How to Start a Marketing and Communications Agency in Dubai

Monday April 25, 2022

The UAE contributes 46% of the $23.43 billion spent on digital advertising in the Middle East and North Africa. With Dubai’s economy booming, recent legislation has made company setup simpler for foreign nationals. So, starting a marketing and communications agency in Dubai has tremendous potential.

Here are the basics of what you need to know about starting a marketing and communications agency in Dubai, from the benefits to applying for licenses and visas. We even include some tips to help grow your business. Hopefully, after reading this post, you will have a better idea of how to go about launching your company.

In this article, we cover the following topics:

• Why start your company with Creative Zone

Why start a marketing and communications agency in Dubai?

There are several advantages to starting a marketing and communications agency in Dubai. Among them are:

Quick setup: The process of forming a company is fast and straightforward. In about 90 minutes, you can register your business with the Department of Economic Development (DED). The typical setup time is between four and five days. However, various issues can slow down the process, including government certifications.

Tax benefits: Companies in the United Arab Emirates are exempt from paying any taxes – income or corporate.

100% Foreign Ownership: The UAE allows foreign nationals to own the company. Several legal structures will enable you to retain 100% ownership of your company.

Steps to start a communications and PR agency in Dubai

Forming communications and PR agency in Dubai can be a complicated process. The Department оf Economic Development (DED) has laid out specific steps your must follow to ensure that your company is legally compliant. Here at Creative Zone, we have simplified the process into six simple steps:

Step 1: Select a name
The name of your company must ideally represent your core business activities. The UAE has strict naming laws, including the use of offensive or derogatory words, so bear that in mind when picking the business name.

Step 2: Decide the jurisdiction.
Dubai has three economic jurisdictions – mainland, free zone, and offshore with their own respective business rules and regulations. When deciding your jurisdiction, you need to consider the nature of your business, accessibility to your market and office location.

Step 3: Legal structure
As mentioned earlier, you can choose various legal structures for your company. Which one you pick provides the foundation for structuring your assets and resources and dealing with your profits and losses. Some of the types of legal or business structures available in Dubai are:

Limited liability company (LLC)

• Local or foreign company branch

Step 4: Submit documentation to the DED
While the company formation and the licence issuance are simultaneous, the documentation and approval process is multi-staged. Regardless of whether you utilise a company formation service agency like Creative Zone or submit your application on your own, you will require the following:

• Your certified tenancy contract of the office space

Step 5: Approval process for special activities
If your company needs to participate in specific activities, you will require authorisation from other appropriate authorities.

Step 6: Process your visa
You may apply for visas for your staff and family members simultaneously as your visa application. Assuming that the information is complete and accurate, the process is as follows:

• Getting your Emirates ID and visa stamp

Cost of a marketing and communications license in Dubai

The cost of a marketing and communications license in Dubai is between AED 12,000 to 30,000. However, the outlay varies depending on the industry type and services:

• Depending on the category of employees you hire, their fee is between AED 5,000 and AED 7,000 per visa.

To get an accurate quote based on current pricing and your specific requirements, don’t hesitate to contact Creative Zone. Depending on what you are looking to do, one of our business setup managers will be able to help you.

Three tips for growing your marketing and communications agency in Dubai

Growing your agency begins on the inside. Here are three in-house activities that can help your organisation flourish. Use these tips to expand your customer base and establish long-term company ideas when in doubt.

1. Specialisation: Set yourself apart from the competition by narrowing your focus on one sort of customer (such as an industry) and one primary service. This allows you to present yourself as THE expert to that specific group of prospects, setting you apart from the competition. You can also expand considerably quicker when you use the same strategies that have worked for each of your clients.

2. Concrete advertising goals and accountability: You may need to set up a separate structure for marketing campaigns and project managers to achieve this. With this set, it is easier to go to market and get your growth initiatives off the ground, generating the essential referrals that every agency needs to succeed.

3. Content creation: Search engine optimisation (SEO) content creation is one of the best ways to generate leads online. When you optimise your content with keywords like ‘marketing agency’ or ‘communications agency,’ it increases the likelihood that those web pages will rank well on Google. People will find your articles, read them and find value in them. Eventually, they will see you as an expert in your field and reach out to you for your services.

Why start your company with Creative Zone

So those were the key points on how to start a marketing and communications agency in Dubai. While forming a business in Dubai appears simple enough, it requires qualified and expert professionals to handle all government-related work.

When it comes to setting up businesses, Creative Zone is the UAE’s most well-known expert. More than 44,000 enterprises have benefited from our assistance since 2010.
We are:

• hassle-free

Getting your business setup in Dubai is only the beginning. We can also provide you with additional services such as:

• networking opportunities

Every client of Creative Zone gets access to our networking tool – CZ Connect. Through it, you can network, interact and develop relationships with our community of fellow entrepreneurs and the region’s business community.

Get started with your Freezone or mainland company formation in Dubai by taking advantage of our complimentary consultations.

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