Times are ever changing in the digital era. Not even search engines are safe it seems! Nowadays, people shop by using social media recommendations and tags. Of course search engines aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, but social media marketing is at it again showing how important and valuable it is for reaching consumers. Figure out what social media tag searching and utilize it to make the most of your brands social media reach.
Japanese Social Media Tag Searching Trends
In Japan, the rise of social media food and restaurant tags have been rising. People have begun to use these tags and geotags to find restaurants to visit rather than using Google search. More and more often consumers trust social media comments and personal photos instead of Google search results. (Personally, living in Japan, even as a foreigner, my friends and I use this method as well.)
For example, if someone is search for a cafe in Nagoya city for example, they may use the hashtag #名古屋カフェ(#Nagoyacafe). For Japanese residents these searches are of course performed in Japanese. This means that being on social media and encouraging existing customers to post on social media will help new customers discover your restaurant. (See “お店はググらず、インスタで探す SNS時代の情報収集術”.)
Think of the Future
Currently, this is becoming a huge trend in the food industry, but this trend is likely to spread into other industries as well. Having pre-existing consumers and users post on their social media will create a stronger reach. This is because their opinion and comment is more trustworthy in the public’s opinion. It just goes to show that social media marketing is so #valuable.
Not being aware of social media trends as well as comments directly related to your own business or industry, could cause you to receive negative reviews or miss important opportunities.
Stay up to date with local social media trends in Japan and other Asian countries with us here at Mondo. Understanding local patterns and uses of social media and other digital platforms is essential when trying to penetrate and grow sales in the Japanese market as well as other APAC markets. #InternationalExpansion