Case Study for Japanese SEO Clients
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Case Study-HOTEL PARK LANE NISHIKASAI
Facebook was a completely new world for us. We were saved by Info Cubic Japan's sound advice. If we were able to grow so much in such a short period of time, we expect to grow even more in future.
Client
HOTEL PARK LANE NISHIKASAI
General Manager Mr. Yuji Ueda
Lodging Manager Mr. Sasuga Miyazawa
Solution Offered
Building the Facebook page and Facebook ads
Home Page URL
http://www.htlparklane.co.jp
/kasai/e/
HOTEL PARK LANE NISHIKASAI
General Manager Mr. Yuji Ueda
Lodging Manager Mr. Sasuga Miyazawa
Solution Offered
Building the Facebook page and Facebook ads
Home Page URL
http://www.htlparklane.co.jp
/kasai/e/
Overview
We have lots of local competition. So, we placed advertisements on foreign language sites with the aim of attracting overseas customers. However, we didn't receive a great response, and it was necessary to immediately explore new methods to attract foreign customers.
Outcome
Direct reservations through our English home page were almost zero at that time, but there has been a considerable rise since, with 80-90 reservations a month, mainly from Europe and America. This is a definite achievement, and we plan to continue placing advertisements on Facebook. We are now considering launching our own Facebook page.
Customer's Voice
- Why do you want to attract foreign customers?
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We have a lot of local competition in Nishikasai, where our hotel is located, and many more hotels are being built in the center of the city. Having already realized that we can't rely on domestic customers alone, we had already taken measures such as employing staff who are proficient in English, etc., in order to cater to foreign customers. After renovating our hotel in 2007, we registered it on foreign websites, laying the foundation for attracting individual overseas customers. The number of customers has been increasing steadily ever since. We are now confident we can attract more customers while being in Nishikasai by effectively utilizing our website and drawing in more and more people to our home page.
- Can you tell us the sequence of events before placing banner advertisements on Facebook?
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We came to know about Facebook by chance when we were looking for ways to promote our hotel overseas. This was around autumn of 2010, before Facebook saw a real boom in Japan. It was perfect timing, as the advertisements in foreign accommodation reservation sites had reached a point of stagnation. However, we had no idea what kind of promotional activities could be carried out on Facebook, how to place advertisements there, etc. At that time, we received detailed information about overseas ads, including Facebook, from Info Cubic Japan, and after reviewing the details, we decided to place banner advertisements on Facebook for a month.
- What was the actual effect of placing Facebook advertisements?
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Before placing the Facebook ads, the number of overseas customers who made direct reservations on our English home page was almost zero. But, since placing the banner ads, we have started getting direct reservations from that customer source. The actual number of reservations has increased to 80-90 per month. This is very significant. We extended the period of banner advertisements and are now getting a steady number of reservations every month.
- Typically, what kind of customers come and stay with you?
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Most of our customers come as a part of packaged tours. The number of days the customers stay is long -- a minimum of two nights to an average of five nights. This results in greater sales per customer. Some of them go on a round trip to Mt. Fuji, with our hotel as the base, while some of them keep their luggage with us while they visit Kyoto.
- Was the cost-effectiveness of Facebook advertising high?
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Yes, definitely. If we are able to grow so much in such a short time, we think there is even more potential for growth. We will certainly continue with banner advertisements, but we are also considering creating our own Facebook page.
- What are the good points of Info Cubic Japan?
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They are very prompt. Moreover, they do not force their ideas on us. Rather, they listen to our needs and understand them. This really helps us tremendously. Although we knew about Facebook, we did not know how to use it effectively. If we had worked on it ourselves, we would have wasted alot in the process of trial and error. In the future, we would like Info Cubic Japan to keep providing us with information about new tools that are introduced locally or overseas, as well as about how to attract customers effectively.
