Over 25% Dutch companies on Twitter

Dutch companies are at the forefront of social media according to statistics released Tuesday by the Statistics Netherland (CBS). More then a quarter of companies in the Netherlands are using Twitter and other microblogs like to communicate with their customers.

In 2013, 27 percent of Dutch companies reported using microblogs, making them the most active users in the EU. Across the European Union, roughly ten percent of businesses use the service on average. The UK and Ireland follow the Netherlands at 22.5 and 20 percent respectively.

The most popular form of social media use amongst companies are social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, with 46 percent of businesses managing their own accounts. That number is up substantially from 2012, when only 35 percent of businesses worked with social networking.

Both in the Netherlands (76 percent) and the EU as a whole, companies reported using social media to develop the image of the company, and for marketing products. With seventy percent of the Dutch population reported to be using social media, the Netherlands has an exceptionally high representation amongst social media websites.

Employers clamping down on employee social media use also increased, with more than one in three companies having established a formal policy for its workers.