Aspiring young influencers at the 41st Sharjah International Book Fair received
invaluable tips to make a breakthrough on social media platforms during a
session titled, ‘Writing on Social Media’, presented by entrepreneur and expert
Dana Shaban, on Wednesday.
At the packed Social Media Station at Expo Centre Sharjah where SIBF 2022
continues until November 13, Shaban stressed the need to use simple and direct
messages in the content posted on digital platforms.
The entrepreneur emphasised that ‘Content is king.’ She said: “Engaging and
valuable content is the key to success; the count and engagement with followers
will increase based on what you offer your viewers.”
She taught participants different ways to structure their content to make it more
appealing to viewers. She said: “Content should have a purpose and serve a
cause. The aspiring influencer needs to make the objective of the video clear in
the first 10 to 15 seconds, or the viewer will lose interest and move on to the
next video.”
She noted that viewers tend to consume videos more than pictures and text-
based content on social media platforms. “To build credibility with viewers, the
person should appear in front of the lens to build his presence and increase
credibility, instead of merely using captions or stock videos and pictures.”
To enable influencers reach wider audiences, Shaban advised: “Even when you
face the camera in your video, always add captions to encourage more viewers
to feel compelled to listen and watch the video.”
She also emphasized that with each piece of content posted, the creator needs to
appeal for some form of action from the viewers, which would help in
increasing engagement.
Concluding the session, Dana Shaban encouraged participants to focus on
YouTube Shorts, which will begin to monetise early next year and allows
content creators to generate income from their social media content.