Unity Partners: Lead Generation Success for Attracting Russian-Speaking Clients

Background

The year 2022 was a period of strong political and economic turmoil for Russia. Tougher sanctions policy on the part of European countries, disconnection from the international SWIFT payment system, and other factors forced enterprising Russians, mainly businessmen and people with high incomes, to plan for an "emergency exit" strategy. Many of them began taking an active interest in relocating to other countries, opening foreign bank accounts, expanding their business, and buying foreign real estate to diversify their income.

The Economist estimates that 500,000 to 1 million people emigrated from Russia between 2022 and 2023. The United Arab Emirates has emerged as one of the most popular destinations. By the end of 2022, Russians had become the leading buyers of Dubai real estate. Businessmen began registering their companies in the UAE more actively. This was a natural progression, given the significant prospect of business in the Emirates. There are many reasons for this activity, including the easier procedure for purchasing and registering transactions, as well as other social factors.

Having an expert in the UAE who can provide legislative and economic security for Russian investors is a significant advantage. This is especially true when compared to attempting to understand the processes of a new country on your own. This is the approach that we have used to develop the promotional strategy of the Unity Partners consulting company in Dubai.

Goal

The client was looking to increase the number of transactions with Russian-speaking citizens. Our main task was to capture the audience's attention with a business interest in the UAE. Unity Partners' initial request was to create a landing page and run contextual advertising in Yandex.

Our analysis of the client's services revealed the need to transform the one-page landing into a website. There were good reasons for this. First, we made it a priority to differentiate ourselves from competitors, many of whom have "one-page" offerings. Secondly, thematic pages provide users with more detailed information about the service and the company, which increases trust. Thirdly, the site has more content than the landing page. This increases the time spent on the resource.

We also considered that the site could be of interest to those looking to relocate or do business abroad. We will attract these users to the UAE and convince them to use Unity Partners' services. Want to know how? Let's get into it.

Solutions

The more complex the service, the simpler and clearer its description must be. This is true even for entrepreneurs. We decided against creating a landing page for this reason.

Unity Partners offers three key services that require separate pages and detailed descriptions of the benefits.

• Business Registration in the UAE
• Opening an account in the UAE
• Obtaining a UAE resident visa

We directed users to the right page of the site based on their interests using paid ads in Yandex. In terms of geography, our reach extended beyond Russia to encompass other locations with Russian-speaking communities, including the CIS and Europe. We developed a wide range of advertising creatives for media advertising in the Yandex advertising network and text ads for advertising in the search engine for the campaign. We segmented the client's potential audience by types of services. The campaign was a resounding success, delivering positive results just one month after its launch in December 2022. The client received seven qualified leads, four of which closed deals with him in a short period of time.

Furthermore, we created a separate page on the Unity Partners blog to maintain user interest, featuring content on the hottest topics in business and financial transactions in the UAE. This reinforced the brand's expertise and improved the site's usability.

Our strategy proved effective: qualified leads came in consistently over several months, with a total of 36 between December 2022 and February 2023. In spring 2023, we saw a significant increase in the number of Russian citizens relocating. This was our cue to expand the campaign's reach. Also, we emphasized the creation of highly expert content.

UAE mania: Guide for Russian entrepreneurs

We created a PDF guide to enhance Unity Partners' promotional strategy. Our main task was to demonstrate the client's expertise and use real-life stories to strengthen the trust of the potential audience.

"UAE Mania" is a must-read for Russian entrepreneurs and companies ready to take their businesses to the next level in the United Arab Emirates. The guide addresses the challenges Russian companies face due to international sanctions and provides practical solutions leveraging the opportunities the UAE offers.

The following key topics were covered:

• UAE market analysis: The UAE's robust economy, advantageous tax policies, and high global competitiveness make it an ideal destination for business expansion.
• Enterprise case studies: Real-life stories of Russian entrepreneurs who have successfully registered companies in the UAE and solved problems with international bank transfers.
• A practical guide with detailed instructions on how to register a business, obtain the necessary licenses, and navigate the UAE's legal and business structures.
• The forecasts and trends for key industries such as tourism and technology. Emphasis on diversifying the UAE economy to reduce dependence on oil.

The ‘UAE mania’ guide is available for free download on the Unity Partners website.

Comparative analysis of global jurisdictions

The UAE is not the only country where Russian entrepreneurs and investors are interested in opening a business outside the Russian Federation. We used this fact to our advantage by presenting a detailed comparative study of popular global jurisdictions.

The Unity Partners comparative survey presents 12 jurisdictions, including the UAE, Turkey, Cyprus, Serbia, Spain, and others. Each country was evaluated on the following key criteria: political status of relations with Russia, complexity of account opening, business environment, inflation, place in the Doing Business world ranking, and industry market opportunities.

All data was conveniently presented in a one-page PDF table. As with the guide, it was also available for free download on the website. The analysis definitively shows that the UAE compares favorably with other countries in a number of key indicators:

• Neutral relations with Russia guarantee stability and predictability for entrepreneurs.
• The ease of opening an account and doing business, as the UAE provides simpler procedures compared to many other jurisdictions.
• A stable and developed business environment with already existing infrastructure, which makes the country attractive for long-term investments.
• Low inflation rate (2.28%), which contributes to financial stability and favorable conditions for business development.
• High place in the Doing Business world ranking (16th place), which testifies to the transparency and convenience of doing business in the UAE.
• Sectoral market opportunities - tourism, real estate, IT technology, and logistics offer great opportunities for business growth and development.

Paid ads in Yandex brought interested users to the site alongside the publication of expert content. The campaign was a resounding success.

Results

Unity Partners received 116 qualified leads between December 2022 and October 2023. We achieved these results through a smart strategy. This included developing a Russian-language website, running a contextual campaign in Yandex with a differentiated approach to the client's potential audience, and creating highly expert content.

The RMAA team delivered a promotion that stayed within the client's budget. Furthermore, we successfully reduced CPM and cost per lead by an average of two times or more in spring 2023 and until the campaign's completion.