Company Name	MMTM, Inc.
Target Product	Amesma (SIM cards and mobile phone services)
Services Provided	SNS marketing (Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc.)
Purpose	Increase awareness and build a fan base, turn content into assets
Effect	Increased number of Instagram followers, increased number of fans

Creating High-Value SNS Content

— Can you tell us about the target product for this initiative?

Mr.Chihiro Arasaki (hereafter, Mr.Arasaki):

The product is “Amesma,” a mobile phone service for Japanese residents in the United States.

Amesma offers SIM cards and smartphones, launched in 2019 for individuals staying in the US for work or study.

The key attractions of Amesma are the ability to arrange services from Japan and its low cost. It’s crucial to have a phone number for activities like renting a house in the US, and Amesma ensures users have one from the day they arrive. We aim for a price point that users feel comfortable recommending to friends.

Mr.Arasaki:

I work for a company based in Dallas, Texas, while the other six staff members work fully remotely. They are located in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Shizuoka, and Australia. The shift to remote work started during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we plan to continue this approach for new hires without focusing on their location.

Yukako Makino, SNS Marketing Manager at Mass Driver Co., Ltd. (hereafter, Yukako):

The AmeSma service is robustly supported, which is a significant strength. Using it during my stay in the U.S. highlighted its convenience and reliable troubleshooting.

— What initiatives have you implemented?

Mr.Arasaki:

Yukako helps us as a consultant for managing Amesma’s official SNS accounts. Although the accounts were set up, the update frequency was low.

Over half of our customers come from word of mouth. People relocating to or studying in the US are often introduced to Amesma by those already there.

Before COVID-19, our traffic was mainly from ads. In 2020, as new customers decreased, we stopped ads to measure effectiveness. By mid-2020, customers were still coming without ads, so we stopped them entirely.

During the decline in new customers, we launched Amesma channel on YouTube to start sharing information.

Yukako:

Coincidentally, I started DefuSapo Channel around the same time.

Weekly Meetings as the Core of SNS Operations

— What led you to ask Yukako to be an SNS consultant?

Mr.Arasaki:

We had met a few times and were connected on Facebook, so we knew about each other’s YouTube channels. While we were thrilled about reaching 2,000 subscribers, Yukako had already surpassed 70,000 (114,000 as of October 2022). This sparked my interest in her approach to SNS consulting.

Learning from Yukako, we realized the importance of strategic channel management. Her ability to create targeted content for different audiences, such as expatriates and students, was impressive.

— How did you specifically proceed with the SNS consulting?

Mr.Arasaki:

Since around November 2021, we have been holding regular weekly meetings. These meetings create a sense of urgency and responsibility to “get things done.”

Although we have always held regular meetings, they weren’t focused on marketing. In our current SNS meetings, we brainstorm content together and check how well the posted content is performing.

Yukako:

The regular meetings help establish clear deadlines. They also set boundaries on what the company can say. When one person manages the SNS, the content can become neutral and bland. However, working as a team allows us to take risks and gain new insights. It’s easy to get stuck when managing alone.

Growing Instagram Followers by 50 Per Week

— Did you have any concerns before implementing these initiatives?

Mr.Arasaki:

I wasn’t particularly worried, though I did wonder what we’d do if we didn’t see results. Fortunately, there were no objections within the company, and I introduced Yukako as an amazing YouTuber to the team with excitement.

Yukako:

SEO typically shows quicker results, while SNS takes longer—at least six months to a year—to see significant impact.

Mr.Arasaki:

In today’s market, many companies are adopting SNS marketing, making it harder to grow followers due to competition. However, we have seen results, especially on Instagram, by clearly defining our target and creating specialized content for them. We refined our approach through regular meetings.

— How did you define your target audience?

Mr.Arasaki:

Our first target is people planning to use mobile services for their upcoming stay in the US. The second target is those already in the US who may become fans through relatable content. Instagram has been our most successful platform, with an increase of about 50 followers weekly.

— How often do you update?

Mr.Arasaki:

We typically update three times a week, adjusting as necessary. Yukako helps create content templates, which are then reviewed and refined by the team. The post texts are created by team members, reviewed in our regular meetings, and improved for future posts.

— How do you manage other SNS platforms?

Yukako:

Twitter is updated about five times a week. Team members draft the posts, which I review and adjust.

Mr.Arasaki:

Our TikTok following grew quickly, partly due to advice from a friend on how to create viral content. However, it’s challenging to directly link TikTok followers to conversions. Our customer surveys show that not many people first learned about AmeSma through SNS, so our SNS goals are more about engagement than direct conversions.

Mr. Arasaki:

SNS is not the decisive factor, but it certainly leads to it. It is important for people to say, “I know it from SNS,” or “I’ve seen it on SNS.”

Going forward, the main focus will be on Instagram, but we also want to grow YouTube and TikTok. Above all, we want to enhance the asset value of our content.

“Building a Fanbase” and Future In-house SNS Management, Comprehensive Measures

— What do you expect from MASSDRIVER in the future?

Mr. Arasaki:

We started casually with “Let’s give it a try” due to a fortunate connection, but it’s working very well, and we are very satisfied. We hope to continue this collaboration.

Yukako:

Our goal at MASSDRIVER is to enable the SNS manager to operate independently of our support. It takes about a year to establish a solid base for an SNS account, after which the direction needs to be adjusted according to the number of followers. In essence, we expect to be involved for about two years.

However, once fans are established, they rarely leave. Unlike traffic from searches, the name Amésma sticks in their minds, and they remain connected as fans.

Mr. Arasaki:

I can definitely feel that we have fans. Apart from SNS, we receive around 100 responses from customer surveys through newsletters. Many positive comments like “Amésma has been a great help,” which makes us very happy.

Yukako:

I think you have grasped the basic flow of SNS management. However, the current method will only be effective for six months to a year as trends keep changing. My role is to catch these trends first and convey them as quickly as possible. Each SNS has rapidly changing rules, so we aim to operate in a way that doesn’t cause issues for the official account later.

— What are your thoughts on future developments?

Mr. Arasaki:

Even if Amésma gains more customers in the future, we want to continue providing the same quality of service, although customer support will be busier.

Yukako:

Since customer support often receives similar questions, it would be helpful to have videos with URLs that we can share with customers, like “Please watch this video.” As more people tend not to read text, we should create explanatory video content to improve the efficiency of customer support operations.

Mr. Arasaki:

That’s a great idea!

Yukako:

Having just one video can make things easier for both the staff and customers. We aim to implement comprehensive strategies linked with SNS.

Currently, we are creating high-value content and organizing it into categories to make the account user-friendly, allowing customers to easily find the information they need.

Mr. Arasaki:

Thanks to MASSDRIVER’s SNS consulting, the number of orders has significantly increased. Survey responses increasingly mention SNS, friends, or ambassadors as their source.

The results also motivate each SNS manager, and over the past year, our stock of valuable SNS content has grown considerably. We aim to continue expanding this.