Use of social media on the Polish market

What social media platforms to invest in if we want to communicate with clients on the Polish market? Where to advertise, what to avoid, what tools to choose, what traps to watch out for? Experts from the Polish PR agency All 4 Comms, specialising in Polish social media, suggest:

The big YouTube trap

Which social media are the most popular in Poland? Some of the research results may surprise some:

1. YouTube (92% of Internet users)
2. Facebook (89% of Internet users)
3. Messenger (72% of Internet users)
4. Instagram (55% of Internet users
5. WhatsApp (45% of Internet users)
6. Twitter (35% of Internet users)

Almost every Polish Internet user uses YouTube. What’s more – a huge percentage (as much as 23%) of these people visit the website several times a week, spending an average of almost 2.5 hours here. It sounds great – all you need to do is set up your own brand channel and invest in high-quality video content. Unfortunately not. There is a small trap lurking here for marketers.

If we look at the most popular searches on YouTube, we will find keywords such as: songs, movie, live and music. Yes – although YouTube has the greatest reach among Polish social media, the most viewed content is related to music. Many Poles still do not use paid tools (such as Spotify), choosing YouTube for this purpose.

What does this mean for brands that want to start social media activities in Poland? Own channels and video content may not be the best PR idea for the Polish market. However, it is not worth giving up YouTube completely. After all, it is a platform with very extensive advertising possibilities (TrueView In-Stream, Masthead, Out-Stream, and others). Bottom line: advertising yes, video communication on YouTube – no.

An absolute must have in Polish social media marketing

A few years ago, there was a joke in Poland that the one who is not on Facebook does not exist. And although the youngest generation is slowly leaving this platform, Facebook still ranks at the top of the list as the most popular social networking platform in Poland for communicating with customers. Today, the number of Facebook users here is over 18 million. Moreover, there is a huge percentage of Millennials (almost 30%) who are the greatest purchasing power.

The second platform on which it is worth conducting corporate communication is Instagram, with 7 million Polish users. Young people also dominate here – as many as 35% of Instagram users are between 18 and 24 years old. So if you want to introduce a foreign brand to Polish social media, definitely start with these two platforms.
Facebook and Instagram are the most-chosen channels not only for communication with customers, but also for precise targeting of advertisements in Poland. Large ranges, the best cross-device targeting possibilities on the market and very advanced analytics, attract more and more advertisers.

What communicators do Poles use?

The most popular communicator among Poles has been Facebook Messenger for years, which is also the most used mobile application. So if you want to stay in direct contact with your customers, choose Messenger. The largest group of Poles using Messenger are people between 18 and 34 years of age – they constitute as much as 55% of all users.
Messenger in Polish social media marketing also allows paid activities – ads redirecting to Messenger, sending sponsored messages (to people who have already had a conversation with the brand) and ads appearing directly in Messenger. Each of these types is a willingly used advertising tool on the Polish market. If you want to stick to one method of communicating with customers, we advise you to choose Messenger.

Professional social networks

When it comes to social platforms that help recruit new employees, LinkedIn is in the lead. In Poland, it is considered a tool for professionals, so it is eagerly used in business: for expert communication or career development. In Poland, LinkedIn currently has over 3.5 million users, of which (importantly) as many as 2 million are men.
The popularity of Twitter is also growing (almost 6.5 million users in the country), which is mainly used by journalists and press spokesmen. Twitter can be your place for immediate crisis communication, as well as a key tool in real time marketing.

Snapchat and TikTok, or how to reach the youngest Poles?

Competition is fierce among social networks that allow you to share photos and videos. The leader is still unsurpassed Instagram. 15% of the app’s users are between 13 and 17 years old, and another 36% are between 18 and 24 years old. So if you’re targeting Generation Z, Instagram will be particularly effective.
And what about Snapchat, which, according to data, is used by 3.5 million young Poles? Here you should be careful – the vast majority use it only for private purposes, sharing photos or videos only with friends. Although Snapchat enables Polish social media marketers to create ads in three different formats, the platform is dynamically giving way to TikTok.
In December 2020, TikTok had 2.25 million Polish users per day. The pandemic is “to blame” for everything. 2020 for Polish teenagers was marked by remote education and a lot of free time. Interestingly, the number of Poles visiting TikTok is growing rapidly (as much as 8% of users per month). TikTok is the third most downloaded application in Poland, and the most popular TikTokers are becoming new influencers with millions of reach. Is it possible to speak of a new giant on the Polish social media market? Time will tell. However, if your target group is Polish teenagers, your brand should definitely not be missing there.

Which of the social platforms you prioritise should depend on your target demographic? The popularity and frequency of using social media applications is growing rapidly among Generation Z and Millennials. This is important news – after all, they are either already there, or in a short time, will probably be your most important purchasing power. If you are looking for a Polish PR agency that specialises in Polish social media, contact our experts.