Paid social media marketing in Japan plays a vital role in an overall digital marketing campaign. This is especially true for B2C clients looking to connect more intimately with their target audience. When developing a Japanese social media marketing strategy, it’s important to know which platforms work best for each target demographic. You will also want to consider your industry, budget and marketing goals when determining the best course of action.
These are the most effective platforms for paid social media marketing in Japan, along with some best practices for success.
LINE
Far and away, LINE is the most popular social media platform in Japan. Boasting a Japanese user base of over 95 million as of 2024, LINE continues to be #1 among consumers in Japan. LINE is an all-in-one app that combines Whatsapp-style messaging with a classic social media feed layout (VOOM), and even integrates e-commerce along with its own in-app payment system (LINE Pay).
The platform allows for official business pages for engaging with your target audience, and increasing brand awareness for overseas businesses who may be new to the Japanese market. Brands can supplement organic posting with paid ads to capture relevant users who may not be familiar with their presence in Japan. In addition to brand awareness, LINE ads are a great way to drive more traffic to your site and increase sales potential.
LINE Advertising in Japan
LINE offers a variety of familiar ad formats, which include image, video and carousel ads. For companies looking to boost awareness, the platform goes a step further with Sponsored Stickers—a type of branded emoji. This unique feature lets brands leave their mark in everyday conversations between users of LINE’s messaging system.
As an institution in Japanese online communication, LINE is the perfect medium for B2C companies targeting customers of all ages. In terms of industry, LINE is particularly useful for retail, health and beauty, as well as the food and beverage sectors.
Info Cubic Japan is a top marketing agency for LINE advertising in Japan, having achieved certification and delivered successful Japanese social media marketing campaigns. Contact us to learn more about to use LINE effectively as an integral part of your marketing strategy.
With over 55 million active users in 2024, Instagram’s audience size continues to grow in Japan. This platform appeals to users who prefer more visual content. As such, companies looking to increase their market share in Japan should see Instagram as a visual branding vehicle. Shopping is integrated into the platform, but conversions should be a secondary goal to awareness.
However, one way to boost sales potential is to utilize the Stories feature. Instagram Stories are very effective for achieving high engagement rates and provide many options for calls-to-action for improving traffic leading to website or in-app product pages.
Effective Instagram Marketing in Japan
As for industries and demographics, companies in the food and fashion sectors do exceptionally well. The reason for this is that Instagram usage largely comes from young women in their teen years, up to early 30s.
TikTok
Japanese social media users have followed suit with much of the globe in preferring short-form, dynamic content over traditional text. For this reason, TikTok has quickly emerged, with currently the 4th highest Japanese social media user base. As of 2024, there are more than 26 million users in Japan, and the platform’s growth will see it catching up to Instagram much sooner than later.
How to Advertise on TikTok in Japan
With its fairly young demographic, advertising on TikTok is a recommended play for companies looking to do B2C marketing. Successful advertising on TikTok takes keen understanding of its users and their behaviors.
A common ad format for TikTok is In-Feed Videos. In-feed videos allow your ads to show in “For You” pages, as well as individual users’ feeds, according to target settings. As the Japanese TikTok landscape is in the 13- to 19-year age range, it’s vitally important to create highly engaging video content that entices them to truly stop and absorb the brand message, as they are on a constant scroll of videos lasting between 15 and 60 seconds.
Another key point to note is that TikTok is very trend-based. As such, getting familiar with local, cultural trends among Japan users, and incorporating them into your marketing materials, will take your efforts to the next level.
TikTok is also where major influencers connect with their fans. Running a Japanese influencer marketing collaboration in conjunction with regular TikTok advertising could help maximize your Japan marketing strategy.
If your target demographic is not so young, there are still plenty of older adult TikTok users in Japan. The platform draws people of varied interests, and as a result, myriad industries can benefit from TikTok advertising. From travel/tourism, technology and entertainment, to fashion, food and beauty, TikTok advertising is a great choice for many industries.
X (Twitter)
As stated earlier, LINE is the clear leader of social media in Japan, but X (formerly Twitter) is not far behind. With a user base of over 73 million, X is a strong second place, and the platform’s Japanese online population is the second largest by country, behind the United States.
The 140-character days are long gone, and X continues to embrace and evolve longer-form content. This environment has given place to opinion and thought leaders to thrive on social media. Between this and the fast pace of the news cycle, X has solidified itself as the go-to platform for users to be in-the-know as early as possible on a wide array of topics.
With that, comes a great advertising platform for brands from nearly any and all industries, both B2B and B2C. The key to executing an effective X advertising strategy is understanding the landscape.
Key Guidelines for Marketing on X in Japan
Making sure your brand messaging resonates with Japanese X users is quite simple. Three important guidelines to follow are:
- Stay casual – X users in Japan are there to have fun, learn and share thoughts and opinions in a relaxed setting. Brands should keep ad messaging natural and approachable. Avoid using stuffy ad copy.
- Change with the seasons – Japan loves seasonal commerce, so products and services, as well as the way they are marketed, should be timely.
- Go with what works – A brand account shouldn’t be used solely for advertising. Organic posting is encouraged, and posts that receive high engagement can be promoted as ads to reach an even wider audience.
BTW, it will ALWAYS be Twitter.
YouTube
Is YouTube technically considered “social media?” That depends on who you ask. But one thing’s for certain: With a Japanese user base in 2024 totaling nearly 80 million, YouTube is a powerhouse for advertising in Japan. As the top video search engine in the world, Millennials and Gen Z users make up the sweet spot demographic for advertisers.
Why is YouTube Advertising in Japan Important?
YouTube is a crucial stop on the customer journey. In-depth product reviews and comparisons are impactful in the decision-making process. Placing ads in the right place at the right time can nudge potential Japanese customers in the right direction.
Non-skippable and bumper ads, short ads that run between 6 to 30 seconds, are required viewing before a user’s selected video can be played. This is the perfect time for brands to tell their story clearly and concisely.
YouTube has also prioritized Shorts, their answer to TikTok’s popular short-form content format. Similarly to TikTok, ads can also be delivered in a user’s Shorts feed. And much like TikTok, Japan’s influencer presence is prevalent on YouTube. Where standard YouTube ads cover top-of-the-funnel (TOFU) efforts, teaming with Japanese influencers on YouTube to create longer-form content can push your target audience closer to the conversion point.
Info Cubic Japan has established ongoing strategic partnerships in the Japanese influencer marketing space. If you are looking to utilize influencer marketing as a complementary strategy to social media marketing in Japan, contact us to learn more about our full spectrum of marketing solutions and how your company can benefit from our expertise.
Honorable Mention: Facebook
Facebook may appear to be falling behind with just 17 million Japanese users, but it still holds a unique position. LinkedIn is slow to gain traction in Japan, and the main reason is that Facebook is actually the place for Japanese professionals to connect, many of whom are further up in age. Furthermore, unlike the other platforms mentioned, Facebook is the only social networking site with a decidedly male-leaning user base. Males also dominate more than two-thirds of revenue-generating management roles in Japan. These factors contribute to Facebook carving out a peculiar niche as the best social media platform for B2B marketing in Japan – specifically when quality lead generation is the focus.
Start Your Social Media Marketing Journey with Info Cubic Japan
To summarize the key takeaways for the social media platforms covered:
- LINE is essential for direct customer interaction
- Instagram focuses on visual branding
- TikTok utilizes short videos to target younger consumers
- X/Twitter is essential for communicating timely brand messaging
- YouTube is still the best for video marketing
- Facebook, while comparatively fading in popularity, still holds value among older users and professionals, and is the best option for B2B social media marketing
These platforms collectively provide diverse opportunities for businesses looking to engage with Japanese consumers through paid social media marketing strategies.
Contact Info Cubic Japan today to begin building your social presence in the Japanese marketplace.
