[FanGrowth Case Study] Fun Marketing Co., Ltd. Acquires Over 10,000 Leads in One Year

Excite Co., Ltd. (Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Shinichi Saijo) announced today that Fun Marketing Co., Ltd. (Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative: Kazuaki Fujii) has adopted "FanGrowth," a service that enables anyone to conduct highly reproducible webinars leading to sales, and has now published a case study.

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

Background of Introduction

・ There was an urgent need to systematize active new customer acquisition, moving away from reliance on referrals and word-of-mouth.

・ Felt limitations in lead acquisition through advertising and telemarketing, and focused on webinar strategies leveraging the company's strengths.

・ With almost no active house lists and no knowledge of webinar strategies, it was necessary to launch initiatives with accompanying support.

Effects After Introduction

・ Utilizing FanGrowth's BPO and product, achieved over 10,000 leads in one year since introduction.

・ Built an operational system capable of continuous hosting with a small team, thanks to support for co-host development.

・ Securing a large number of leads has led to advancing to a phase of generating "high-quality business negotiations."

Fun Marketing Co., Ltd. is a company whose mission is to "cultivate corporate fans," providing end-to-end web marketing consulting and execution support. With its unique support style, "close-knit approach," which thoroughly accompanies and supports customers, the company achieves high customer loyalty.

The company had long expanded its business primarily through referrals from existing customers, but to achieve further growth, the "systematization of new customer acquisition" became an urgent task. Therefore, they focused on "webinar strategies" that leverage their expertise and can lead to business negotiations with established trust. They introduced FanGrowth starting from a state where their house list was almost "zero."

After the introduction, a "goal-reverse roadmap" divided into four phases over one year was designed. 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 Fun Marketing Co., Ltd., who is responsible for the company's marketing, about the specific steps taken to build a lead acquisition foundation from scratch.

Fun 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 content and mission.

Ms. Ishida: Our mission is to "cultivate corporate fans," providing 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 lead generation but also for improving existing customer LTV and building employee engagement.

— What exactly is the "close-knit approach" you advocate as a unique strength?

Ms. Ishida: We value the "close-knit approach" of thoroughly supporting our customers, not just in terms of price or quality. We provide detailed support and continue to accompany them. As a result of thoroughly implementing this style, we have few customer turnovers, and many clients have long-standing relationships with us. We believe this is a testament to the "humanity-focused culture" that our representative, Fujii, has instilled since the company's founding.

— Please tell us about your own career and current role.

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 on client projects, I also oversee our company's marketing as the marketing department manager. I am continuously involved in both our in-house initiatives and client support operations.

From Referral-Centric to Webinars Leveraging Company 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. So, 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 best compete." Our "diagnostic content" service is one of our unique offerings with few competitors and a high conversion rate, so we deployed listing ads in this area.

As expected, it resonated with highly motivated segments, but there are inherent limits to search volume for ads targeting explicit needs. We also tried telemarketing to external lists in parallel, but it was difficult to convert into orders, and the quality of business negotiations was inconsistent. Securing "new leads" to support growth became a challenge.

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

Ms. Ishida: Relying solely on "passive" measures like listing ads had its limits for actively growing the business. That's when our representative focused on webinar strategies, which can expand awareness and secure a large number of leads.

Webinars are a place where we can meet people who resonate with our "content," which condenses our company's expertise. By carefully considering the audience and providing high-quality content, we can start business negotiations with a "relationship already a step ahead" even at the first meeting. We were confident that this point was highly compatible with our "close-knit approach" of deeply supporting 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 customers are becoming fans of our company through webinars.

Reasons for Selecting FanGrowth to Support Starting from "Zero" House Lists

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

Ms. Ishida: Our representative found it, and when I heard 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 initiatives, the cost per lead (CPL) was considerably lower, and the simulation logic was clear, so I could envision achieving results. Also, the biggest deciding factor was the extensive support system as a "BPO (outsourcing)" that goes beyond merely providing a tool.

At that time, our active house lists were almost "zero," and we lacked the know-how for webinar operations, so we were unsure about building the scheme ourselves. That's why the system of being accompanied by FanGrowth's professional expertise, 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 lead numbers rapidly while keeping the cost per lead (CPL) low. By leveraging the power of co-hosting partners, we aimed to efficiently reach segments that we couldn't reach on our own, and to use the acquired leads as a strong "foundation" for our marketing activities.

Goal-Reverse Roadmap for Achieving Results in One Year

— Starting from building the foundation, you 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 took steady steps. We thought it would be difficult to reach the final goal immediately, so we designed a "goal-reverse roadmap" divided into four phases over one year.

This is also our company's consulting style. For our customers, we first set the final annual goal, and then, working backward, we clearly define "what state or numerical target should be aimed for in this quarter" and translate it into specific measures. In our in-house marketing this time, I built the roadmap with the feeling of consulting myself.

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

— What specific actions did you take in the first three months after introduction?

Ms. Ishida: First, we focused on building the system. At that time, we lacked webinar expertise in-house, so we utilized FanGrowth's BPO service to solidify the entire process, from planning and proposal to co-host assignment and on-the-day moderation, at a practical level.

Thanks to FanGrowth's accompaniment, we 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 initiatives with a limited number of people, operational efficiency was essential. Therefore, we utilized the product to streamline operational flows such as creating application forms and automatically sending reminder emails.

Being able to cover the system with a small team without relying on individual skills or memory, and operating without errors, was a significant practical benefit. We 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 regular webinar hosting 3-4 times a month.

Ms. Ishida: It's difficult to complete everything in-house with a small team, from planning to finding co-hosts and handling complex administrative tasks. Therefore, we decided to leverage FanGrowth's BPO service to outsource 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's necessary to consider various factors such as compatibility with the plan, the partner's track record in attracting attendees, the characteristics of their owned leads (company size, industry, etc.), and avoiding conflicts with competitors. Being supported by your company, which is well-versed in webinars, made the process very smooth. This support allowed me to focus on webinar content creation.

— What do you keep in mind when creating content?

Ms. Ishida: I focus on the main message for the audience and a convincing structure. For a limited time of about 20-40 minutes, I first decide "what is the most important thing to convey," and then work backward to create the structure based on "what information is needed to convey it." Also, to prevent viewers from thinking, "It's the same old story again," I try to incorporate a new perspective each time. Although some slides may be reused, I essentially update the content every time I present.

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

[Phase 3] Maximizing Lead Volume (April - July 2025)

— After operations stabilized, the number of leads grew dramatically.

Ms. Ishida: In Phase 3, we focused on maximizing the number of leads. A major turning point was speaking at a large-scale conference arranged through FanGrowth.

Being able to efficiently expand our reach to segments that would have been difficult to connect with on our own was a foundational event for our marketing, especially since we started with almost zero house lists.