YouTube Marketing in Japan: Tips & Tricks

Do you think your audience is not on YouTube? Let me tell you that you are wrong. More than 2 billion users watch or upload videos, which represents almost 1/3 of the Internet. 95% of the world’s population can create an account since it is accessible in 80 different languages and 100 countries. But what about Japan specifically? 

YouTube in Japan: Data

YouTube was launched in Japan in 2007. A decade later, it had a penetration rate of over 90% among Japanese aged 13 to 29 years old (2019, Statista). However, the rate was 41% for people in their 60s – which is almost half of them, when we think about it. Whoever you are targeting, both women and men use this platform, almost at the same degree. 

Why You Should Use YouTube

For marketers, this platform is a goldmine. Its audience is growing every day and there are so many YouTubers that you will always find someone who matches your brand.

Besides, people prefer watching a video rather than reading, and they trust YouTubers or influencers better than the media or government (if you choose to advertise your campaign with influencers), according to the Edelman Trust Barometer. 

Also, the message is more powerful with images and voice than with text alone. It creates a feeling of familiarity and proximity, especially if the viewers watch several videos where a same product is promoted. This is why the video advertising market is expanding, from 53.5 billion yen in 2015 to 262.5 billion yen in 2021 (estimate), according to a Cyber Agent survey. There is also more flexibility, you can choose how often your campaign will appear or who will promote your product, which means that it does not have to cost an arm and a leg.

Your campaign, if you choose to, is also displayed under the video and/or on the main page, visible by everyone.  

Types of YouTube Marketing

Three different methods are open to you:

• Create your own channel: if you have ideas of content that you think will please viewers, do it! At the beginning, you may not have many subscribers, but it will come with time and motivation. Post regularly, display happiness and energy and offer original content. Do it for fun, you will build a community over the years. Promote your channel on other platforms, on your website, but also on your channel itself. Tell people to subscribe and to click on the bell (to be notified as soon as you upload another video). After a few videos, they might subscribe.
• Video advertising: choose when and where your advertisements will be displayed (before, during or after a video). You can also set a target (age group, gender, interests, etc.) and encourage call-to-action. You can select a format from a variety of types, but some are more expensive than others. Find inspiration by watching some Japanese advertisements and do better than them!
• Influencer Marketing: contact directly an influencer hat you like or whose audience and content are in alignment with your brand’s vision and goals (you can also contact his/her agency). Even though the number of subscribers is important, the biggest, the more expensive. Also, if you choose a YouTuber extremely popular, it doesn’t mean that you will sell more. Sure, you will reach out to a broader audience, but if you try to sell a JPY 12,000 desk lamp to an audience aged 10 to 14 years old (who represents a big part of users, subscribing to the biggest influencers). You can also offer discounts, temporary or not (or both, like 30% the first weeks, then 20%). The YouTuber will also put the URL of your website in the video description and talk more or less about your product (depending on the contract).

Top 5 Japanese YouTubers in 2020

• Hajime Shacho – はじめしゃちょー（hajime）

8.41M subscribers
Category: Entertainment (series, shorts films, etc.)

• HikakinTV (HikakinTV)

8.04M subscribers
Category: Entertainment (videos about his cats, video games, music, etc.)

• Fischer’s-フィッシャーズ-

6.08M subscribers
Category: Entertainment (series, music, funny videos, etc.)

• Yuka Kinoshita (Yuka Kinoshita木下ゆうか)

5.42M subscribers
Category: Food (eating as much as she can)

• avex

5.17M subscribers
Category: Music (live tours, music videos, etc.)

Reference:
www.hubspot.com/youtube-marketing
www.youtube.com/intl/en-GB/about/press/
socialbook.io/blog/here-are-the-latest-youtube-influencer-marketing-trend/
edamamejapan.com/japanese-youtubers/
www.statista.com/statistics/1071780/japan-youtube-penetration-rate-by-age-group/
www.statista.com/statistics/1077556/japan-youtube-penetration-rate-by-gender/
www.cyberagent.co.jp/en/news/detail/id=12795