Withmore Co., Ltd. Collaborates with Store Design Expert Funatomi to Launch 'SNS Consulting Service Directly Tied to Core Business Sales' – A New SNS Approach Focused on Orders, Not Followers

Withmore Co., Ltd. (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Kazu Ogura) has partnered with Mr. Funatomi, who has a proven track record of generating orders using X (formerly Twitter) in the store design and construction field, to launch an SNS consulting service for businesses dealing in tangible goods. This service sets itself apart from conventional SNS management that chases follower counts and impressions, with the goal of 'connecting to core business sales.' It will be offered as a one-time purchase at 300,000 yen per year, and networking events in Tokyo will also begin in March 2025.

[Why doesn't hard work on SNS lead to sales?]

Many business owners struggle with the fact that despite consistently posting on SNS, it doesn't lead to work. Followers increase, but inquiries are few. Kazu Ogura, Representative Director of Withmore Co., Ltd., points out, 'The important thing is to connect it to your own core business, right? Especially for people in tangible goods like construction, building contractors, houses, and shops. But just because your followers on X increase doesn't necessarily mean it will lead to work.'

There are many companies that offer SNS management services. However, most of them use follower growth and impressions as their key performance indicators. Mr. Ogura himself has experience outsourcing SNS management to two companies, but in both cases, their videos were shadow-banned after just a few posts, and he didn't receive a report until he checked himself.

Mr. Ogura analyzes, 'If the goal of wanting to go viral and the goal of wanting to increase sales from your core business are different, the support will be counterproductive. Also, lately, it feels like the people running SNS management companies aren't the actual business owners. When you outsource work to individuals or freelancers, it often goes wrong. If you ask the president or a business owner, they do a proper job.'

The SNS management industry has low barriers to entry, so it's not uncommon for freelancers or individuals without actual business management experience to take on clients. As a result, they may lack the ability to handle problems or a sense of ownership for the client's business growth. This structural issue that Mr. Ogura felt firsthand became the starting point for this new SNS consulting service.

[3 billion yen with 3,000 followers – The 'essence of SNS' proven by Mr. Funatomi]

The core of this service is the know-how of Mr. Funatomi, who has established a unique SNS utilization method in the store design and construction field. Mr. Funatomi's X account has about 3,000 followers. This is by no means a large number. However, starting from this account, he has generated approximately 300 million yen in sales from skeleton and celebrity projects. Mr. Ogura says, 'He doesn't have many followers, not at all. He's making about 300 million yen with only around 3,000 followers. I thought that was pretty amazing.'

Mr. Funatomi's method is not about randomly posting or interacting. Upon deeper investigation, there are clear techniques for connecting to core business orders, such as account design, creating pinned posts, selecting the right people to interact with, and designing the approach. For example, if all your followers were overseas accounts just farming impressions, no matter how high the numbers, it wouldn't lead to work. Mr. Funatomi's approach is the opposite. It's not about increasing followers to tens of thousands, but about reliably connecting with people directly related to your business, building trust, and converting that into work. This is the essence of Mr. Funatomi's SNS usage and the core concept this service will convey.

[Chasing sales, not validation – The importance of goal setting]

Mr. Ogura points out 'incorrect goal setting' as a common problem for businesses that fail to utilize SNS effectively. 'In the end, everyone sets goals like follower counts or impressions. But goal setting is important, and the goal should be orders or hiring.'

It's not uncommon for companies to invest resources in SNS management only to have that effort directed towards satisfying the desire for validation through follower counts. Mr. Ogura frankly states, 'The money spent on steps for accounts run for validation is money made by the staff. Don't use company money for your own desire for validation.'

This may sound harsh, but it's a perfectly reasonable point from a business owner: if you're spending time and money on SNS, you should calmly reassess whether that investment is being returned in the form of core business results. Mr. Ogura himself practices this philosophy. He says his own YouTube channel secured 5 contracts when it had only 68 subscribers. Follower count is not the goal, but merely a means. Connecting to core business orders is the only success metric for this service.

This service begins by confirming the client's industry, business type, and 'what they want to sell.' Based on what they want to sell, the profile and account design are decided, and a posting policy is formulated. Furthermore, the people to interact with are clearly identified, and even the specific approach is designed. Everything is support calculated backward from the goal of 'core business sales.'

[Tangible goods are difficult for SNS – That's why specialized support is needed]

This service is particularly effective for businesses dealing in tangible goods such as houses, stores, exteriors, design, and real estate. Mr. Ogura says, 'I understand that intangible goods are still a good fit for SNS. But it's the people with tangible goods, like houses, shops, design, and real estate. Tangible goods are tough.'

Tangible goods are a difficult area to promote on SNS. Products cannot be easily sampled, and the lead time to purchase is long. The amounts are also large, so it's rare for a single SNS post to lead directly to a sale. This is why general SNS management that chases follower counts often fails to produce results, and many business owners feel that 'doing SNS is pointless.'

However, Mr. Funatomi has been continuously winning work directly from SNS in this very area of tangible goods – store design and construction. Moreover, the fact that he achieves this with a small number of followers should be a great source of hope for businesses dealing in tangible goods. The key is to use SNS not as a place to 'gain broad, shallow awareness,' but as a place to 'connect deeply with trustworthy people.' Because tangible goods involve large sums of money, clients place great importance on trust – 'Can I trust this person with the job?' What Mr. Funatomi has built through X is precisely this trust. The role of this SNS consulting service is to systematize that methodology and pass it on to businesses facing the same challenges.

[Service Overview – A 300,000 yen per year, one-time purchase practical program]

This service is offered as a one-time purchase at 300,000 yen per year. The reason for not making it a subscription model is consideration for the man-hours required for monthly payment confirmations, and the design philosophy of setting 'a minimum amount where if you can't pay 300,000 yen, you're in trouble' (Mr. Ogura). The first filter is whether you can pay the 300,000 yen, and the second filter is whether you will actually do the work.