Social media guide for Czech Republic

Social media usage in the Czech Republic has been on an upward trend over the last few years, with the most popular network being Facebook. The number of registered Facebook users is 3,805,480, as of the 1st of November 2012, which is an increase of 194,480 in the last six months. This gives Facebook a penetration of 37.30% of the country’s population and 56.96% in relation to total number of Internet users. The largest age group is currently 25 to 34 with a total of 1,103,589 users, followed by users in the age range of 18 to 24 and then 35 to 44. The group with the highest rise in numbers in the last 3 months is the 18 to 24 year olds.

LinkedIn is very popular as a networking site for professionals and entrepreneurs, as well as for university students who are using it to promote themselves to potential employers. Many head hunting agencies use LinkedIn as a reference to check for potential clients and the number of registered users in the Czech Republic is around 213,600.

Twitter is not yet popular in the Czech Republic, but the overall usage seems to be trending upwards.

There are many popular local social media networks in the Czech Republic, the largest of which is called ‘Seznam’. Having started as a search engine, Seznam now offers everything from a business directory service to a dating site to chat room and e-commerce.

The total number of internet users in the Czech Republic is 7,426,376, which is about 73.0% of the population as at June 30th, 2012 (Internet World Stats. Oct. 2012).

SMEs

Most companies in the Czech Republic now have some form of presence on the internet; some have just a company website while others have a Facebook page or LinkedIn profile. Many of these social media networks are used for different purposes and by different companies.

The service sector, especially restaurants, hotels and other hospitality businesses, are heavy users of social media for both promoting their services and reacting to public comments about their establishment.

Some companies use LinkedIn to advertise vacancies and find potential employees. These companies can also encourage their employees to join different groups on LinkedIn that might be beneficial to the company.

Technology and manufacturing companies have been attracted to YouTube because video is an excellent means of showcasing products and demonstrating process improvements. YouTube also has the highest daily traffic of all social media network and many major companies use it to advertise current products and introduce new products for immediate customer comment, which allows companies’ to shorten the feedback cycle and improve customer relations.

The biggest users of social media sites for advertising are internet shops selling fashion, mobile technology, household goods and everyday products, auction sites and dating sites. Most of them use local search engines like Seznam.cz, google.cz, volny.cz, atlas.cz and centrum.cz because they are more visible to local customers.

Useful Links:

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.

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