Social media guide

Estonia FlagThe Estonian telecoms market is amongst the most developed in Eastern Europe. Estonia has a relatively high Internet usage, which includes Internet banking, various government services as well as relatively high broadband penetration.

In 2012, there were 993,785 internet users in Estonia, which represents 77.5% of the population. Statistics Estonia states that during the  first quarter of 2010 75% of the Estonian population were using computers and the internet.

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Private individuals

The Passport to Trade 2.0 project survey, had difficulties collecting primary data using social media therefore the main recommendations in this section are based on secondary sources and internet research.

The most popular social media websites in Estonia are Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, MySpace, Orkut, Hot.ee and Rate.ee. The Hot.ee and Rate.ee are local sites designed and developed in Estonia. For  Russian speaking population (almost 25% of the total population) – odnoklassniki (Одноклассники), moi mir (Мой Мир), moi kurg (Мой Круг) are popular.

Overall, Facebook is the most popular social network, followed by Twitter, Orkut and Rate.ee. The Russian minority is active in their social media use. Some research suggests that they are also frequent users of their own language communities, especially odnoklassniki (Одноклассники), which is used very frequently by more than 40% of Russian speaking social media users. However, as observed in other countries, even the most popular applications like Facebook or YouTube do not engage every social media user.

Socialbakers statistics show that Facebook penetration in Estonia is about 40% in relation to the country’s population and 51% in relation to the number of registered Internet users. The total number of Facebook users in Estonia is over 500,000. The age group of the largest users (28%) in 2013 was 25-34, followed by users in the 18-24 age range – which represent a quarter of all users.

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SMEs

According to research (undertaken by the Estonian Business School) Estonian businesses are just starting to use Social media for business purposes. 38% of researched companies believe that social media is very important for their company’s future.

In Estonia, Facebook is considered to have  the biggest potential as an SME channel (78% use Facebook to promote their business, Blog use is 11% and YouTube use is 5%). They consider that the primary benefits of using social media are to present their company to customers, increase website visits and develop new client relationships.

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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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