Social media guide

Bulgaria flagSocial Media Guide for Bulgaria

An estimated 2.5 million Bulgarians, or almost 74.5% of all internet users have Facebook accounts, and their number is constantly growing across the Balkans.

http://www.socialbakers.com/facebook-statistics/bulgaria

More than 21% of Bulgarians use Youtube, 14.3% Google+, 7.9% Twitter and 5% LinkedIn.

There are also several copycat social networks and bookmarking sites, which allow you to stay up-to-date with what is going on in the country including upcoming events, important news, etc.

It is worth checking the following big social bookmarking sites:

Svejo.net (Svejo meaning ‘fresh’). Through Svejo.net you can share websites, video, content and pictures. If the content you share is new and interesting, it immediately becomes FRESH and is promoted on the home page on Svejo.net, which gets traffic to your blog or social network profile.

Lubimi.com (‘favourites’ in English) is a social network which is good for publishing articles from various corporate blogs. Lubimi allows shared links to be followed by search engines, so it is good for search engine optimisation.

Ping.bg Ping.bg is the most recent bookmarking network in Bulgaria. Although it resembles the two networks described above, some features and options are quite new and it is still too new to have any measurable influence on people.

Qko.be, 2p2.us, Favi.info, Slamka.com are similar networks to Twitter, where users share brief status updates with one another updates on what they are doing at the moment.

Some networks with more social orientation are Twist.bg which allows users to share links, news, videos and event listings, and Idi.bg (idi meaning ‘go’ in English), which is the Bulgarian social network for tourism.

A high number of people in Bulgaria use the professional social network LinkedIn, which they see as a good opportunity to promote themselves and to search for better jobs.

Vbox7 is the Bulgarian version of YouTube, which offers many commercial opportunities and is well used by both businesses and personal users.

http://www.vbox7.com/

Foursquare has attracted a high number of business customers in Bulgaria and has the potential to become a very successful marketing tool for companies in the field of commerce and entertainment. For instance, one of the leading Bulgarian banks, First Investment Bank, offers excellent information on this network. Plesio, a leading retailer of computers, offers discounts to customers who check-in regularly on Foursquare. Many restaurants and shops are also well represented on Foursquare.

Search and Social Media Marketing for International Business

Learn how to use social media for business from one of Salford Business School’s latest business management courses. The course was jointly researched by the Passport to Trade 2.0 project team and prepared in collaboration with some of the leading digital marketing agencies in the UK.

This Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) can help businesses and individuals to make the best use of search and social media platforms. The course is called Search and Social Media Marketing for International Business and is applicable to students looking for placements abroad as well as businesses thinking about new trade links; it comprises the following twelve topics:

Before you start the course please complete this short MOOC entrance survey.

How to develop a personal brand online (1/12)

  • Whether you are a student beginning a job search or a business person planning a new business venture, personal branding can make a difference.
  • Learn about personal branding and why it is important for you.

How to use Twitter (2/12)

  • Learn the basics of using Twitter to develop an individual or business profile.
  • Remember to use hash tag #SSMMUoS to share your learning journey on this course so far!

How to use Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) (3/12)

  • Learn the principles of SEO to ensure that your website and any social media profiles are found by individuals searching for your name, products and services.
  • These basic principles of SEO include keyword research, on-page optimisation and off-page optimisation.

How to use social media for international business development (4/12)

  • Social media networks break down the traditional country barriers, but do you know which networks are relevant for the country you are interested in trading with?
  • Find out in this video how to identify the relevant networks and what social media strategies you might be able to use on these networks.

How to use Facebook (5/12)

  • Facebook is currently the largest social media network in the world and it can benefit you as a business as well as an individual.
  • Learn how to develop a Facebook business page and see how other businesses use it and what strategies work for them.

How to use YouTube (6/12)

  • YouTube was identified as the second largest social network amongst younger internet users as part of the Passport to Trade 2.0 project.
  • Learn how to optimise your video content in order to reach wider audiences for your profile.

How to use LinkedIn (7/12)

  • LinkedIn is one of the three main professional social networks – the others being Xing and Viadeo which are also popular in several European countries.
  • Learn how to make the most of LinkedIn for your profile.

How to use Google+ (8/12)

  • Google+ is the second largest social network as of January 2013.
  • It is one of the fastest growing social networks and one that has the biggest impact when it comes to search engine results integration for anyone who uses Google as their main search engine.
  • Learn how to make the most of Google+ for you and your digital profiles.

How to use copywriting online (9/12)

  • Copywriting is a process of translating technical specifications and product descriptions into engaging and understandable customer focused text.
  • Learn about the basic techniques in structuring your online content here.

How to stay legal on social media (10/12)

  • Everything and anything you do and say online can be potentially viewed by anyone who has internet access.
  • Always respect the law and familiarise yourself with new options offered to you through a creative commons licence which is popular online.

How to use monitoring and reporting (11/12)

  • Whether you are an individual or a business spending time on social media – there has to be a return on your engagement online.
  • How do you justify your engagement on social media to your boss? Listen to the industry experts in this area and see what you might be able to measure in respect of your on-line engagements.

How to blog (12/12)

  • Blogging is a process of writing text and sharing content with others. It can help your customers or friends to keep in-touch regardless of social media platforms.
  • Think about the voice you might want to adopt and who your audience might be. Share your thoughts with us by writing a blog post about this MOOC.
  • Tweet us the link to your post on the #SSMMUoS Twitter hash tag.

Please complete the MOOC exit survey.

Business culture in Bulgaria