151
1 INTRODUCTION
Social media, including websites, have been around for
over 20 years and have significantly influenced the
dynamics of interactions between companies and
customers. Increasingly, businesses are effectively
using social media in their marketing strategies [1]. In
addition, social media constitute an extremely
important tool in creating the brand image.
Consequently, the skilful combination of traditional
and digital communication channels is increasingly
contributing to achieving sustainable competitive
advantage [16]. Therefore, social media - as a form of
communication with the public - is being used by more
and more organisations, including seaports. It is crucial
for companies to remain active on social media, as it is
also one way of building stable relationships with
stakeholders [8]. In the case of seaports, the above-
mentioned stakeholders, who are often mentioned by
ports, e.g. in reports on the social responsibility of
organizations or stakeholder management policies [28,
29], are primarily: the local community, employees,
partners, customers, suppliers, shareholders. Through
the use of social media, seaports can not only bring the
reality of their operations closer to the public, provide
updates on their activities, but also engage in dialogue
with different stakeholder groups. Although seaports
are an important factor in the economic development
of individual countries, which largely affects many
groups of potential stakeholders (generating, among
The Use of Social Media as a Marketing Communication
Channel by the Largest Ports of the Baltic Sea Region
A. Kamińska & P. Dmowski
Gdynia Maritime University, Gdynia, Poland
ABSTRACT: Social media is used by more and more organizations, including seaports, because digital
communication channels are an important tool in creating the brand image and one of the ways to build good
relationships with stakeholders. Despite the fact that seaports are an important factor in the economic
development of individual countries – which largely affects many groups of potential stakeholders – the issues
of analysing marketing communication activities carried out by seaports using social media are not sufficiently
recognised. Therefore, the main objective of the article is to analyse the business use of this marketing
communication channel by the largest ports in the Baltic Sea region in order to assess the potential impact of this
marketing communication channel on stakeholders. In order to achieve the aim of the study, the research used
the desk research method and the method of observation via the Internet (a.k.a. web-based ethnographic research,
or netnography). The results show, among others, that seaport profiles that are highly active on social media have
the highest number of followers for a given profile. This demonstrates that regular and systematic maintenance
of one's social media accounts results in increased interest from the audience and can thus influence potential
stakeholders. Publishing audience-engaging content on your accounts can raise your organisation's profile,
generate more interest in the content on your website, and contribute to building trust and audience bonds with
your organisation.
http://www.transnav.eu
the International Journal
on Marine Navigation
and Safety of Sea Transportation
Volume 19
Number 1
March 2025
DOI: 10.12716/1001.19.01.18
152
others, many thousands of jobs), the issues of analysis
of activities related to marketing communication
conducted by seaports using social media are not
sufficiently recognized in the literature of the entity.
The main objective of the article is, thus, to analyse the
business use of social media as a marketing
communication channel by the largest ports in the
Baltic Sea region in order to assess the potential impact
of this marketing communication channel on
stakeholders.
2 THE LARGEST BALTIC SEAPORTS
The Baltic Sea region is not clearly defined in the
literature. It consists of countries and their territories
located directly on the Baltic Sea, but sometimes
catchment areas are also included. Most commonly,
however, the Baltic Sea region includes the nine
countries located directly on the Baltic Sea, i.e.
Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia,
Finland, Sweden and Denmark [3]. Each of the
countries mentioned has thriving seaports along their
coastlines. The total transshipments of the ten largest
ports of the Baltic Sea region amounted to 510 million
tonnes in 2024, which means a 3.9% increase compared
to the previous year [15]. In 2023, 489.5 million tons
were transhipped in Baltic seaports, which was 1.5
percent more than in 2022 [25]. Table 1 shows the
largest ports in the Baltic Sea region in terms of cargo
volume for 2022-2024.
Table 1. Summary of the largest ports in the Baltic Sea
region in terms of cargo volume in 2022-2024.
No
Handling volume
[thousands tonns]
2022
2023
2024
1
124 100
112 500
135 000
2
68 220
80 957
77 400
3
57 100
63 100
60 700
4
38 800
49 600
52 400
5
40 492
36 300
40 000
6
38 810
35 323
32 400
7
36 100
32 668
35 200
8
28 975
30 900
30 100
9
28 190
29 397
26 900
10
23 500
18 794
19 400
482 287
489 539
510 000
Source: based on [18, 15].
The share of the three largest Russian Baltic ports
was around 46-48 per cent in 2023 and 2024, while the
three Polish ports accounted for around 27-30 per cent
of the share of all Baltic seaports in terms of cargo
volume.
According to the overview provided, the largest
port in the Baltic Sea is the Russian port of Ust-Luga,
which is located on both sides of the Luga River, on the
north-western coast of Russia, approximately 130 km
south of St. Petersburg. It is a new deep-water port
occupying an area of about 130 hectares and has 12
specialized transshipment terminals for coal, sulfur,
containers, multipurpose cargo and wood. In the port
of Ust-Luga, both bulk, liquid, general cargo, ro-ro and
containers are handled [11].
The next port in terms of transshipment volume is
the Polish port of Gdańsk. The port area covers a total
of 1091.6 hectares (including 679 hectares of land area)
and is divided into two areas: the inner port, located
along the Dead Vistula and the harbour channel, and
the outer port, located directly on the waters of the Bay
of Gdańsk. The port in Gdańsk is a deep-water,
universal port, able to handle all types of cargo groups
such as: general cargo, coal, liquid fuels, other bulk
cargoes as well as cereals, wood and ore (general cargo
also includes containerized and ro-ro cargo, as well as
ferry and cruise passenger traffic) [20].
The third largest Baltic port is the Russian port of
Primorsk located on the Björkösund mainland in the
Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea (5 km south-east of
Primorsk), which covers a total area of approx. 3450 ha
(including a land area of approx. 250 ha). The port
exclusively handles oil products transported by
Russian oil exploration and refining companies and is
the largest Russian oil transhipment port in the Baltic
Sea [11].
Just behind the podium of the largest seaports is
another Russian port located in St. Petersburg, which is
one of the three main ports in Russia. The St.
Petersburg port is located on islands at the mouth of
the Neva River on the border of the Gulf of Finland and
the rest of the Baltic Sea [14] and currently covers a land
area of about 120 hectares (including the area of the
reservoir: approx. 16 580 ha). It is a multipurpose port
with various cargo terminals, including ro-ro and
container terminals. Cargoes handled at the port
include ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, scrap
metal, mineral fertilisers, roll-on/roll-off cargo, bulk
materials, liquid cargo, general cargo, containers and
oversize cargo. The port of St. Petersburg is also a
major passenger port where cruise ships dock [11].
Another of the Baltic Sea's largest seaports is located
on either side of the Göta älv estuary in Gothenburg,
Sweden. It is the largest freight hub in Scandinavia,
handling all types of cargo and also offering passenger
services. Exports include mainly: steel, vehicles, forest
products: paper, pulp and wood products, while
imports include mainly consumer goods such as
clothing, furniture, food, electronics, etc. Virtually all
Swedish export trade is based on maritime transport,
with almost 30% passing through the quays of the port
of Gothenburg, which is also responsible for half of all
container traffic throughout Sweden. As such, the port
of Gothenburg plays a key role in Swedish imports and
exports and is a leading player when it comes to
strengthening Sweden's competitive strength [22].
The next largest ports in the Baltic Sea are those
located at the mouth of the Oder river in the
westernmost Polish cities of Szczecin and Świnoujście.
These seaports form one of the largest port complexes
in the Baltic Sea region. The port of Świnoujście is
located directly by the sea and specializes in handling
ferry connections with Scandinavia, as well as
handling dry bulk cargo and ships with LNG fuel. The
port of Szczecin, on the other hand, is situated 68 km
inland, is of a universal nature and handles both
general cargo and bulk goods. This port also
specializes in handling and storing containers,
metallurgical products, oversized loads, as well as
paper and cellulose. The port of Szczecin is the largest
transshipment centre for granite blocks in Poland. The
port also handles dry bulk cargoes such as coal, coke,
aggregates, grain, fertilisers and liquid cargoes (e.g.
tar). The Port of Szczecin-Świnoujście is one of the most
important organisations in the region and holds a
153
strategic position for the Polish economy, being a place
of employment for around 350 employees [24].
Next on the list is the Lithuanian seaport located in
Klaipeda, which covers a total area of 1442.8 ha
(including a land area of 557.9 ha) and is the closest to
the ports of Western and Northern Europe and the
ports of southern Scandinavia. The Port of Klaipeda is
a deep-water, multi-purpose and multi-functional port
handling petroleum products, containers, general
cargo, bulk and liquid cargoes, ro-ro cargoes, bulky
cargoes and many other cargoes (such as fertilisers,
mineral and chemical materials, agricultural products,
metal products, liquid and frozen food products,
construction materials, wood, peat). The Lithuanian
port also serves cruise ship passengers [11]. The port is
the largest port in Lithuania and contributes to the
country's economy and is important for its
development, as evidenced by the fact that it generates
6.18 per cent of Lithuania's total GDP and provides
more than 58,000 jobs [23].
Another of the largest ports of the Baltic Sea basin is
located in the German city of Rostock. Its total area is
approx. 750 hectares. The Port of Rostock handles both
general cargo such as steel and timber products, heavy
and oversize cargo and so-called project cargo, dry
bulk cargo such as coal, building materials, fertilisers
and cereals, and liquid bulk cargo: fuels, crude oil,
liquid fertilisers. In addition, the Port of Rostock
handles passenger ferries and ro-ro vessels and is a
thriving cruise centre. The aforementioned seaport is
one of the most important maritime transport hubs in
eastern Germany with a large impact on the economy
due to the fact that there are about 150 enterprises
operating in the port and its surroundings, which are
directly or indirectly related to the maritime economy,
being the place of employment of about 16,000 people
[13, 27].
Another of the largest Baltic seaports is the port of
Gdynia, located on the Bay of Gdańsk. It is one of the
leading ports in the southern Baltic Sea covering a total
area of 2996.3 ha (including a land area of 903.1 ha). The
Port of Gdynia is a multi-purpose port specialising in
general cargo, including mainly unitised, containerised
and ro-ro cargo. An important segment of activity is
also the handling of bulk cargo based on specialized
terminals, as well as ferry and passenger service. The
Port of Gdynia is one of the largest employers in
Pomerania with an international profile [21].
The last of the ten largest ports in the Baltic Sea is
the port located in the Latvian capital, Riga. It is the
main port on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, which
is located at the mouth of the Daugava River in the Gulf
of Riga and currently covers an area of 6348 hectares
(including 1962 hectares – land area). The port handles
petroleum products, coal, container and general cargo,
dry cargo, liquid cargo, chemicals, agricultural
products, metal, roll-on/roll-off cargo, construction
materials, timber, peat [5, 11]. The port of Riga is the
largest port in Latvia, delivering more than 50% of the
volume of cargo handled at Latvian ports annually. It
covers more than 200 companies, including, among
others, transshipment and storage terminals,
manufacturing, shipbuilding and repair companies
and ship agencies, and employs more than 4,000
people [5].
To sum up, ports are integral elements of the
transport and logistics system of each coastal country,
which play an important role in its economy, actively
influencing not only the efficiency and effectiveness of
the TSL sector [7], but also influencing to a large extent
many groups of potential stakeholders (by generating,
among others, many thousands of jobs or impacting
the local community). And building good relationships
with stakeholders can be achieved, among other
things, by companies maintaining social media
activity, which companies are increasingly using
effectively in their marketing strategies [1].
2.1 Research methodology
In order to achieve the assumed goal of the work, the
desk research method and the observation method
were used in the research. First of all, in order to verify
the current state of knowledge, a desk study was
conducted, including content analysis and available
statistical data, and a cross-sectional analysis and
comparison of historical data [2] was carried out,
focusing particularly on the topic of the largest Baltic
seaports.
In the next step, an observational survey was
conducted to identify marketing activities carried out
on popular social media sites by the largest ports in the
Baltic Sea region. This method is considered to be the
most elementary method of empirical cognition,
consisting in the purposeful and systematic perception
of the object, process or phenomenon under study [17].
A type of covert observation was used in this study, as
the social networks are publicly accessible [6] and the
administrators of the selected profiles were not
informed that their activities were being studied.
The observation process carried out consisted of
several stages. Firstly, a survey site was selected where
the objectives could be met - these were popular social
media sites/websites such as: Facebook, Instagram, X
and LinkedIn. All of the aforementioned sites (except
LinkedIn) are ranked as the most used social media
platforms in the world. According to Digital 2024:
Global Overview Report, Facebook is used by 3049
million users, Instagram by 2000 million and X by 619
million (with the caveat that users may not represent
unique individuals) [4]. LinkedIn, despite not being
included in the aforementioned ranking, was included
in the analyses due to the fact that it is a professional
social platform designed for the business community.
The study was conducted in the period December 2024-
January 2025. The next stage of observation was to
perceive, collect and record the data obtained, in order
to then move on to the final stage of drawing
conclusions from the observations and interpreting the
data obtained as part of the analysis.
Within the framework of this study, observation
was carried out via the web, which is also referred to
as web-based ethnographic research [10] or
netnography, or sometimes virtual ethnography [9].
The advantage of ethnography is the ability to conduct
observations in completely natural circumstances,
where the researcher is invisible to the observed,
because he uses qualitative data available to the public
(e.g. on Internet forums or social networks). The object
of observation was the profiles of the largest seaports
in the Baltic Sea region in terms of volume of cargo
154
handling in 2022-2024, the characteristics of which are
outlined in the subsection above.
As part of the observation carried out in social
networks, the following activities were recorded:
− a review of the profiles of the largest seaports run
on social networks and determining user interest in
them;
− quantitative analysis of posts/posts published on
the profiles of selected seaports.
3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Table 2 presents the results of the analysis regarding
the occurrence of profiles of the largest seaports of the
Baltic Sea region in selected, most popular social
networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, X and
LinkedIn. The table also shows the portals' use of their
profile names and usernames (in the case of Instagram
and X) on the social networks. The most commonly
used social networks by ports are Facebook, Instagram
and LinkedIn - 70-80% of the ports surveyed maintain
their profiles there. X, on the other hand, is used less
frequently, with only 50% of the entities surveyed
having an account available on this service.
While analysing the profile names used by seaports,
in the case of Facebook, we find that these names are in
the native language of the port in question, using
letters specific to the language, such as 'Facebook'.
Rīgas Brīvosta (for the Latvian port of Riga) or Port
Szczecin-Świnoujście (for the Polish port). Only the
port of Klaipeda used a double name in both
Lithuanian and English in its profile name - 'Klaipėdos
uostas / Port of Klaipeda'. In the case of social networks
such as Instagram or X, in addition to the profile name,
there is also a username. On Instagram, most ports use
their native language in their names as well as in their
usernames, e.g. the Swedish port in Gothenburg:
"Göteborgs Hamn" and "goteborgshamn", but also
several ports use the English-language name in these
media, e.g. the Polish port in Gdynia: "Port Gdynia
Official" and" portgdyniaofficial". On the other hand,
the names used by almost all the examined ports on the
social networking sites X and LinkedIn are in English.
It is worth noting at this point that the use of profile
names and usernames by ports in their native
languages on social networks can cause difficulties for
potential other users or stakeholders to find a port's
profile. The preferred language used for profile names
should be English, which, as a means of
communication in global business, provides one
convenient method for people to communicate around
the world [30]. English is the first language for
communication in a globalised world, even in the
European Union, where a small percentage of the
population is native English speakers (just over 10%)
51% of people speak English [12]. And it is worth
noting that the processes of globalisation and
integration are also significantly changing the seaport
environment, which has now become a complex, multi-
factorial system of dependencies and interrelationships
of economic, social, environmental, political and
cultural elements [26].
Another aspect of the analysis was to determine the
interest of users in profiles run by seaports in social
networks. Table 3 shows the number of followers of the
port's profile on each social network.
Table 2. Result of an analysis of the incidence of profiles of the largest seaports in the Baltic Sea region on selected popular
social networks.
No
Port
Facebook
Social
profile
name
(Facebook)
Instagram
Social profile
name
(Instagram)
Social profile name
(Instagram)
X
Social
profile
name (X)
Social profile name
(X)
LinkedIn
Social profile
name
(LinkedIn)
1
Ust-Luga
(Russia)
PRESENT
Порт "Усть-
Луга"
PRESENT
Порт Усть-
Луга
portustluga
PRESENT
Ust-Luga
Company
Ust_LugaCompany
ABSENT
-
2
Gdańsk
(Poland)
PRESENT
Port
Gdańsk
PRESENT
Port Gdańsk
portgdansk
PRESENT
Port of
Gdańsk
PortGdanskZMPG
PRESENT
Port of Gdansk
Authority
3
Primorsk
(Russia)
ABSENT
-
PRESENT
ООО
«Транснефть-
Порт
Приморск»
transneft_port_prim
orsk
ABSENT
-
-
ABSENT
-
4
St.
Petersburg
(Russia)
ABSENT
-
ABSENT
-
-
ABSENT
-
-
ABSENT
-
5
Gothenburg
(Sweden)
PRESENT
Göteborgs
Hamn
PRESENT
Göteborgs
Hamn
goteborgshamn
ABSENT
-
-
PRESENT
The Port of
Gothenburg
6
Szczecin-
Świnoujście
(Poland)
PRESENT
Port
Szczecin-
Świnoujście
PRESENT
ZMPSiŚ
port_szczecin_swin
oujscie
PRESENT
Zarząd
Morskich
Portów
Szczecin i
Świnoujści
e
ZMPSiS
PRESENT
Szczecin and
Świnoujście
Seaports
Authority
7
Klaipeda
(Lithuania)
PRESENT
Klaipėdos
uostas / Port
of Klaipeda
PRESENT
Klaipėdos
uostas
portofkleipeda
PRESENT
Port of
Klaipeda
portofklaipeda1
PRESENT
Klaipėdos
uostas/Port of
Klaipeda
8
Rostock
(Germany)
ABSENT
-
ABSENT
-
-
ABSENT
-
-
PRESENT
ROSTOCK
PORT
9
Gdynia
(Poland)
PRESENT
Port Gdynia
PRESENT
Port Gdynia
Official
portgdyniaofficial
PRESENT
Port
Gdynia
Official
PortGdynia
PRESENT
Port of Gdynia
Authority S.A.
10
Riga
(Latvia)
PRESENT
Rīgas
Brīvosta
PRESENT
Rīgas osta
rigasbrivosta
ABSENT
-
-
PRESENT
Freeport of
Riga
155
Table 3. Summary of the number of followers of a given
seaport's profile on social networks.
No
Port
Number of
observers
[Facebook]
Number of
observers
[Instagram]
Number of
observers
[X]
Number of
observers
[LinkedIn]
1
Ust-Luga (Russia)
1000
1469
8
-
2
Gdańsk (Poland)
13000
3705
2187
8000
3
Primorsk (Russia)
-
525
-
-
4
St. Petersburg
(Russia)
-
-
-
-
5
Gothenburg
(Sweden)
1700
3444
-
15000
6
Szczecin-Świnoujście
(Poland)
7300
624
1237
2000
7
Klaipeda (Lithuania)
13000
1747
272
6000
8
Rostock (Germany)
-
-
-
3000
9
Gdynia (Poland)
13000
3705
1936
7000
10
Riga (Latvia)
4900
1412
-
2000
*as at 30.12.2024 r. „-„ - if a port does not have a profile on a social
networking site
The profiles of the ports of Gdańsk, Klaipeda and
Gdynia are the most popular among users on
Facebook. On Instagram, on the other hand, port
profiles in Gdańsk and Gdynia also have the most
followers, but the port in Gothenburg also has a
comparable number of followers. As far as X is
concerned, the Port of Gdynia and the Port of Gdańsk
lead the way here as well, but it is worth mentioning
here that in the case of this social network, only five
ports have their profiles there. On LinkedIn, on the
other hand, the profile of the Swedish port in
Gothenburg has the most followers. The ports of
Gdańsk, Klaipeda and Gdynia also have a large
number of followers on this social networking site, but
their numbers are about half that of the Swedish port.
Another issue that was subject to analysis was to
determine the activity of the social media activities
carried out by the largest ports in the Baltic Sea region
through a quantitative analysis of posts made on social
media profiles. Fig. 1. presents a graph showing the
average number of posts per month published on
social media profiles on Facebook, Instagram and X is
presented. The average number of posts was calculated
based on an analysis of the number of posts in three
months in 2024, i.e. January, June and December. The
graph does not include ports that do not have profiles
on the aforementioned websites and those that did not
show any activity on their profiles in 2024. Such an
example is the Russian port of Ust-Luga, which had the
last activity on its accounts: on Facebook and
Instagram - last post 31 March 2022, X - last post 7
November 2017. Also, a similar situation exists for the
Russian port of Primorsk, which has a profile on
Instagram, but the last post on the account was
recorded on 8 March 2022. The cessation of activities on
social networks by the aforementioned ports is most
likely due to the fact that, as a result of the start of
Russian aggression against Ukraine, some social media
platforms have restricted the functioning of Russian
accounts [19]. This is also confirmed by the Digital
2024: Global Overview Report [4], which points out
that Russia ranks low in a comparison of the average
number of social media platforms used by internet
users in a country. For example, for Poland the average
number of social media platforms used is 5.9, for
Sweden 6.7 and for Russia: 4.8 [4].
Figure 1. Average number of social media posts on Baltic
seaport profiles per month.
Analysing the data obtained, it can be seen that the
greatest activity of the surveyed seaports occurs with
the social networking site Facebook. The port of
Klaipeda publishes the most posts during the month
(on average one post every day), while on average
every 2-3 days, i.e. about 12-14 times a month, Polish
seaports from Gdynia, Gdańsk and Szczecin-
Świnoujście post posts on their profiles. The Latvian
port of Riga posts on its profile a little less frequently,
on average eight times a month, while the Swedish port
of Gothenburg posts on average two times a month.
The activity on the Instagram social network is
lower than in the case of Facebook. Some of the ports
surveyed post one or even fewer posts per month and
therefore the average monthly number of posts for
ports such as Gdańsk and Klaipeda is zero. The port of
Gothenburg and Riga publishes an average of one post
every two weeks, while the Polish ports of Szczecin-
Świnoujście and Gdynia publish about 9-12 posts per
month, i.e. on average every 3 days. On the other hand,
the lowest activity of seaports in the case of the
surveyed social networks occurs on X. Some of the
surveyed ports do not have profiles on X at all
(Gothenburg, Riga), and the remaining ports conduct
their activities on this website with moderate or low
frequency. It is worth noting, however, that social
media is mainly used by seaports to provide updates
on current events taking place in the port as well as to
bring the reality of seaport businesses to the audiences
of these platforms. Table 4 presents exact data on the
number of posts/entries involved in given periods in
selected social networking sites.
Analyzing the activity of selected seaports in all the
social networks surveyed, it should be noted that the
profiles of Polish seaports in Gdynia, Gdańsk and
Szczecin-Świnoujście are the most active. The port of
Klaipeda also shows a lot of activity on its Facebook
profile, but omits activity on the other available sites.
And it is crucial for companies to maintain social media
activity, as it is one way of building good relationships
with stakeholders [8]. Social media, including
websites, have been around for over 20 years and have
significantly influenced the dynamics of interactions
between companies and customers. Increasingly,
companies are using social media effectively in their
marketing strategies [1]. Furthermore, with the use of
social media, feedback can be obtained quickly and
easily and from customers and business partners [8].
156
Table 4. Data on the number of posts stirred up by seaports
on selected social networks.
No
Port
Number of entries
[Facebook]
Number of entries
[Instagram]
Number of entries
[X]
1/2024
6/2024
12/2024
1/2024
6/2024
12/2024
1/2024
6/2024
12/2024
1
Ust-Luga
(Russia)
last entry – March
31, 2022
last entry – March
31, 2022
last entry – Nov 7,
2017
2
Gdańsk
(Poland)
11
12
13
0
1
0
3
4
6
3
Primorsk
(Russia)
-
-
-
last entry – March 8,
2022
-
-
-
4
St.
Petersburg
(Russia)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
5
Gothenburg
(Sweden)
0
3
2
2
3
2
-
-
-
6
Szczecin-
Świnoujście
(Poland)
10
14
15
7
8
13
4
2
2
7
Klaipeda
(Lithuania)
12
47
31
1
0
0
last entry – Dec 7,
2022
8
Rostock
(Germany)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
Gdynia
(Poland)
8
19
14
3
19
14
0
6
0
10
Riga
(Latvia)
8
9
7
2
3
1
-
-
-
The results also show that the profiles of seaports
(such as the ports of Gdynia, Gdańsk and Klaipeda),
which are very active on social media, have the highest
number of followers of a given profile (the only
exception is the profile of the port of Gothenburg,
which, despite its low activity, has a large group of
followers on Instagram, for example). This proves that
regular and systematic maintenance of their accounts
on social networks results in increased interest on the
part of the audience. Therefore, it can be concluded that
the impact of this marketing communication channel
may affect stakeholders, which may be, among others,
the local community, employees, partners, customers,
suppliers, as well as shareholders. By publishing
audience-engaging content on their accounts, an
organisation or brand becomes more visible and
memorable to potential stakeholders, resulting in
increased recognition of the organisation. In addition,
social media activity may generate more interest in the
content contained on the website, as social media
profile accounts allow you to easily redirect your
audience to the main websites, where ports usually
have information on issues such as port services,
general information, safety, environmental protection,
as well as any news. Moreover, regular marketing
communication on social media can contribute to
building trust and a bond with an organisation or even
create a community around these organisations, e.g. by
audiences that are the port's local community, port
employees or its customers. It is often the case that
social networks are one of the first places where
interested parties look for information about an
organisation, hence the presence and activity in these
media demonstrate an organisation's commitment to
connect with potential stakeholders and its desire to
create its image in modern marketing communication
channels.
4 CONCLUSIONS
The article addresses the issue of the use of social
media as a marketing communication channel by the
major ports of the Baltic Sea region. The research shows
that the most commonly used social networks by ports
are Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, while X is used
less frequently. The work also focuses on the analysis
of the names of profiles used in social media by
seaports. While the preferred language used for profile
names should be English - which, as a medium of
communication in a global business, provides one
convenient method of communication - not all ports
follow this principle, which can make it difficult for
potential users or stakeholders to find a port's profile.
Based on the obtained results, it can also be concluded
that the profiles of seaports (such as ports in Gdynia,
Gdańsk or Klaipeda), which are characterized by high
activity in social media, also have the largest number
of followers of a given profile among the respondents.
This demonstrates that regular and systematic
maintenance of one's social media accounts results in
increased interest from the audience and can thus
influence potential stakeholders. Publishing audience-
engaging content on your accounts can raise your
organisation's profile, generate more interest in the
content on your website, and contribute to building
trust and audience bonds with your organisation.
Therefore, organisations, including seaports, that want
to focus even more on creating a brand image and
building good relationships with stakeholders should
include the effective use of social media as part of their
marketing strategies.
The subject matter presented in the article is very
contemporary and subject to development. The
authors believe that this article can contribute to
further discussion and research on the use of social
media as a modern marketing communication channel
by seaports and its benefits. The directions of further
research can be indicated, among others, a qualitative
analysis of the content of posts published by seaports
on social media, including the identification of content
that most engages audiences. It would also be
interesting to explore the attitudes of stakeholders (as
well as their opinions) towards the marketing
communications used by seaports on social media.
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