How I Led the 85% Client Retention (and Acquisition) During Corporate Tax Shift

Market

UAE → Oman

Summary

When the UAE introduced a 9% corporate tax, Emirabiz faced a retention risk as high-profit businesses sought tax-efficient alternatives. To mitigate client churn and capture new market opportunities, I led the market expansion and localization strategy into Oman, positioning Emirabiz as a first-mover in the region.

The Challenge: Retention Threat in UAE

Problem Context:

• 9% UAE Corporate Tax Threat: New UAE tax policy risked losing high-revenue clients (businesses relocating to tax-friendly markets).

• Customer Retention Risk: 80% of Emirabiz’s clients were UAE-based due to 0% tax; retention hinged on offering an alternative.

Oman Opportunity:

• Low corporate tax environment

• Business-friendly policies

• Minimal competition in market

Objectives:

1. Acquire 100+ Oman-based clients within 6 months.

2. Retain 30% of at-risk UAE clients by promoting Oman as a tax-efficient alternative.

Key Strategies:

• Audience Targeting: Focused on UAE-based SMEs with >$1M revenue (most likely to relocate).

• Localized Messaging: Positioned Oman as a “seamless tax-friendly alternative” with Emirabiz’s turnkey setup support.

• Channel Mix: Google Ads (targeting “Oman company setup”), and email nurturing for existing UAE clients.

Some of the creative assets used

Approach

Market Research & Positioning

Conducted extensive market research to identify Oman as an optimal expansion target, considering factors such as:

• Favorable tax policies

• Growing business ecosystem

• Geographic proximity to UAE

• Limited competition in business investment and formation services

Market Research Findings:

• 70% of UAE businesses expressed interest in Oman

• Russian entrepreneurs identified as key segment

• Banking accessibility as major driver

See the multilingual landing pages created here, in collaboration with Russian speaking copywriters. Russian and English

Multi-Channel Marketing Campaign

• Educational Webinar Series: Hosted 12 webinars over 6 months, achieving average attendance of 150+ participants per session and 28% conversion rate to consultation bookings.

• Email Marketing Sequence: Created 6-part email nurture series explaining Oman's benefits, achieving 42% open rate and 15% click-through rate.

• Content Marketing: Developed comprehensive guides and brochures:

  • "Complete Guide to Business Setup in Oman" You can view it here

  • "UAE vs Oman: Corporate Tax Comparison Guide" Read the article here

  • "Step-by-Step Business Relocation Manual"

• Landing Page Optimization: Created targeted landing pages for key search terms, achieving 4.8% conversion rate (industry average: 2.4%)

Watch some of the multi-lingual webinar series I organized in collaboration with Subject Matter experts

Results & Impact

Campaign Impact

• Customer Retention: Retained 85% of high-risk UAE clients through successful cross-selling of Oman services

• Demand Generation: Generated 450+ qualified leads in Oman market within first 6 months

• New Client Acquisition: 120 Oman-based clients acquired in 5 months (20% above target).

• Cost Efficiency: 30% lower CAC in Oman vs. UAE due to untapped market.

• Market Penetration: Achieved 62% market share in Oman's premium business formation segment

• Established Emirabiz as the leading provider in Oman with 4.8/5 customer satisfaction rating

Key Learnings & Insights

• Retention campaigns must address emotional pain points (e.g., fear of tax penalties).

• Leveraging existing UAE client relationships accelerated Oman adoption.

• Educational content proved crucial in building trust in a new market

• Multi-language approach significantly improved market penetration

• Webinar series emerged as the most effective lead generation channel

• Partnership with local Omani business organizations accelerated market entry