[FanGrowth Case Study] Fan-Marketing Inc. Acquires Over 10,000 Leads in One Year

Excite Co., Ltd. (Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Shinichi Saijo) has announced a case study of "FanGrowth," a service that enables anyone to conduct highly reproducible webinars that lead to sales, which has been adopted by Fan-Marketing Inc. (Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative: Kazuaki Fujii).

Case Study:https://www.fangrowth.biz/case/f-marketing

Background of Introduction

• There was an urgent need to establish a system for actively acquiring new customers, moving away from relying on referrals and word-of-mouth for customer acquisition.

• Feeling the limitations of lead acquisition through advertising and telemarketing, the company focused on webinar strategies that leverage its strengths.

• With almost no active house list and no expertise in webinar strategies, it was necessary to launch initiatives with accompanying support.

Effects After Introduction

• By utilizing FanGrowth's BPO and product, the company achieved over 10,000 leads acquired annually within one year of introduction.

• With support for co-host development, an operational system was established that allows for continuous hosting with a small team.

• By securing a large number of leads, the company is now moving into a phase of generating "high-quality business negotiations."

Fan-Marketing Inc. is a company that provides end-to-end web marketing consulting and execution support with the mission of "nurturing corporate fans." Leveraging its unique support style, "Close-knit Axis," which involves thoroughly staying close to and accompanying clients, the company achieves high customer loyalty.

For a long time, the company expanded its business primarily through "word-of-mouth" based on referrals from existing customers. However, to achieve further growth, establishing a "system for acquiring new customers" became an urgent task. Therefore, they focused on "webinar strategies" that leverage their expertise, which is their strength, and can lead to business negotiations with trust already built. They introduced FanGrowth when their house list was almost "zero."

After the introduction, a "backward-calculated roadmap" was designed, dividing one year into four phases. By utilizing FanGrowth's support for co-host assignment and operational system construction, they ultimately achieved the remarkable result of over 10,000 leads acquired annually.

This time, we interviewed Mariko Ishida of Fan-Marketing Inc., who is responsible for the company's marketing, about the specific steps taken to build a lead acquisition foundation from a zero list.

Fan-Marketing's Business Overview and Ms. Ishida's Role in Overseeing In-house Marketing and Support Operations

— First, please tell us about your company's business and mission.

Ms. Ishida: Our mission is to "nurture corporate fans," and we provide end-to-end web marketing consulting and execution support. We support corporate growth from the ground up by strengthening the connections between companies and people, not only for customer acquisition and new customer generation but also for improving LTV of existing customers and building employee engagement.

— What exactly is the "Close-knit Axis" that you advocate as a unique strength?

Ms. Ishida: We value the "Close-knit Axis" of thoroughly staying close to and accompanying our customers, not just in terms of price and quality. We provide detailed support and continue to work alongside them. As a result of thoroughly implementing this style, we have few clients switching to other companies, and many clients have long-term relationships with us. We believe this is the fruit of the "culture that values humanity" that our representative, Fujii, has instilled since the company's founding.

— Please tell us about your career and current role, Ms. Ishida.

Ms. Ishida: After joining Rakuten Group, Inc. as a new graduate, I joined our company in 2021. Since then, I have been involved in numerous client projects as a consultant, accumulating expertise in effective marketing support.

Currently, while primarily working as a consultant for clients, I also oversee our company's marketing as a marketing department manager. I am continuously involved in both running our in-house initiatives and supporting clients on-site.

From Referral-Centric to Webinars Leveraging In-house Strengths

— Please tell us about the background that led to the establishment of a marketing team in an organization that was previously referral-centric.

Ms. Ishida: Until now, we had expanded our business through referrals from existing customers, or "word-of-mouth." However, to achieve further growth, we felt that relying solely on referrals had its limits. Therefore, about two years ago, together with our representative, we decided to establish a marketing team to build a "system for generating new customers."

— What kind of initiatives did you start with when establishing the organization?

Ms. Ishida: First, we started by identifying "where we could compete effectively." Since there were few competitors for one of our services, "diagnostic content," and the conversion rate was high, we deployed listing ads in this area.

As expected, it resonated with highly motivated prospects, but there is an inherent limit to the search volume for ads targeting explicit needs. We also tried telemarketing to external lists in parallel, but it was difficult to convert to orders, and the quality of business negotiations was unstable, making "securing new leads" a challenge for supporting growth.

— After such trial and error, why did you decide to focus on "webinars"?

Ms. Ishida: "Passive" measures like listing ads had limitations in actively growing the business. Therefore, our representative focused on webinar strategies that could expand awareness and secure a large number of prospects.

Webinars are a place where we can meet people who resonate with the "content" that condenses our company's expertise. By thoroughly considering the audience and providing high-quality content, we can start business negotiations with a "relationship of trust already a step ahead" even at the first meeting. We were confident that this point was highly compatible with our strength, the "Close-knit Axis," which involves deeply staying close to our customers, and decided to focus on it. In fact, there are cases where customers are very satisfied with the webinar content and it leads to appointments. We also feel that people are becoming fans of our company through webinars.

Reasons for Selecting FanGrowth to Support a "Zero" House List Start

— When strengthening your webinar efforts, what were the deciding factors for choosing FanGrowth, and what was the situation like at the time?

Ms. Ishida: Our representative found it, and after hearing the details, I was convinced that "this could work." This is because they provided a simulation of monthly lead acquisition numbers, and compared to previous measures, the cost per lead (CPL) was considerably lower, and the logic of the simulation was clear, so I could envision the results. Also, the biggest deciding factor was the extensive support system as a "BPO (Business Process Outsourcing)" that goes beyond merely providing a tool.

At that time, our active house list was virtually "zero," and we lacked expertise in webinar operations, so we were anxious about building the scheme ourselves. That's why a system that could provide accompanying support with the professional knowledge of FanGrowth, from planning and composition to co-host assignment, was an indispensable option for us in the startup phase.

— What results did you expect from the introduction?

Ms. Ishida: The primary goal was to expand awareness and the number of leads at once while keeping the cost per lead (CPL) low. By leveraging the power of our co-host partners, we aimed to efficiently reach audiences that we couldn't reach on our own and to make the acquired leads a strong "foundation" for our marketing activities.

Backward-Calculated Roadmap to Achieve Results in One Year

— You started by building a foundation and ultimately achieved the remarkable result of over 10,000 leads acquired annually. What specific steps did you take?

Ms. Ishida: We didn't achieve results all at once; we steadily took steps. We thought it would be difficult to reach the final goal immediately, so we designed a "backward-calculated milestone" that divided one year into four phases.

This is also our consulting style. For our customers, we first set an annual target, and then, working backward, we clearly define "what state or numerical target should be aimed for" on a quarterly basis and implement measures accordingly. In our in-house marketing this time, we built the roadmap as if we were consulting ourselves.

[Phase 1] Building the Operational Scheme (September - December 2024)

— What specifically did you start with in the first three months after introduction?

Ms. Ishida: The first thing we tackled was building the system. At that time, we had no in-house webinar expertise, so we utilized FanGrowth's BPO service to solidify the entire process, from planning and co-host partner assignment to on-the-day progress management, at a practical level.

Thanks to FanGrowth's accompanying support, I feel that we were able to smoothly establish the "template" for webinars.

— How did you utilize FanGrowth's product in terms of operations?

Ms. Ishida: To continue implementing measures with a limited number of people, efficiency in operations was essential. Therefore, we utilized the product to systematize operational flows such as creating application forms and automatically sending reminder emails.

The ability to cover the operational system with a small team without relying on individual skills or memory, and without errors, was a significant practical benefit. I believe that establishing the practical scheme during these three months laid the foundation for subsequent lead acquisition.

[Phase 2] Establishing Regular Hosting (January - March 2025)

— In the second phase, immediately after establishing the operational foundation, you established a rhythm of hosting 3-4 webinars per month.

Ms. Ishida: It is inherently difficult for a small team to handle everything from planning and finding co-hosts to complex administrative tasks in-house. Therefore, we decided to utilize FanGrowth's BPO service and entrust them with planning and co-host assignment. It was very helpful that they developed optimal plans based on our strengths, service areas, and desired lead characteristics, and handled everything from finding and assigning co-hosts to kick-off meetings.

Especially for co-host assignment, it is necessary to consider various factors such as compatibility with the plan, the co-host's track record in attracting attendees, the characteristics of their leads (company size, industry, etc.), and whether they are competitors. Therefore, receiving support from your company, which is well-versed in webinars, allowed us to proceed very smoothly. Thanks to this support, I was able to concentrate on creating webinar content.

— Is there anything you pay particular attention to when creating content?

Ms. Ishida: I focus on the main message for the audience and a structure that creates a sense of conviction. First, I decide "what I want to convey most" within the limited time of about 20 to 40 minutes, and then I work backward to create the structure by determining "what information is necessary to convey that." Also, to prevent viewers from thinking, "Is it the same old story again?" I try to incorporate new perspectives each time. Although some slides may be reused, the content is basically updated for each presentation.

We constantly refine the content by reflecting insights from past projects and the latest knowledge gained from daily consulting work. By repeating this process, we feel that our company's expertise is being articulated and accumulated as an asset.

[Phase 3] Maximizing the Number of Leads (April - July 2025)

— After operations were established, the number of leads grew dramatically.

Ms. Ishida: In Phase 3, we focused on maximizing the number of leads. A major turning point was our participation in a large-scale conference, which was assigned through FanGrowth.

Efficiently expanding our reach to audiences that would have been difficult to connect with on our own was a foundational event for our marketing, especially since we started with almost no house list.

— Specifically, what other activities did you undertake?

Ms. Ishida: During this period, we maintained the stance of "accepting all speaking engagements requested," and by continuously participating in everything from large-scale events to niche co-hosted webinars, we expanded our exposure. Specifically, from April to July, we spoke at a total of seven conferences. While the number of leads provided by conferences is proportional to the number of attendees we attract, we also found a successful email delivery method, so we steadily continued sending emails and received 100% of the leads for all projects, which was a significant factor.

We increased the number of leads significantly through large events while continuously acquiring leads through weekly co-hosted webinars. As a result of maintaining this approach, leads steadily accumulated, reaching a cumulative total of over 10,000.

[Phase 4] Transition from "Quantity" to "Quality" (July 2025 - Present)

— After a sufficient number of leads were secured, what was your next strategic direction?

Ms. Ishida: From July 2025 onwards, we transitioned to the "quality" phase, focusing on how to convert the large number of acquired leads into business negotiations. Specifically, we refined our planning by running our own unique series of projects, creating content for large corporations, and narrowing down to highly specialized themes for those who are specifically considering outsourcing partners.

— How did your KPIs change as you shifted your strategy to "quality"?

Ms. Ishida: That's right. Currently, we are not just looking at the simple number of applications, but also at acquiring specific actions, such as selecting "I want to talk (consultation session)" in the survey responses. This is because "acquiring appointments" is necessary for the ultimate goal of "closing deals," and survey responses like "I want to talk (consultation session)" directly lead to appointments.

However, what I want to emphasize here is that one should not pursue "quality" from the very beginning. To increase the number of "I want to talk (consultation session)" responses, there are two options: "increase the selection rate for 'I want to talk (consultation session)'" or "increase the number of webinar viewers." I believe that securing a certain "quantity" first is essential. Without a certain quantity, the "rate" cannot be properly evaluated, and the impact on the subsequent "number of appointments" cannot be expected. I feel that it is precisely because we pursued quantity first to build a foundation, without shying away from quality, that we are now able to move into the verification phase of improving quality.

Building a System to Convert the "Quantity" Foundation into "Orders"

— You have built a "foundation" of over 10,000 leads acquired annually. What is your next move?

Ms. Ishida: From now on, we will enter the phase of converting the accumulated leads into orders. Our organization is a small, elite team, and our inside sales resources are limited, so it is not realistic to call every lead. That's why the next crucial challenge is how marketing can generate hot leads and smoothly pass them to inside sales.

About "FanGrowth"

"FanGrowth" has the mission of "enabling any company to hold webinars that lead to sales" and provides both product and BPO services.

Since its release in 2022, it has offered "FanGrowth," a SaaS that allows all webinar-related tasks—from planning and execution to live, archived, and on-demand distribution, analysis, and secondary use of content—to be completed with a single tool. It also provides "FanGrowth BPO," which offers accompanying support from webinar strategy, and "FanGrowth Studio," which builds membership-based video media.

The largest co-hosted webinar partner matching community in Japan is used by over 1,900 companies, and it is continuously updated with features such as integration with CRM/SFA like Salesforce and HubSpot, AI-powered planning and secondary content creation, analytics functions for webinar initiatives themselves, and live, archived, and on-demand distribution functions.

Service Page:https://www.fangrowth.biz/

About Excite Co., Ltd.

Location: 3-20-1 Minami Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Established: August 1997

Representative: Shinichi Saijo, Representative Director and President

Business Activities: Medical business, Platform business, Broadband business, SaaS/DX business

Company Website: https://info.excite.co.jp

Recruitment Information: https://www.wantedly.com/companies/excite/projects