Testimonial

Hello, this is the customer case interview team at Orinas Inc.

This time, we interviewed Mr. Matsuda from the Public Relations Department of the Marketing Division at Chinabi Co., Ltd.

We supported Chinabi in improving the operation of their official Instagram account. Originally, they were running the operation in-house, but they had the problem of "lacking operational know-how and not being able to operate strategically." Like Chinabi, we receive many inquiries from companies whose issues and concerns are not about the number of followers, but about "wanting to operate strategically."

We asked Chinabi in detail about the issues they were having with their account and the specific measures they took to improve it!

Official Website: Chinabi Co., Ltd.

We're still feeling our way around. We want to increase Chinabi's fan base...

Orinas: Mr. Matsuda, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak with us today. First of all, could you please tell us about your company's business?

Matsuda: Chinabi Co., Ltd. is a company that mainly sells maternity and baby products and healthcare goods, including medical equipment, through its e-commerce store, with the concept of "Peace of mind in everyday life." Their signature product is "Angel Sounds," a product that allows you to hear the heartbeat of your baby in the womb, and is loved by many expectant mothers.

Orinas: Mr. Matsuda, you belong to the marketing department. What is your usual role?

Matsuda: The Marketing Department is responsible for everything from product planning to development, design, sales, and customer support. Within that department, I'm in charge of the Public Relations Section. With the aim of increasing awareness and the number of fans, I'm responsible for product releases, advertising, and social media management. I joined the company as a sales clerk and held this position concurrently with my current job for about two and a half years before moving to the Public Relations Section full-time in May 2022. When there was a movement within the company to manage social media more firmly, I was put in charge and initially managed it in-house.

How did you end up using Instagram?

Matsuda: Our customers are mainly women in their 20s and 30s who are raising children. Instagram is the main social media platform used by these people, so we wanted to reach out to them directly, raise awareness, and get them to become fans of our products and company.

However, there was no precedent for how this would be implemented, and we didn't know what to do or how to proceed.

The challenge at the time was how to spread the word about the company name "Chinabi," which was almost unknown, and our own brand products. The "Angel Sounds" product already had around 10,000 posts with the hashtag on Instagram, and UGC was naturally growing, so we wanted to create this positive situation for other products.

Also, at the beginning, I was running the site alone in-house, so we hadn't even established branding yet. Most of the people who followed me were from campaigns, so it was hard to say they were Chinabi fans.

Orinas: To increase awareness of your products and company and increase your fan base, you decided to bring in a marketing company to manage the business.

Matsuda: Yes. After researching and considering several companies, we decided to ask Orinas.

They have a wealth of experience, so we felt they would be able to provide proper support to help us achieve our goals. Another deciding factor was that when they analyzed our accounts, they clearly explained the shortcomings and issues our accounts had. We wanted to bring the process in-house in the future, so we felt they would be able to provide serious support, including their data analysis know-how.

Building a system for in-house production

Orinas: I see, thank you. Are there any areas where you feel you have actually built a system for in-house production?

Matsuda: The way they operate while going through the PDCA cycle is helpful as we move towards in-house production. They clearly explain the direction of posts, saying things like, "This content didn't get much traction, so let's try it this way next time," or "Photos with this tone get a good response, so let's increase the number of them." Up until now, I'd just been making posts haphazardly, but now I've started to understand what kind of winning formula resonates with my followers.

Engagement increased by 1.4 times! It also contributed to internal evaluation.

Orinas: Have you felt any positive results from working with us to strengthen social media?

Matsuda: I feel that it has led to increased awareness and an increase in the number of fans.

In terms of awareness, we felt that our baby electric nasal aspirator "Sulruno" was easy to understand and had a positive impact on the brand's popularity. The synergistic effect of using a celebrity in the fall of 2022 helped increase awareness by 30%, going from a state of almost complete unknown. We can really see how our brand has spread through Instagram, as a model who participated in a magazine photoshoot said to us when we greeted her, "I found out about Chinabi on Instagram."

We are also building stronger connections with our fans. Based on Orinas' advice, we made sure to post more relatable content that our followers would respond to, and engagement has increased by 1.4 times in three months. We've been getting a lot of responses. Recently, we called for product models on Instagram alone, and received over 100 applications. We were surprised that we could get so many applications without advertising. Some people have told us they are fans of Chinabi, and it really makes us realize that we are being recognized by many people.

All of these are things that could not have been achieved through e-commerce sales alone, where we do not hear directly from customers.

Orinas: I'm glad to hear that. What has the reaction been like within the company?

Matsuda: Now that we can communicate awareness and response rates numerically, our operations have been well-received within the company. When I was in charge alone, we could only show the number of followers, but now we can also show things that cannot be seen, such as the level of connection with fans.

Future Outlook

Orinas: The effects of using social media are hard to see, but I'm relieved to hear that even people within the company can see them. What are your thoughts on future use of it?

Matsuda: We would like to continue operating the platform to further increase awareness and our fan base. We would also like to work with Orinas to explore new initiatives, such as utilizing reel videos and hiring influencers. Ultimately, we would be happy to see a community centered around Chinabi.

We plan to start producing everything in-house from next season, so until then we hope to find as many ways as possible that will be beneficial to Chinabi in the future.

Building a community among users

Orinas: It seems like it would be great if moms who use the service could connect with each other and form a community, which would deepen their relationships even more.

Matsuda: A small circle has already formed among the models who came together, and some have started meeting without going through Chinabi. In this way, I would like to expand the connections that Chinabi started. We offer products for pre-pregnancy, maternity, babies, and kids, so I would like people to continue using Chinabi for a long time, and I think that having a place where they can hear the thoughts and opinions of experienced moms and dads will help them use the product with more peace of mind. Social media is essential for this, so I would be happy if we could carry out campaigns in the future that will strengthen the connection with our fans.

Orinas: Yes, we would love to support you in creating enthusiastic fans that will even lead to the formation of a community.

Matsuda: Thank you. Even with a limited budget, you were able to make suggestions that met our requests even outside of the plan, which is quite difficult to do with other companies, so we're really grateful for your flexible response. You were very considerate and spoke honestly about both the good points and areas for improvement, so we recommend Orinas to anyone considering hiring a social media marketing company.

Orinas: Thank you very much. I look forward to your continued support. Thank you very much for today, Matsuda-san.

Finally

Chinabi's passion for their products and their desire to cherish their fans has led them to continuously post on Instagram, and this interview made me think that this is a wonderful thing. I believe that it is because they cherish these feelings that they have been able to gain so many fans and achieve such an improved engagement rate.

We will continue to propose new plans and ideas to attract more fans and work hard to make Chinabi's products known to as many people as possible!

This was brought to you by the customer case interview team at Orinas Co., Ltd.