Influencer Marketing Hub sets itself apart from conventional review platforms through the involvement of Influencer Marketing experts such as Werner Geyser, Djanan Kasumovic, Camille Kennedy, Dave Eagle, and other notable industry figures. This expert team brings a profound understanding of the Influencer Marketing landscape, assessing tools and platforms with an insider’s perspective on capabilities, experience, and industry acumen. Unlike user-generated review platforms, Influencer Marketing Hub’s evaluations are rooted in extensive firsthand experience and direct interactions with the tools and platforms in question. This ensures that the reviews are not only trustworthy but also deeply informed. High-caliber brands like Krows Digital, Tribal Media House, and Kaikoku undergo rigorous monthly evaluations, highlighting the platform’s commitment to identifying and showcasing top-tier solutions in Influencer Marketing and beyond.
Influencer Marketing Hub has consistently been recognized by leading media outlets for our authoritative data, findings, and insights within the Influencer Marketing landscape. Our platform is frequently cited as a trusted source of information, demonstrating the value and impact of our work in shaping industry standards and practices.
Influencer Marketing Hub employs an expert-driven methodology to evaluate Influencer Marketing agencies, ensuring that our recommendations are both reliable and comprehensive. This approach is designed to help businesses and individuals find the best agencies to meet their specific Influencer Marketing needs. Here’s how we assess the various agencies like Krows Digital, Tribal Media House, and Kaikoku:
While social media is global, social media marketing is still local. Not everyone uses the Internet the same way; different countries have many nuances when it comes to social media usage. If you’re a business that wants to cater to a specific geographical area, it’s important to know how to navigate the social media environment in that region to have an effective marketing strategy.
But social media marketing can be difficult for the inexperienced. It is not as simple as going to your Facebook page and making a sales pitch for your product. This is where social media marketing agencies can provide big benefits. Professional agencies know how to avoid the online pitfalls that everyday business managers and staff often make, meaning that they can easily save much more than they cost.
Businesses can tap social media agencies to help with their social media strategy. Unless you are a very small company, it is likely that at some stage, you will work with an agency to help you with online marketing. Even big companies can benefit from hiring social media agencies that either specializes in certain aspects of marketing or operate effectively in specific countries. This is the case for many countries around the globe, including Asian countries such as Japan. Through social media, Japanese brands can communicate with the world, and global brands can reach Japanese audiences.
Social Media in Japan
Social media usage in Japan is quite different from that in the US and Europe. To start, social media is known as “SNS” or “social networking service/site” in Japan. According to Statista, the most popular social media platform in Japan is LINE, a messaging app also widely used in other Asian countries. About 80% of Japan’s social media users are active in LINE, making it a lucrative platform for marketing in the country. Meanwhile, only 15% of Japanese users are active on TikTok. If your business’ social media strategy is heavily-focused on TikTok, for example, you’ll miss out on a lot of opportunities to reach the Japanese market effectively.
However, marketing on LINE is not without its complexities. The majority might be active on the app, but it doesn’t mean you can go ahead and saturate LINE with your marketing messages. Japanese users simply ignore messages sent too often or be completely turned off by brands who post too frequently.
Japan has many digital agencies that offer social media marketing services. Some are local agencies; others are Japanese branches of global organizations. Here is a selection of 15 social media marketing agencies operating in Japan that will help you capture the distinct Japanese market.
Top Social Media Marketing Agencies to Capture the Japanese Market:
Although Krows Digital is based in Japan, its team is multilingual and can work on projects in Japanese, English, French, and Spanish. They split their services into online paid marketing, search engine optimization, translation, and social media management. They aim to transform each of your social channels into a lead magnet. They believe that social networks can be the perfect tool to get clients and to develop a robust engagement strategy to increase your company’s visibility. Their social media marketing campaigns are designed around lead generation and client retention. They want your audience to understand and follow your voice; that they are constantly engaged with a society that offers them added value and high-quality content. Japanese businesses that want to grow both locally and globally can check out Krows Digital for international growth. Tribal Media House recognizes the importance of social media in 21st century marketing. Led by Japanese digital marketing experts, the company operates in various industries, including food and beverage, cosmetics, apparel, even housing, and films. The company’s mission translates into English as “Creating an exciting future with the social economy.” Whether you need expert opinions on your marketing strategy and analysis or need assistance with social media operations and promotions, Tribal Media House offers many different digital marketing services. They created what they call Engage Manager, a social media management tool to make SNS operations more efficient. In addition to functions for posting and managing major social media, they support campaigns and offer active support essential for building engagement with users. Kaikoku is a full-service digital marketing agency that can “build your bridge to Japan.” Their goal is to bring global brands to Japan, marketing them to suit Japanese culture. From content production to marketing and branding for the Japanese market, Kaikoku’s vast experience in digital marketing can help your social media strategy. Their team of foreigners and Japanese nationals allows the agency to incorporate different cultural perspectives into their work. In terms of social media management, they help you run your social media accounts in Japanese, schedule your posts, and make sure that your content makes an impact on the Japanese market. Torchlight is a Meta Business Partner, LINE sales Partner, and a Twitter Official Partner. The company is a member of the Digital Advertising Consortium (DAC), one of Japan’s largest media and communications group. With successful campaigns for over 3000 companies under their belt, Torchlight was one of the first important social media advertisers in Japan. They’ve managed campaigns for some of the world’s major brands, allowing them to gain firsthand experience on the ins and outs of social media campaigns. This led to the development of a Facebook and Twitter advertising tool called Sherpa, developed to make campaign creation more efficient, optimal, and easy to analyze. They also provide Instagram advertising services for all kinds of advertising purposes, such as branding, e-commerce CVs, and expansion of app installs. Breaker describes itself as a next-generation media company connecting the world to Japan. They use influencer support, video, and social media to break the barriers between Japan and the rest of the world. Breaker aims to “break rules [and] borders,” as well as “break new ground” in digital marketing. To do so, they manage a large network of overseas influencers, use various data analysis tools for marketing growth, and produce creative content aligned with their client’s branding. They are involved with a mix of digital marketing, social media marketing, influencer marketing, content production planning, and event planning. An-yal offers end-to-end strategy, planning, and execution for large-scale digital and integrated projects and campaigns. They specialize in beauty and lifestyle and have a wealth of experience with big-name brands in cosmetics, hair care, confectionery, food and beverage, and consumer lifestyle products. They offer a long list of digital marketing services that include social media strategy and management, along with influencer marketing and talent collaborations. One of their main services is augmented reality, fusing immersive AR experiences with top-notch marketing strategies. For the cosmetics industry, AR is fast becoming a key tool in marketing, with virtual try-ons quickly gaining popularity. An-yal develops AR filters for brands who are looking to capture more of the social media market, particularly on Instagram and Tiktok. An-yal works closely with global brands helping them to bridge gaps with their Japan entity or subsidiary. They utilize their Japan market knowledge to help their clients meet goals for the Japanese market, and facilitate local teams that lack the capabilities or human resources for successful project execution. Comnico, stylized as comnico, is one of the leading social media marketing agencies in Japan. With clients like Toyota, Japan Airlines, Nespresso, Citroën, and Lufthansa, as well as a range of popular Japanese brands, comnico has established itself as a one-stop shop for brands looking to enhance their social media game. comnico offers solutions and assists brands with their social media needs, including consultation, set up, management, operation, ads, and reports. Their comnico Marketing Suite is an integrated social media marketing tool they have designed and developed. Created by SNS operation professionals, this tool simplifies social media management for businesses. It makes it easier to handle multiple accounts, schedule posts, analyze social media data, and even moderate comments on posts. Tokyo-based Ashton Consulting is an international corporate communications company that provides communication services for businesses of all sizes. Primarily working in Japan, the company services other Asian markets through its network of partner agencies. Because of their international work in communications, Ashton consultants have strong language skills, ensuring that nothing is lost in translation. With a host of services that includes social media, PR, media training, crisis communications, and research, Ashton provides first-class implementation of communication strategies suited for foreign companies who want to enter the Japanese market or local companies who want to expand overseas. Ashton Consulting has a strong track record in everything from social media policy development and training, through to content management, monitoring, and inventive engagement campaigns. They have had dramatic results connecting clients directly to their audience through social media. However, they believe that traditional media channels still have a vital role in modern marketing, so they bring them together to create a consistent communications strategy that connects you with all your audiences. Bruce Clay is a global search marketing company headquartered in California with independent offices in Japan, India, Australia, Dubai, and Singapore (with future offices in Europe and Brazil). Specializing in SEO, the company has been operating since 1996, helping websites rank in search engines. Founder Bruce Clay is responsible for the first webpage analysis tool. Today, they are considered leaders in the SEO industry, offering various tools and resources for businesses to improve their search rankings. One of their services is social media advertising and marketing. The company Bruce Clay believes social media marketing, or SMM, is all about engagement. They see it as a business’ opportunity to connect with clients and build a long-term customer relationship built on communication and trust. The company first evaluates its client’s profile and requirements, then recommends strategies that will help achieve their goals on social media. With some of the biggest global brands as its clients, Beacon Communications is one of the giants in the Japanese media industry. The company describes itself as a human-centered creative agency, focusing on telling stories about “people, purpose, and changing behavior.” Beacon specializes in matching the behavior and habits of Japanese consumers with the design and purpose of global brands. They were formed in 2001 as a new concept agency with both Eastern and Western flair through a partnership between Publicis and Dentsu. Although their website provides little detail about the services they offer, they include social media among the digital tools with which they promote their clients’ products, services, and activities. Clutch estimates that about 20% of Beacon Communications’ work is devoted to social media marketing. Opt is a full-service digital marketing agency. It includes social media marketing in its extensive service mix, using suitable tools to take full advantage of today’s social media landscape in Japan. From brand awareness to marketing and even creative content production, Opt can provide global brands with everything they need to penetrate the Japanese market. Aside from social media marketing, Opt has also developed technologies for making digital marketing easier and more efficient for companies, including Tsunaguru. Tsunaguru is a distribution and marketing tool that enables businesses to connect to consumers via the LINE messaging app. FICC is primarily a brand marketing agency that aims to create value by connecting brands and people. They believe a brand’s social significance holds more weight in today’s market rather than function or technology. For this reason, FICC’s services focus on promoting their clients’ social significance through careful brand marketing. Communication is vital to FICC’s brand strategy management, so advertising—including social media—plays a critical role in their work. FICC provides evidence-based marketing using data to perfect the results. To deliver valuable content and experiences to consumers, they consistently offer strategic planning and implementation measures. They believe that they can contribute to society by raising Japanese digital marketing to the world standard and providing new value to consumers. They offer everything from strategy planning to promotion execution. They support all types of digital marketing, including social, to help their clients meet their goals. They believe that by understanding consumers’ minds through data and delivering valuable content and experiences, they can contribute to a brand’s business. Hashi Media is a team of marketing experts and creatives based in Tokyo. They have well-rounded social media marketing services, which include content creation, influencer marketing, and video production. They’ve helped global brands like Subway to engage with the Japanese market by creating digital experiences, brand identities, and original content. From strategy development to communication to execution, their team can take care of various stages of a project. To work with Hashi Media, a minimum commitment of three months is required. They call this the optimization period for their services. After this period, you’re free to start working with them on a month-to-month basis for as long as you need their services. For video production, there’s no minimum commitment and you can work with them on a project basis. Based in Tokyo, Hatago Consulting initially started out as a digital marketing agency that helped Japanese businesses to attract foreign audiences. Their experience with connecting local brands with global audiences helped them develop the expertise to go the other way around—helping global brands enter the Japanese market. Their multicultural team fostered good relationships with other countries, and they were able to use their intimate understanding of Japan and its market to expand their services to digital consultation for global brands. In addition to social media marketing, they can also help with web creation, influencer marketing, and content creation. One of the characteristics that set them apart from other Japanese social media marketing companies is that they have a young team. As they grew up in the digital era and actively use the various platforms, they have an in-depth knowledge of all the key elements of digital marketing. ShapeWin is a PR and digital marketing agency that helps international companies wanting to enter the Japanese market. Their team knows how to create meaningful stories that resonate with target audiences in Japan. Their marketing services include content creation, influencer marketing, digital brand ambassador programs, and SEO. Their team can create and manage Japanese social media accounts for international clients. The agency keeps up to date with the latest Japanese SNS trends, making sure to maximize promotion through multiple media channels. To optimize social media reach, ShapeWin localizes international content and creates original posts exclusively for Japanese consumers.1. Krows Digital
2. Tribal Media House
3. Kaikoku
4. Torchlight
5. Breaker
6. An-yal
7. Comnico
8. Ashton Consulting Japan
9. Bruce Clay, Inc.
10. Beacon Communications
11. Opt
12. FICC
13. Hashi Media
14. Hatago Consulting
15. ShapeWin
