Greek Export Businesses on Social Media | MARLAB survey
Greece’s exports are constantly adapting to change and Greek companies in particular are leveraging social media to do so. Due to the proliferation of networks, companies are integrating the use of the networks they already have into their marketing strategy.
Export-oriented firms need social media to meet the needs of international consumers. 61% use social media.
These data come from a recent survey conducted by the MARLAB university Marketing Laboratory of the University of Macedonia. A MARLAB graduate student, Nikolaos Goutzioulis, conducted the study using online questionnaires sent to potential participants in autumn of 2017. The scientific guidance of MARLAB professor and director of MARLAB, Rodoula Tsiotsos, assisted him with the work.
136 Greek export companies responded to a questionnaire about their use of social media for international marketing. 61% of them said they do so as a tool.
It is important for companies to use social media because it helps them to reach an audience. Customers can communicate with them in case they haven’t found the website. It also helps them remain relevant in international markets. The survey showed that Greek businesses are most likely to use Facebook for marketing purposes. 59% of them have a corporate account and the number is steadily on the rise.
LinkedIn comes in second with 35% and Youtube has 31%. The content shared on these websites often consists of photos or updates about the products and services offered.
13.3% of the sample say they update their content daily, 20.5% say they update it 2-3 times per week, 12% say they update it 4-5 times per week, 32.5% say they do so every 7 days, and 21.7% think in terms of a month. The languages used in most companies are mostly English, with a significant portion also using Greek at the same time.
Greek exporting companies are gaining the benefits of social media use in their international marketing work. This has led them to a significant increase in traffic and the number of subscribers they have. their company was given a stronger brand name, international visibility was improved, communication speed and efficiency were enhanced, and many more potential customers were reached abroad.
39% of the companies that were surveyed do not use social media in their international marketing. They have mentioned that their main reasons are their focus on other communication tools and that they consider them to be less suitable for the business. But 45% of those companies said that might use them for international marketing purposes in the future.
136 Greek exporting companies, member of the Association of Exporters of Northern Greece (SEVE) and the Panhellenic Association of Exporters (PEA), answered the survey. Of the total sample, 23.5% are active in the food sector, 14% in construction, 10.3% in industry, 8.1% in information and new technologies, 5.9% in chemicals, 3.7% in textiles, 1.5% in energy, 0.7% in tourism – entertainment, 0.7% in transport – logistics and the rest in various other market sectors.
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Author: PC-GR
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