Facebook isn’t necessarily sitting at the social media cool kids’ table in Japan for casual use these days. As a platform for advertising, however, Facebook Ads in Japan can still deliver an attractive ROI. Its unique positioning in Japan offers a beneficial tool for B2B marketing.
In This Article
Let’s dig into the why, and how to leverage Facebook Ads capabilities for a successful Japanese marketing campaign.
How Facebook Become the Top Business Networking Platform in Japan
According to a Japanese government report, a cultural arm’s-length approach to social media prevents sites like Facebook from being widely used to grow and foster close friendships. Instead, users in Japan leverage Facebook for making business connections – a common practice since its Japanese inception in 2008.
This is supported by a well-established user base demographic that skews quite a bit older in age than the more popular, casual-use platforms in Japan. Over 80% of Facebook users in Japan are over the age of 30, with nearly 45% between 30 and 39.
Factor in that males make up almost 55% of all users, and this implies a high likelihood that Facebook is where corporate C-suite decision-makers congregate online in Japan.
With a robust track record of successful Facebook marketing for B2B clients, Info Cubic Japan has the expertise to bridge the space between you and your audience on social media. Learn more about our Facebook marketing services, and contact us for a consultation.
What About LinkedIn?
Anywhere else in the world, you might turn to LinkedIn to build your professional network. But it’s not that LinkedIn hasn’t tried to penetrate the Japanese social space – the platform is slowly gaining ground. It’s just that in Japan, Facebook got a very early head start. For perspective, Facebook boasts about 10x the number of LinkedIn users, and their user base appears to be remaining loyal.
Another reason LinkedIn is slow to gain traction in Japan lies in perception. The Japanese view LinkedIn is primarily as a search engine for job seekers, and not much beyond that. Interestingly, Facebook users see the platform as the ideal ecosystem for cultivating professional relationships in Japan, despite this being LinkedIn’s primary purpose – and the reason it’s arguably the better option elsewhere.
Best Practices for Advertising on Facebook in Japan
Now that we’ve established Facebook as the appropriate platform for matching your marketing goals with your audience, let’s talk strategy.
Here are some pointers for connecting effectively with your professional audience Facebook in Japan.
Facebook Ads
Facebook has some of the best ad targeting of any social media platform in Japan. As such, tailoring your ads to very specific demographics is a breeze. You can be sure your ads are reaching users with the professional interests, job titles, or industries that are most relevant to your product or service.
At ICJ, our Content and Digital Promotion teams specialize in B2B social media marketing and advertising for overseas brands. Many of our B2B clients find great value from running ads on Facebook for brand awareness and lead generation. Taking campaign objectives and target audience into account, we consult on the proper ad types to achieve optimal performance.
Make Sure to Properly Localize Your Brand Page and Ads
Foreign brands with Facebook pages in Japanese will garner trust among consumers in Japan much more quickly. However, corner-cutting translations might actually have a reverse effect.
Japanese is a very nuanced language, so utilizing professional localization services may be the most crucial measure you take. Localization ensures the appropriate use of language and tone, and respects cultural sensitivities.
Whether organic posting or utilizing Facebook Ads, getting your message across paramount, so don’t skip this essential step to success.
Create Active, Engaging Content that You Can Boost as Ads
Understanding your brand identity, as well as the specific needs of your target market, should inform your content selection. Experiment with many types of content and formats. Use your brand page to post white papers, case studies or links to industry-specific articles on your website…which should also be in Japanese.
To break up the monotony of text-heavy posts, consider using infographics, or even video. This will get your audience more excited about the information you’re sharing. After discovering type of content that resonates with your target audience, boost your most engaged posts as Facebook Ads to gain even more followers and potential clients in Japan.
Use Facebook Groups as Cost-Effective Advertising
Spreading your messaging in a more personable way by either creating or joining a Facebook Group can do wonders for building a community that’s not only trusting your online reputation, but enthusiastic about leveraging your product or service for their business needs as well. Without being too sales-y, this is also a great way to advertise your business on Facebook for the low, low price of FREE.
Entering these relevant spaces also provides invaluable insights and feedback that can help you tailor your own ads or page content to better convey your mission to potential business partners. If group members feel as though they have a direct line to you, this can increase brand loyalty from existing partners, and improve lead generation opportunities.
Get Started with Facebook Ads Today!
All things considered, the mechanisms by which Facebook Ads operates is largely the same in Japan as in the West. In terms of purpose, however, Facebook marketing holds a very unique position in Japan. As the gathering place for Japanese professionals, Advertising on Facebook is an essential part of any Japan B2B marketing strategy.
If you’re looking to make an impact in Japan, partner with us to see how Facebook can work for you.
