UAE: How Passion Can Become Profession Using Social Media

avatar
by Anna Munhin Sep 18, 2022 News
UAE: How Passion Can Become Profession Using Social Media

The Khaleej Times has an article on the topic.

It was published on Sat 17/09/2018 at 12:30PM.

It was last updated on Sat 17/09/2018 12:50 PM.

We speak to 20-somethings in the U.S. who have carved out niches with social media as the bulwark. Their professional lives and personal likes have intertwined subliminally in the process of their different narratives. Since nothing succeeds like success, let's get on board with a new career path that will chart its trajectory on platforms such as TikTok.

Noor Ul Ain, 23

The founder and CEO of Spade Digital is a woman. She is a food and lifestyle influencer.

After graduating, my partner and I started a business. Social media video marketing was going to be the future, so we decided to create TikTok and Reels marketing videos. Recently, my partner and I were invited to host a workshop on creating viral content as business owners and content creators, as well as working with over 30 clients.

I have my own social media pages and a website where I write about food.

When I joined university, there was so much exposure on the different types of courses on offer that I decided to pursue social media marketing as a career.

The businesses that kept promoting themselves on their social media pages were the ones that thrived. The way we conduct our lives these days has been woken up by Covid, which made social media part of our lives when we were staying at home. If we want to dine out, we need to take the simple case of how we find a restaurant. If I am a consumer, I feel that a particular restaurant's social media is attractive...

Newspaper companies post live updates on their social channels because they know that people will notice them first.

The attention span is waning so how do we communicate what we want to do in the first 7 to 10 seconds? It's simple, stick to good stories. One video is not enough to promote a company's brand. There needs to be a volume of educational content. Content needs to be concise and straightforward, and using a social mediainfluencer will help you engage with the target market. Word of mouth and flyers won't suffice.

Users are more likely to purchase a product if they feel confident on social media. If you were a customer, you would go online to see what people were saying about something.

It's pro tips.

  • Be direct
  • Post good content consistently
  • Post relatable content that your audience can resonate with
  • Don't focus on only going viral, you are building your story, which is more important in the long run

You can find her on both social media sites.

Nehsan Selvaraj, 24

Nehsan is a life coach, a singer, an author, and a former television host. He works with the Malaysian government on entrepreneurship.

I started presenting on television in Malaysia at 19 years old. It was five years ago that I became famous. People would tell me how much they liked me. I realized I have the ability to connect with people after watching that.

We started the Nehsan Group with our own money. Today, my business is based out of Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Malaysia. We deal in fashion retail, healthcare and beauty.

When I talk about my business, the first thing people say is "You are so young and you are doing all these things", and I want to break this stereotype. I use social media to discuss myself. I would rather inspire people with my own life story than discuss my business brand.

On the business side, we use social media for our branding and communications, it's the most potent medium... If you are a social mediainfluencer, your followers connect with you emotionally, they trust you. There has to be integrity.

To not lie, to not make a sales pitch, and to allow them to try the product, are all things the Nehsan Group tells them to do. You should discuss the problem if there is one. It is how you build trust.

If my post goes viral, there are companies that approach me, asking me to come on board with them, and ideate for them. A lot of my own success is reflected in the success of my company, and a lot of my company's success is reflected in me as well, so I am invited to share our formula for success, our strategies. Even though I use my personal social media handles to promote myself, I often see that translate into company gains.

The Malaysian government has invited me to do an acceleration programme for young people, where I will contribute with my ideas.

It's not just about making money on social media, it's also about inspiring others to do better and be better humans.

Stay up to date with nehsan on his Tiktok account or on his social media accounts. You can also watch his content on the internet.

Nidhi Kumar, 26

Nidhi is a dancer and founder of the popular NKD Studios in Dubai. She was able to take the big leap from virtual to brick-and-mortar thanks to her successful channels on social platforms.

When I uploaded my first Bollywood-style dance video six years ago, it went viral and got over 2 million views on my channel. I became a full-time content creator and was the first to start dancing on YouTube in the U.S. I had to research everything on my own, and start from scratch, because social media in the U.S. was not as advanced as it is today.

After five years of using social media, I decided to open a Bollywood dance studio. I don't like the term "influencer". I work as an artist.

Even though I'm self-taught, I wanted to be an actor and a dancer when I was a child. My family supports me very much.

I quit my job in six months after completing a project, but I had an amazing job in the Middle East.

It's not for the weak-hearted to use social media, one negative comment can set you back. It's funny.

From 2pm to 6pm is my social media time: I work on my campaigns, do my shoots, post my stuff...

I conduct my classes at the studio from 6pm to 11pm and then I go to sleep at 3am.

The growth of social media has been exponential, every single business, small or large, uses it to promote their brands.

Even so, at the end of the day, it's technology that can cause crashes. It's important to have a backup plan, like I have with my studio.

If you have a backup plan, always use channels like TikTok, because they'll explode.

The new generation of content creators don't research as much as we did, and therefore they don't have the same level of creativity. The work we showcase is original and we are able to stand out from the crowd. That is what makes us unique.

It's a protip.

You may be getting a lot of Likes, but if you don't engage the audience, you're only getting the scroll-through audience. You need to be original in order for them to stick with you.

Those who would like to watch Nidhi perform can watch her on the internet. She also puts out short dance videos on her social media accounts.

Alii Muhammed, 28

Alii is a fashion and lifestyle content creator.

After graduating from school, I gained a lot of weight and was sick for two years. I gave myself a reality check last year. I lost 20 pounds in four months after joining a gym and going on a diet.

I showcased my journey on social media to inspire others. I did not get a lot of attention.

A lot of my friends told me to get into modelling as my body got better. When I uploaded my photos to social media, there was a huge increase in likes and engagement.

People liked my outfit. In my first year at university, I made friends take photos of me on campus, and I would post them on social media. There was a snowball effect.

For the next two years, I worked hard. It felt like I had found a new passion for myself.

I began to get offers from small businesses to collaborate. To show bigger clients what I can do, I created content. After working with brands like Daniel Wellington and Louis Vuitton, I was invited to Arab Fashion Week, where I was able to get paid to collaborate with other people. I found it to be an eye-opener.

I started focusing on my niche, which was men's clothing. I was happy with the barter system, but there was no money to give.

I was aware that there was huge potential in social media and I wanted to focus on it 100 percent as a career choice, even though it would take me a long time to make money. A regular 9-to-5 corporate job would have drained my energy. My family was on board with my decision so I worked on growing my page and improving my content.

I was doing at least two campaigns a month in 2020. The first three months were okay.

Everything came to a halt at the peak. I stopped my gig because I began charging.

The dynamics of social media don't depend on a single platform. I focused on TikTok instead of IG. You can make money with TikTok. You can make money in this game by co-hosting five-minute games on a split screen, and by sending gifts with valuations in coins and dollars, so as many coins you earn as gifts are converted to dollars. I can repeat as many times as I please. You don't need a lot of followers. I created videos to get followers before I went live on TikTok.

Today, I have two major platforms, one of which is TikTok. On one, I work with brands and companies and on the other, I play. I am well polished on social media. I'm good at it. I am goofy on Tik Tok.

TikTok is my number one priority because of its growth and reach. I play for 4 to 5 hours a day, sometimes I make good money, sometimes I don't.

I see myself doing this for the rest of my life.

This is not a normalambition. I have my own goals as well. My goal is to have 300,000 followers on TikTok by the end of 2022.

This is my version of a goal.

You can stay in touch with current trends by following Alii on various platforms.

Stephen King

The lecturer at the university is a senior one.

In the past, we wanted to be movie stars because that was the medium we used to engage with, but today, youth want to be social media stars for the same reason. There are three different manifestations of this trend. Students are the first to produce and distribute content as a work hobby.

Students will try to follow the current trends but don't try to go much further in the future. They can use this to build a social network, build a public profile, and learn more about the world of work.

The second is a full time job. Students will begin modelling and undertaking projects for brands in order to earn a primary income.

Side hustle is the third. The work-hobby creators are maturing and realizing that they can make additional income on top of their traditional work. This doesn't require the effort of the professional creators and won't generate the same financial returns, but can provide support to youngsters who are emerging from university.

Is it surprising? It's not at all. One way that this education and training becomes visible is by building capacity in youth to be entrepreneurial. Many examples of how social media can be used as work can be found in the media content that young people are bombarded with.

Social media has a finite number of positions. Given the potential of social media channels to fade out of existence relatively quickly, I don't see this as an opportunity to be a primary income source for more than a few people.

You can also read about it.

  • From albinism to Down syndrome, this UAE-based modelling agency is truly celebrating inclusivity
  • Online gaming has a big influence on mental health — and not all of it is negative, contrary to popular belief

The following is a list of numbers:


The information is provided without warranty. We don't accept responsibility for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. Please contact the provider if you have any issues with the article.