3 Keys to Developing a Successful Twitter Strategy in Japan
Did you know Japan is the only country in the world where Twitter is more popular than Facebook? Yes, it’s true, as a matter of fact Twitter in Japan has one of the highest year over year user growth and usage rates.
And there are a lot of reasons for this, for example:
*Twitter caters better to anonymity, which is integral for Japanese social media users.
*A lot more can be said in 140 characters of Kanji than in English.
*And when it comes to user behavior, Japanese consumers have the chance to connect with more of the global landscape, by following different users of influence.
So, with all this being said, what does it look like to be effective on Twitter in Japan?
We’re so glad you asked, based on our experience as a social media agency in Japan, here are 3 keys to a successful Twitter strategy in Japan and how you can put them into action.
Focus on storytelling over sarcasm
While in US, Twitter is often used as a form of sarcasm and telling sarcastic jokes that fight for the right to get retweeted a thousands times, the opposite is true in Japan.
Here in Japan, sarcasm isn’t as common and understood as it is in the states. For that reason, the usual cute and snarky strategy that worked in the US has to be pivoted here to something more descriptive.
Instead, focus more on storytelling or having a larger conversation around a narrative. Did you know Japanese consumers tend to read more online content than US consumers? For this reason, opting to develop a larger narrative on Twitter can work toward your advantage while also keeping your following engaged.
Think global, but act local
When developing a Twitter content strategy, it’s true that it’s optimal to form your narrative around brand updates, news, conversation starters and more. However, to really relate to Japanese users, your content needs to be relatable personally and often emotionally.
In Japan, this means developing content around local mascots, nuances that only people living in Tokyo would understand, and anything you can regarding the thousands of holidays every year that few people really understand.
In a sense, there’s a lot of fun to be had when covering and discussing Japan, but few brands get this right. For example, the Japanese people tend to be more group and community oriented than most cultures. For this reason, it’s common to find trending topics in Japan around things concerning the Japanese citizen as a whole, which are always great ideas for developing content online.
Invite as many people to the party as you can
As with any Twitter strategy, we’ve seen a lot of success in Japan come from simply mentioning and tagging as many people as you can. The influence game is new in Japan, meaning that outside of celebrities there is a growing amount of people developing their own brand around travel, beauty, lifestyle and more.
These people are looking to develop a larger community and get more reach. For this reason, writing about them and sharing them with your followers and tagging them in the process, usually means your content will get more reach in the process.
This influencer strategy worked years ago in the US, but is rather fresh and new in Japan. Given people are looking to grow their brand, by finding ways to include them in your content will mean more reach and user engagement as a result.
If you’re a company that’s looking to grow your business in Japan using social media, contact us at hello@definition.media and we’ll help you get started.
