Almost three-quarters of the companies in Romania used social networks in 2015 for promotion, sales, or recruitment, according to an EY study on social media and the Romanian business environment in 2015.

Moreover, 21% of the respondents said that they used social networks as part of the company’s communication strategy, the number being 2% higher than the one reported in 2014.

Facebook remained the most popular social platform (92% in Romania vs. 93% at a global level), followed by Linkedin (75% in Romania, 71% globally), and YouTube (37% in Romania, 55% at a global level).

The study found significant increases in the use of Linkedin in Romania (plus 14percentage points compared to 2014), as well as in YouTube’s case (plus 8% compared to 2014), and Twitter (plus 8% from 2014).

Some 23% of the respondents used social networks for promotion, and they’ve been using them for 2-3 years. On the other hand, 20% of the surveyed companies said that they’ve started using social networks more recently, in the past two years.

Almost 60% of the companies allocated up to five hours a week for social media communication and 20% spent between six and ten hours a week. The figures are similar to the ones registered in 2014.

However, the companies started using social networks less frequently. In 2015, only 36% of the respondents used social media on a daily basis (5pp fewer than in 2014 and 13pp fewer compared to 2013). However, the number of those who use social media once every two or three days has increased from 15% in 2013 to 23% in 2014, and 28% in 2015.

With a share of 46%, the marketing department has kept its first spot among the departments in charge of social networks. However, the figure dropped from 51% in 2014. About 28% of the surveyed companies don’t have a particular department for social media communication, the survey reveals.

Using social networks for recruitment campaigns remained on an upward trend, the top being led by the companies in the financial-banking industry, with a share of 56%. Most of these firms also use social media to improve their brand as good employers (56%).

Moreover, 75% of the respondents active in tourism and 70% of those from the trade sector use social networks for customer loyalty.

The study analyzes the answers of 270 company representatives in Romania.

Higher salaries for social media employees in Romania

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com