KABUL (SW) – In a series of interviews with marketing experts and professionals, Salam Watandar has found that three modern digital marketing methods such as LinkedIn, Google Ads, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are becoming increasingly popular among youths in Afghanistan.
LinkedIn, as a professional network, enables businesses to expand their commercial connections, introduce their products, and engage with specific target audiences in a more strategic way.
Belal Salehi, a marketer for one of Afghanistan’s largest telecommunications and internet companies, which operates in all 34 provinces, highlights the advantages of LinkedIn in marketing: “LinkedIn allows us to build targeted and effective business connections, something that was almost impossible with traditional methods. In older methods, most efforts were focused on general advertising, whereas LinkedIn gives us the opportunity to engage directly with specific professional audiences.”
He adds that LinkedIn is not only effective for domestic sales but also opens opportunities for global marketing. “Through LinkedIn, we’ve been able to build a network of clients and business partners in international markets. This was previously impossible with traditional marketing methods.”
As new marketing strategies emerge every day in the world of business, Google Ads has also gained significant attention in Afghanistan as a powerful tool in digital marketing.
While online advertising is growing globally, it is now accessible in Afghanistan as well, with many companies using it to attract new customers and boost their sales.
Sadiya Yaqubi, a marketer in the cosmetics sales sector, has been using Google Ads effectively for the past year to attract customers. “The latest method we use is Google Ads. We focus on promoting an announcement and reaching a large number of viewers and customers both inside and outside Afghanistan. By using this method, we can promote an advertisement across all our social media pages, like Instagram and Facebook, selecting a product or image and promoting it through Google Ads, reaching both our followers and potential new customers,” she explained.
Alongside LinkedIn and Google Ads, Artificial Intelligence has also brought significant changes to marketing in recent times. From content creation to producing videos and images for products, AI allows marketers to create and distribute their advertisements with greater ease and speed.
Firuza Azimi, a young entrepreneur who started a small business in handmade crafts and book markers, views the use of AI as an essential tool for simplifying her work. She says: “To fill my free time, I decided to start a small handmade craft business, making scarves, scrunchies, and bows. Alongside this, I create bookmarks for an online bookstore. AI tools that help with voice recording and editing have greatly simplified my work.”
Meanwhile, Maiwand Samadi, a university professor and marketing expert, speaks about the progress made in the sector over the past year. However, he emphasizes the need for further attention from marketers and companies to modern marketing techniques in Afghanistan. He also calls on the Islamic Emirate de-facto government to provide more support for technology and innovation to foster new marketing methods.
“Companies need to focus more on effective marketing. Outdated strategies no longer work; we need to focus more on new methods. Marketing in Afghanistan has progressed significantly over the past year, and there are many job opportunities being created through advertising. The government needs to collaborate with youth on technology to support further growth,” he said.
Afghan youths are now using advanced marketing methods, in contrast to the past when marketers relied solely on traditional, non-digital approaches. With the rise of digital marketing and social media, new and creative ways of attracting customers and promoting products have emerged, which businesses around the world are now adopting.
