Social media guide

Croatia-flag-140Social media usage in Croatia has been on an upward trend in the last few years just like everywhere else. Facebook is the most popular social media network with 1,611,400 registered users, as of December 2012. It had grown by 90,420 in the previous six months with a penetration of 35.88% of the country’s population and 60.08% in relation to the total number of Internet users.

The demographics of the network show that it is most popular with 18 to 24 year olds (500,000 users) followed by users in the 25 to 34 year age range and the 35 to 44 age range showing the fastest current growth.

LinkedIn is being used as a tool by professional people to promote themselves and it is becoming very popular with university students who are using it to also present themselves to potential employers. Many head hunting and jobs agencies use LinkedIn as a tool to either look for new recruits or for a reference check on potential clients.

Twitter is primarily individual oriented and most companies that do use twitter have no more than one or two employees who are using the company account to broadcast press releases and company information to customers and potential customers. Twitter’s popularity has being growing gradually.

SMEs

Most Croatian companies now have some form of presence on the internet. Some just have a company website, while others have a Facebook page or have joined LinkedIn. Many of these social media networks are used for different things and by different companies.

The service sector, mainly hotels and restaurants, are heavy users of social media; promoting their services and reacting to peoples’ comments about their establishments. They actively seek followers and likes on social media in order to expand their audience and reach greater numbers of people. By controlling their presence and reacting to people’s comments on social media, these companies are able to shape their image and change people’s opinion of them. They can gain a good reputation for responding quickly to their customers’ concerns.

Some companies have begun to use LinkedIn to advertise vacancies or to find potential employees. These companies can also encourage their employees to join different groups on LinkedIn that might or will 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.

Croatia has a number of local search engines that should be referenced when doing a country-specific search; see below for a list of the key search providers:

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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