Japan Influencer Marketing Checklist

Social media marketing in general and influencer marketing in particular are forces to be reckoned with when you are looking into your options to bring your brand to the Japanese market. As more and more companies discover the advantages of influencer marketing in Japan, expenditure on influencer marketing is set to surpass 70 billion JPY in 2025, with Instagram and YouTube being the most used channels by Japanese influencers. There are a few things that work differently in the world of Japan influencer marketing, so here is a checklist to make sure you have all your bases covered.

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Searching Influencers in Japan

When you can search for fitting influencers by hashtags or keywords in your native language it may take a bit of research to figure out what is currently trending. But when you are looking for Japanese influencers, especially if you are looking to reach the Japanese-speaking market, you need to be not only fluent in Japanese but also know which hashtags are presently used in your industry. The Japanese language is constantly adding new words to its vocabulary and effective hashtags tend to contain new words and new combinations. Knowing which keywords and hashtags to use will make your search for influencers on diverse social media channels much easier.

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Choose the Size of the Japanese Influencer

There are top tier influencers with a following of more than 500.000, mid-sized influencers who have between 100.000-500.000 followers, smaller influencers with fewer than 100.000 subscribers, and grassroots influencers (also called ‘tamago influencers’ in Japan) with fewer than 10.000 followers. Using smaller or grassroots influencers doesn’t necessarily mean getting less interaction and ultimately fewer sales, as the people who follow smaller influencers tend to be very interested in their niche’s subject matter while the influencers themselves are often knowledgeable specialists. Engagement rates for smaller influencers in Japan are higher than the rates of larger influencers, so using smaller influencers may not only be more cost-efficient, it may yield better results depending on your industry.

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Reaching Out To Influencers in Japan

Once you have found a few influencers who look like they could be a good fit for your brand, it is time to make the first contact. This is often one of the biggest challenges of influencer marketing in Japan, as Japanese influencers tend to shy away from working with brands that are unknown and/or foreign. The reason is that, just like anywhere else, reputation is everything for an influencer and it is difficult for them to determine if an unknown or foreign brand might have something in their background that could tarnish their reputation. They usually can’t do their due diligence in English and choose the least risky path of not starting such a collaboration. Going through a bilingual influencer agency in Japan can be a good workaround.

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Creating a Compelling Influencer Marketing Campaign in Japan

After you have found an influencer and made contact, it is time to create your influencer marketing campaign. Here are some things you have to consider:

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• Which type of channel to use: the most-used channels by influencers are Instagram (more women), YouTube (more men), and TikTok (Generation Z). Gamer live stream channel Twitch is up and coming as s social media channel used by influencers to inform and promote
• What format to use: you can choose between several promotion formats such as product reviews, Let’s Play, general sponsorship videos, live streams, product launches, game launches, general social media content, brand ambassador collaborations
• Visual/audio design: Japanese audiences tend to respond well to certain commercial content like subtitled videos, detailed close-ups, cute mascots, and funny sound effects
• Which hashtags to use: once your content is finished you need to find the best hashtags to use to help your audience find your content. Influencers can help you with this, and if you are using an agency they can advice you on good keywords as well

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Keep Track of Results

After a campaign has been run, it is important to check the results to see which direction to go in from then and whether campaign adjustments would be wise. The easiest way to track your results is by seeing the number of impressions and engagement, while keeping in mind that in Japan the percentages for engagement tend to be lower than in comparable circumstances elsewhere. This is because Japanese followers are also very careful about their online reputation, as giving a ‘like’ or writing a comment means that your friends will see which brands you have an interest in. Many Japanese people prefer to stay quite anonymous online and quietly read instead of comment, so the number of impressions often tell you more than engagement statistics.

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Communication with Influencers and Customers

Of course, the largest challenge in communication with Japanese influencers and customers is the language barrier. Many Japanese people don’t understand English at a high level, and besides, if you want to market your products or services to the Japanese-speaking market it is only logical to create campaigns in Japanese. Another point is the need for localization and keeping up with cultural differences. For example, direct communication is not always appreciated in Japan and can be perceived as crude, so you will need to adjust your communication style to suit the Japanese style and sensitivities.

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Hiring an Influencer Agency in Japan

To make all of the above steps of your marketing plan in Japan a lot easier, you can consider hiring a Japanese influencer agency that is specialized in working with foreign companies. They have a database of influencers that are open to collaborations with unknown foreign companies as long as they suit their image, and the language and cultural barrier will be taken care of by the agency. They can help you choose your influencer(s), facilitate contact, plan your campaign and monitor results with the most current trends kept in mind.