Reaching the UAE’s high net worth individuals on LinkedIn LinkedIn is the most popular social media platform for high net worth individuals in the United Arab Emirates, and a frequent source of guidance for both personal and business purchases. Roughly three quarters (73%) of the UAE’s most affluent consumers, using social media, , using social media, are on LinkedIn, and virtually all of these (92%) access the platform several times a week. Mobile devices play a key role in keeping high net worth individuals constantly connected to their LinkedIn feeds: 74% access LinkedIn via smartphone and 77% do so using a tablet. An appetite for professional insight and productivity drives high net worth individuals’ constant connection with LinkedIn. Professional connections, creating professional content and following influencers, brand and experts are amongst the top reasons for logging on. However, LinkedIn expertise also exerts strong influence over affluent consumers’ personal purchases and financial decisions. LinkedIn is the most trusted social media source of financial information for the high net worth audience in the UAE and 78% of this audience use social media for at least one financial purpose: consuming news, reviews and information on financial developments, gathering information to guide investment decisions and evaluating the financial decisions that they have already taken. Social media is highly influential in every stage of the financial purchase cycle and its influence is set to increase. Almost half (48%) of these high net worth individuals say that social media directs their opinions of financial products and services, and one in five expect it to become more influential in the next 12 months.

2. C O N T E N T S
1S E C T I O N Social media usage
2S E C T I O N Use of social media for financial information
3S E C T I O N Key findings & best practices
2

3. High Net Worth Individuals are engaged on
social media
3
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Base: HNW social media users
U S E S O C I A L M E D I A
100%
100%
AED 6m -< 12m
AED 12m+
97%
AED 3.8m -< 6m

4. 73% 72%
63%
37%
29%
LinkedIn is the most used social media site among High
Net Worth Individuals
4
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Base: HNW social media users

5. Frequency of social
media access
High Net Worth Individuals in the UAE access
LinkedIn on a regular basis
92%
of High Net Worth LinkedIn users in the UAE
access LinkedIn several times a week
5
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Base: HNW social media users

6. High Net Worth Individuals access LinkedIn via a mobile device
more frequently than any other social media site
6
74%
access LinkedIn
via a smartphone
77%
access LinkedIn
via a tablet device
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Base: HNW social media users
94%
access LinkedIn
via a smartphone
at least one a week
95%
access LinkedIn
via a tablet at least
one a week

7. Connect with colleagues
Read updates/posts and stay
up-to-date with colleagues
Follow experts, influencers,
companies & brandsCreate professional content
High Net Worth Individuals mostly use social media for
professional purposes
7
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Base: HNW social media users

8. 2
1
C O N T E N T S
S E C T I O N Use of social media for financial information
3S E C T I O N Key findings & best practices
S E C T I O N Social media usage
8

9. When is comes to financial information, High Net Worth Individuals
use social media to consume, explore & inform
9
Consume
Financial Content
Explore Content
Inform
26%
32%
38%
39%
31%
22%
29%
48%
Participate in groups/community discussions
Participate in online polls/surveys
Subscribe to financial related feeds/blogs
Follow a recognised industry expert
Search for key financial topics/information
Receive updates from financial services companies
and/or experts
Use as a source for financial news/content
Read financial reviews/recommendations
Aspects of social media used for financial purposes
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Base: HNW social media users

10. 78% of HNWI’s in the UAE who use social networks will use them for at least one financial
purpose
Recommend a financial product, policy,
or service
Seek advice/gather information to help make a financial decision
Gather preliminary information about financial products, policies or
institutions
Keep up-to-date with current financial trends
Re-evaluate a financial decision that has already
been made
74%
71%
65%
60%
57%
Social media has a purpose throughout each stage of
the financial purchase journey
10
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Base: HNW social media users

11. • Social platforms: Trust of financial information shared through an article on my network, by a financial
company or institution, by a financial professional/expert
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Base: HNW social media users
LinkedIn is the most trusted source for financial information
11

12. 46%
believe social media is influential
when forming opinions about
financial products/services
1in5
believe social media will
become more influential in the next
12 months when forming opinions
about financial products/services
The influence of social media for financial decision making is
set to increase over the next 12 months
12
Join the Dots Research, UAE November 2013
Base: HNW social media users

13. C O N T E N T S
1S E C T I O N Social media usage
2S E C T I O N Use of social media for financial information
3S E C T I O N Key findings & best practices
13

14. 1. 97% HNW individuals in the UAE are using social media
2. LinkedIn is the most used social media site with this audience
3. Mobile is essential for High Net Worth Individuals
4. HNW Individuals largely use social for professional purposes -
1) Connect with colleagues, 2) Consume content & posts from
colleagues 3) Follow experts and influencers
5. Social media is important throughout each stage of the financial
decision making journey
14
S U M M A R Y O F F I N D I N G S

15. 15
Target Publish Extend
1. Leverage LinkedIn’s identified
Affluent audience
2. Deliver across Desktop and
Mobile devices
B E S T P R A C T I C E F O R M A R K E T E R S
1. Help HNWs with informative
dynamic and static content
2. Curate the story – leverage your
own content assets and that of
partners
3. Make your content snackable
4. Make it relevant
1. Accelerate the most engaging
content through sponsoring or
paid for media distribution
2. Leverage LinkedIn Plugins so
that content on your site flows
out