This is my piece on social media in Oman which was published in Times of Oman today. You can read the PDF format here.

More and more companies in Oman are embracing social media like never before, taking to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other tools in droves to connect with the customers of tomorrow.

People in the Sultanate are getting used to the online way of life by preferring online payment facilities from shopping to ordering food to buying tickets to watch their favourite flick in the town. And, they do it with more confidence and trust as never before. For them, internet is now much more than just emails and Google search. Thanks to falling internet connectivity prices, plus invasion of smart phones and tablets, now people are connected to the online world round the clock.

With substantial number of active Facebook and Twitter users, brands are finding it easy to spread the word about them over the web. They talk to their audience directly, and in some cases even offer them discounts and freebies as part of their customer service approach. In some cases, the audience is given a chance to win free concert tickets or gift vouchers for brand promotion activities such as online quizzes.

Not to be left behind, quite a few social media agencies are operating in Oman, advising brands on the potential and way forward to use social media tools with precision.

From online discussion forums to blogs, people are getting information at a pace which a static website can never match. Whether it is food reviews, new restaurant launches or even traffic updates, many people are using or relying on social media as their primary source of information.

Of course, in Oman online advertising is not as lucrative as it is in the west. A lot of major companies are still not tracking referrals from other sites. Thanks to platforms like Corporate Blog, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Facebook, brands are now realising the power of internet like never before. Facebook is very popular in Oman, and as per recent estimates, there are around 329,000 users in the country, which makes it 103rd in the Facebook worldwide ranking.

But it cannot be denied that the Sultanate has a long way to go in terms of adoption of the internet as a complete source of information and the alignment of infrastructure to support that. As of now, the available infrastructure is limited to urban and semi-urban areas.

Recent trends on social media and consumer behaviour have shown that a large number of customers are actively seeking and searching product information online and through social media platforms.

The majority of businesses in the region are slowly realising the importance of having social media in their overall media relations and marketing plan, but lack the know-how to create the buzz online. Even government institutions too are jumping onto the social media bandwagon to deliver and share information with their audience but cautiously.

No organisation, whether in public or private sector, can afford to ignore the potential of social media in today’s world. If they don’t wake up soon to take advantage of the opportunity, then they can be sure of their competition overtaking them.

One of the reasons for companies to shun social media in Oman is the transparency it gets into the scheme of things. Once brands are in, they can’t dictate terms to the users like the traditional media which is more of a one-way communication. Many companies in Oman are still wary about social media as they feel the privacy of the company is invaded and their reputation hurt by way of honest feedback. The trend is changing for sure but slowly. It is important for brands in Oman to realise that social media gets transparency into their business which is so vital in today’s world. They get to listen to honest feedback which can be used to improve their services and fine-tune products.

Social media is a cool and cost effective way to build a lasting relationship with customers and partners. Unlike the traditional advertising acquaintance, social media helps the company to talk to its customer, and this can help in building relationship for life.

Imagine this. A customer is having problem with his internet connection, and he contacts the telecom company using social networking tools. The company listens to his problem and solves it immediately. Isn’t he a happy customer? There is every possibility of him telling about his experience to his friends. Imagine the kind of goodwill the company generates. Similarly, local banks, hotels, trading companies, fashion brands, stores, etc, can reap benefits by adopting social media quickly.

A recent survey of chief marketing officers has highlighted the ever-growing importance of social media marketing and found strong trends in its use for business-to-customer (B2C) marketing. The survey revealed that firms continue to emphasise social media, which is forecasted to grow from the existing 6 per cent to 18 per cent of marketing budgets within the next five years.

B2C companies are devoting more resources to nurturing existing customer relationships through increased spending on social media, brand building and integrating what they know about customers into their work. About 32 per cent of firms surveyed expect to eliminate channel partners and other ‘middle man’ relationships in order to maintain direct contact with customers while reducing costs. Brands cannot afford to ignore social media if they want to stay ahead of the competition.

Be social in every way possible. That is the future.

(Photos by: Kishor Cariappa)

Good news for commuters. Muscat Municipality has awarded a contract to ease traffic along Darsait-Wadi Al Kabir stretch.

A report says: As part of the plans to ease traffic jams in Ruwi and its adjoining areas, Muscat Municipality awarded a contract to carry out an expansion project of the Darsait-Wadi Al Kabir road.

The project includes the construction of flyovers, a subway and development of all junctions along the carriageway. The project will help absorb the massive traffic along the Bait al Falaj Street and related cross-roads way down along Al Qurum-Darsait Heights road till the Wadi al Kabir area.

Giving other details, the municipality said that the project includes the expansion of the Qurum-Darsait Heights Highway to resolve traffic jams during peak hours, while at the same time separating the vehicles heading to Darsait and Al Wadi al Kabir via Muttrah using different lanes and vice versa.

The flyover close to the junction at Hassan bin Thabit School will be connected to the junction in front of Star Cinema. A new subway will be constructed near the Sheraton Oman hotel’s junction, while a four-way junction (with traffic lights) will be set up above the subway to ease traffic heading to adjoining areas.

A new subway and a flyover will be set up over Al Wadi al Kabir roundabout, which will be converted into a four-way junction (with traffic lights). Two pedestrian overpasses will be constructed above this road. A comprehensive study will be conducted to ensure that the best solutions to future traffic needs till the year 2036. The latest international standards will be applied while carrying out the project.

Star Cinema intersection – this is how the drawing looks on paper

Sheraton Hotel intersection – this is how the drawing looks on paper

Sequence of events for this project:

March 2008 – Muscat Municipality announces a plan to implement four tunnels along Ruwi – Bustan road at Wadi Kabir R/A and junctions of Stars Cinema, Sheraton Hotel, and Baladia Street.

October 2010 – Muscat Municiaplity calls for design and construction of underpasses and flyovers along Darsait-Wadi Kabir.

September 2011 – Muscat Municipality reveals the expansion plan.

More details on the project are not available as of now. When the construction happens, the place will be super messed up. That is for sure.

A report in Times of Oman says:

In a move that will make easier the process of renewal of residence cards for expatriates, the Royal Oman Police (ROP) has announced major changes in the existing procedures, as per which, expatriates seeking to renew their resident cards need not be present at the Department of Civil Status office.

Instead, the company owner or an authorised employee of the company can get the card renewed on his or her behalf. The new rule came into effect yesterday.

However, the procedure for issuing of residence cards for first timers remains unchanged.

“The new announcement means that the expatriates seeking to renew their residency do not have to come themselves; their company can send a representative to do it. However, for a change of sponsorship or job, the expatriate may be needed to be physically present, along with the representative of the company they want to join,” a spokesman of the Residence Office said.

A notice from the ROP in the newspapers yesterday announced that “the General Administration of Civil Status will begin the application of this new mechanism for the renewal of residence card for the convenience of the employers in the Sultanate. The application of the new mechanism will be limited to the General Administration of Civil Status at Al Seeb, as a first phase.”

For company authorities, the notice informed, it is a must that the authorised representatives bring renewal applications of at least 10 people at a time.

Besides, the legally authorised representative who brings the cards for renewal should have an authorisation letter from the company. The new services are available during the normal office hours.

Now, please do something about the blood test centre in Darsait. Visiting that place is a nightmare.

More details here.

Oman Air’s service between Muscat-Salalah sector still needs a lot of improvement. I had blogged about my previous experience on this route a couple of years back. But, now, things are much better. A few days back, I was on a day’s trip to Salalah, and these are the things I noticed:

1. The passengers are pre-dominantly Omanis, so that means the airline needs to have Arabic speaking flight attendants servicing the economy class passengers. The supervisor is always an Omani, and he/she is always in the business class. With many Omanis finding it difficult to converse in English, the Filipino attendants have no clue when they are asked a question or two in Arabic.

2. Funnily, Salalah to Muscat flight serves only lamb and vegetarian sandwiches while Muscat to Salalah has chicken and vegetarian choices. I wonder what makes them think that people turn red meat eaters all of a sudden on their return journey. Many Omanis, who were seated in front of me refused to eat meat, and preferred veggie food, not by choice but due to lack of options. A Tanzanian genetleman sitting next to me said on a evening flight to Salalah he was offered only macaroni and when he asked for an alternative, he got a reply: “We have only this and nothing else.”

There is vast improvement in the quality of food being served. Two years back when I traveled with my family, we could not get veggie food, but now that is taken care. Also, the sandwiches are piping hot, and not cold like before.

On the return evening flight from Salalah, they serve kubs (Arabic bread) and it is hard, stale and cold. It takes a lot of courage to eat it with hummus. Another bewildering aspect is that Oman Air has tied-up with Omani brand Al Jabal Al Akhdar for mineral water while it offers Al Marai’s mixed fruit flavour. Why aren’t they promoting an Omani juice company as well?

3. Since I returned the same day to Muscat, the flight attendants were the same set that was part of the morning flight to Salalah. The ones, who were smiling and courteous in the morning, were grumpy and irritated in the evening. Not sure if they were overworked or totally bored. As a passenger, it is quite irritating to see an attendant sporting a disenchanted and a dazed look.

4. Both during the morning and evening, the flight was packed. This means the sector is doing well in terms of passenger movement. Why not put some more effort to take care of nitty-gritty things to pamper domestic travellers as well?

Oman Air, are you listening?