Why Line App is a Mobile Platform Worth Exploring

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With 41.5 million users in Japan, Line is one of the largest app / social network platforms in Asia. It’s also the fastest growing with 100 million users in just 19 months. Compare that to Facebook taking 54 months to reach the 100 million mark and Twitter taking 49 months, and you can see why businesses looking for an Asian mobile platform to engage the Asian demographic are so excited about the Line app. Add to those astonishing numbers that Line is actually used in 230 countries (of which they are the number one social network in 41 regions).

[Tweet “Here is why you should consider using Line app if you are interested in expanding your business to Asia. “]

What is Line?

Line is a Japanese mobile platform through which its users can:

  • Make phone calls
  • Chat with their friends and network
  • Set up group chats
  • Post on time lines to keep up with each other
  • Get coupons from brands
  • Play games
  • Buy, share, send and use “stickers”

line-app

The line app offers three different types of stickers for users to download and use in their app:

  1. Free stickers from Line
  2. Stickers that cost $1.99 to purchase
  3. Stickers offered to users by sponsors and brands

A fourth line of stickers is now available  called “Creators.” Here, users or small businesses will create their own custom stickers and then sell them, splitting the revenue 50/50 with Line.

Why Use Line for Your Digital Marketing Campaign To Asia?

There are a number of other similar apps out there such as Skype, WeChat, Viber and Comm, but only Line has 50% of the market with similar apps. To put it in perspective, the largest following app is Skype. So how can you get in on this market to reach the Asian demographic? As a brand you simply:

  • Create stickers that people will want to download and send
  • Distribute coupons out to the masses with your stickers
  • Include branding information and news about your product line
  • Score big with brand awareness by throwing big sticker releases, something the Asian demographic loves

Why does this work? Ads, games and stickers are an addictive eye candy to the Asian market, as evidenced by the success of Line. This type of engagement works with the 13 – 21 youth demographic and nowhere is this more evident than in the Asian market.The growth potential of Line is unlimited and best be an early adopter.

Does Line Work for Brands?

Coca-Cola, TSUTAYA, Lawson, AU, Sukiya and Shiseido’s Line messages were collected and analyzed in a study on Line’s branding effectiveness – (see full report). It was shown that 60% of Line users are following at least one brand and that further, brands were more popular than celebrities—by a long shot!

Conclusion:

If you are interested in entering the Asian market, you should take advantage of the Creators feature on Line. Create free stickers and a brand page. Give yourself three months to test it’s effectiveness for your particular brand and determine if you are generating additional traffic.

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