentage of the worldwide population. Therefore, in order to craft an inclusive campaign, marketers must explore Ramadan and social media in tandem. Not only does this allow your brand to be all-encompassing, but it also enables you to take advantage of one of the largest global marketing seasons.
This year, Ramadan is set to fall on either Wednesday, 22 or Thursday, 23 March, and the beginning of the Islamic Holy Month will incite a shift in behaviour for individuals. Outside of the Muslim community, Ramadan is perceived as a time in which Muslims refrain from drinking and eating during daylight hours. Despite this, the customs of Ramadan go much deeper than this, with changes in patterns of consumption going beyond food intake. As a result, brands must adjust their Ramadan ideas for social media accordingly.
Can you use social media during Ramadan?
As previously mentioned, Ramadan is a time at which consumption changes, and this applies to social media, too. While social media usage isn’t necessarily prohibited during Ramadan, Muslims often change how they interact with it during the Holy Month. The intention of Ramadan is to rid oneself of impurity during the daylight hours in order to get closer to Allah (SWT). Consequently, Muslims might refrain from engaging in gossip via social media and, instead, use it to interact with the wider Muslim community.
How Brands Can Implement the Four Stages of a Ramadan Social Media Campaign
In order to craft successful Ramadan social media campaigns, you can’t wait for the beginning of the month. Instead, you’ll need to get started with your Ramadan preparations at least two weeks in advance. This two-week pre-Ramadan preparation stage is the first of the four steps needed for a thriving Ramadan social media campaign. These Ramadan social media ideas might consist of spirituality-focused posts, festive décor ideas, cooking reviews, and fashion inspiration. Ahead of Ramadan, people are conscious that they will spend the month extensively hosting, so they’ll be looking for inspiration via their social platforms.
After the two-week preparation stage, Ramadan will begin. During these first two weeks, you will employ the second stage of your Ramadan social media strategy. In doing so, you may continue with the spirituality-related posts while incorporating modest beauty tutorials, themed recipes, dessert recipes, or 10-minute recipes. Long days of fasting will occasionally see people’s minds being occupied by food, meaning they’re going to want to satisfy their hunger as quickly as possible once the sun sets. Ultimately, these first two weeks are about adjusting to the drastic changes and providing top tips for doing so.
Next comes the last two weeks of Ramadan. During this time, Muslims will have consolidated their good habits and be looking forward to Eid celebrations. As a result, your social media strategy might consist of beauty and grooming tips, restaurant suggestions, Eid gift ideas, entertainment posts, and even pilgrimage-related posts. During this time, celebrations will be at the forefront of minds, and this should be reflected in a brand’s social media posts.
Although Ramadan will eventually draw to a close, this doesn’t mean your Ramadan social media strategy should hit an abrupt ending. Instead, Eid is a Ramadan moment of its own, which needs to be taken advantage of in the form of social media posts. For instance, the excitement that’s incited by Eid will lead to thoughts about other exciting prospects. These include travel, returning to old habits such as eating out, and gifting.
The Key Themes for Ramadan Social Media Post Ideas
When it comes to moulding a successful Ramadan social media campaign, your posts should revolve around a handful of themes. These include value and prudence, quality connections, holistic well-being, mindfulness and intention, and rejuvenation and renewal.
For instance, Ramadan is all about assessing one’s behaviour to adhere to solely pure practices. As a result, it causes people to make smarter choices, including those associated with shopping and spending. Consequently, brands need to ensure they’re boosting optimised functionality and great deals during Ramadan by way of their social media.
What’s more, connections are a central theme of Ramadan. This means connecting with oneself, Allah (SWT), and the wider Muslim community. Therefore, brands need to communicate how they enable individuals to connect with one another.
Although Ramadan is all about purifying oneself, it also presents the ideal opportunity to improve one’s physical and mental well-being. As a result, brands should work to convey how important their audience is to them and make them feel cared for.
Last but not least, the primary premise of Ramadan is actively doing good deeds. Whether you perform good deeds as a brand or give your audience the means to do so, this needs to be a central theme of your Ramadan social media strategy.
Launch a Successful Social Media Ramadan Strategy with i3MEDIA
Here at i3MEDIA, we’ve worked alongside many Muslim charities to carry out successful social media campaign ideas. That said, all manner of brands can make the most of Ramadan via their social media strategies, whether they’re linked to Islam or not! Discover how you can maximise your social media this Ramadan with i3MEDIA.