Women Entrepreneurs Get Out Of Their Comfort Zone In 4 Day Social Media Programme

Women should seize opportunities and dare to step out of their comfort zone, to go far in the field of business, especially in the form of digitization.

Various social media platforms can now be a springboard for them to use and engage with their content.

The president of the Ikon Women’s Club of Malaysia (KWIM), Datuk Normaziah Shiekh Mohamed said ‘content’ or content on social media is important in ensuring that it reaches the target group.

She explained that shyness or worrying about public acceptance needs to be thrown away, because it sometimes limits the potential of entrepreneurs.

“Indeed, the feedback I have found is that many women are interested in doing business using social media but are not skilled at it.

“She only knows how to look at Facebook and others but doesn’t know how to create content, that’s important… and that’s what we teach in the four-day programme here.

“We teach them on how to talk to customers, to sell products on social media and that’s why you have to have the knowledge to approach customers,” she added.

Normaziah said this in a press conference after the inauguration of the Digital Women Transformation: Effective Techniques for Attracting Customers on Social Media programme, at Taman Meru Multipurpose Hall on Thursday.

Also present were The Mayor of Ipoh, Dato’ Rumaizi Baharin @ Md Daud and Councillor of Ipoh City Council (MBI), Puteri Holijah Muhamad Rali.

A total of 100 participants are involved in the programme, lasting four days, starting from 22 to 25 September.

The programme was organised in collaboration with MBI, the Ikon Malaysia Women’s Club, the Perak State Entrepreneur Secretariat and the Women’s Development Department.

In the meantime, she also admitted that many are still shy to come forward to promote their respective products aggressively.

“Yes, it’s true, today we met the participants and it was found after getting to know them, that almost half of the participants are really shy to go forward.

“Nevertheless, we faced a similar situation in Johor recently, so at the end of the programme we also taught the participants to build self-confidence.

“We finally got a positive result, with contestants who are brave and skilled at doing ‘live’ on social media.

“Actually the constraint they face is the fear of being criticised, because as we know, this platform  often opens up room for criticism. But I advise them to be brave in order to advance business,” she said.

Meanwhile, Rumaizi said that one of the things that are a constraint for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is promotion and product placement.

He also said that branding and digitization will bring many benefits to the participants, especially women.

“MBI can help in terms of studio, radio and TV,” he said.

by Rosli Mansor