It’s out with the old and in with the catchy short-form content, micro influencers, shoppable posts, and generating real engagement
Dubai has all the right ingredients for influencers to flourish with its year-round sunshine, twinkling skyscrapers, and Instagram-worthy lifestyle. The city is home to a thriving community of celebrity-status social media stars and micro influencers sharing their every move with thousands of adoring online followers. Evidently, for brands, a solid social media strategy in Dubai is worth its weight in gold and is often the difference between being successful and fading into the background.
As a PR agency based in Dubai with a dedicated in-house social media team, Katch knows its way around the intricacies of creating real impact online. Of course, netizens’ scrolling patterns change just as quickly as viral TikTok sounds, and knowing how to capture attention can be tricky. So, without further ado, here are six trends shaping the future of social media marketing in the UAE in 2026.
Short Form Content
This year, it’s all about keeping things short and sweet with engaging, bite-sized posts. Short-form content has been on the rise for a few years now, with platforms like TikTok and Instagram changing the way users interact with social media. It’s also a lot more appealing for Dubai users who are always on the go, scrolling their feeds in between business meetings and brunches with friends.
This means brands looking to make an impression need to do it in a way that’s snappy and attention-grabbing. Think montages with trending tunes, seamless transitions, and eye-catching graphics that will make your audience want to swipe up or hit share. Dubai has also seen a rise in mini, vlog-styled clips of familiar influencers such as Coral Stevens, aka dxb_hun, showing off the city’s hidden gems.
Take Time Out Dubai’s content, for example. Each TikTok video or Instagram reel spotlights a new restaurant or must-try experiences in just a few seconds. The visuals are aesthetic, the info is quick and easy to digest, and the comment sections are full of people tagging their friends, saying, ‘OMG! We need to try this.’
The Rise of Micro and Nano Influencers
In a city with so many social media stars, influencer marketing in Dubai isn’t a case of one size fits all. In fact, the city’s online culture has given rise to a new generation of nano and micro influencers with their own tight-knit, interest-specific communities. If you can name it, there’s probably an online community for it right here in the UAE, with specific accounts for foodies, fashionistas, pet lovers, anime fans, and just about everything else in between.
As a result, some of the best social media agencies in Dubai are now swapping big names for these niche influencers, whose smaller follower bases are outperforming celebrities in terms of engagement. The reasoning behind it is pretty simple. These small-scale influencers tailor their content to a very specific audience, creating a deeper sense of trust and connection that’s incredibly valuable for brands.
One brand that has truly embraced the power of smaller influencers is Huda Beauty. Founded by Huda Kattan, who started out as a beauty blogger herself, the makeup line transforms everyday consumers into co-creators by spotlighting their bold looks and clever tutorials across its platforms. Instead of leaning on glossy campaigns, the brand lets its community lead the conversation, creating both credibility and a global circle of makeup lovers who feel part of something bigger.
Online Shopping Made Seamless
As much as influencers are a key part of any social media strategy, social commerce is also becoming increasingly important. Integrating shoppable posts and stories into your content calendar is the perfect way to get users engaging with your brand. For example, new Instagram features allow audiences to discover, explore, and even browse online shops without leaving the app.
This trend is most evident with fashion brands like Zara and H&M, which fill their feeds with trending outfits, allowing users to check out new looks and shop entire outfits. Similarly, designer brands integrate aesthetic, shoppable posts into Pinterest feeds, giving scrollers fashion inspo that seamlessly fits the vibe of their existing mood board.
Is Social Media the New Search Engine?
For many of us, social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube are the new search engines. We often use these apps to look up the latest news or even ask questions. In fact, a study by Adobe found that 64% of Gen Z and 49% of millennials use TikTok as a search engine. This means that brands can now boost their social content through SEO keywords, just like Google and Bing, making them more discoverable for consumers.
With hashtags now a thing of the past, brands must incorporate keywords into their TikTok captions, on-screen texts, and even alt texts to bump up their position on the search page. Take Duolingo, for example, the language learning app weaves keywords like ‘learn Spanish’ or ‘study tips’ into its captions and videos, making it easy for people to naturally stumble across their content while browsing.
Encourage Active Engagement
A lot of us are passive scrollers; we don’t always like every post, but when it comes to interactive content like polls and quizzes, we’re much more inclined to chime in. There’s something about this type of post that makes users feel like their input is valuable, and it’s always fun to see the results once you’ve cast your vote.
Even though these stories don’t generate tonnes of likes, they create valuable engagement that pushes your brand’s page to a wider audience. From a brand’s perspective, it’s also a great way of getting direct insights from your audience. This feature can be especially useful for boosting engagement for smaller brands, such as a neighbourhood café asking followers what seasonal drink they’d like to see on the menu.
User-Generated Content Is Here to Stay
The birth of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools has reshaped online content entirely. Our feeds are now full of AI-generated videos that, honestly, can be hard to tell apart from the real deal. And if you haven’t yet sent someone a cute animal clip thinking it was real, trust us, it’s only a matter of time.
As much as these tools are great for creating different posts, they have brought a renewed appreciation for user-generated content. Therefore, 2026 will see social media agencies in Dubai actively encouraging this type of content as it sets brands apart and makes them feel more authentic. This ties back into influencer marketing in Dubai and the rise of short-form vlogs or tutorials, with users far more likely to engage with relatable, human-made content.
Cracking the Code
There really is no end to the possibilities when it comes to leveraging social media marketing in Dubai. All you need is the right agency behind you to help decipher all the fleeting trends and match you with the right influencers, and the city is your oyster. Stay social, keep experimenting, and ride the next viral wave with purpose.
For more related updates and to Katch us covering similar topics, watch this space!
Katch our game-changing PR and Communications, Social Media, Branding and Design, Brand Consultancy, Digital Marketing, and Global Communications services to help your brand make noise. Get in touch with our 360-Marketing agency in Dubai, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and London, and let’s get the conversation started!