[Advantages of promoting your store on Ekiten] Why you can post plenty of information and promote your business even though it is free

Ekiten is Japan's largest store search site. You can promote your store on Ekiten, which has information on various stores all over Japan. Ekiten is attracting attention from many store owners because it can be used for free, but what kind of system is it? Here we will explain the benefits of store promotion using Ekiten.

1. Even if it is your first time attracting customers online, you can advertise to many people.

Ekiten posts information on shops of various genres all over the country. The number of listed stores is approximately 5.16 million, but the number continues to increase, and moreover, the number of users who use Ekiten to search for the store they want to visit each month is more than 11.2 million.

Even if this is your first time using a website to attract customers online, Ekiten is a perfect introduction as it has a high chance of being seen by many people. With more than 11.2 million monthly users, Ekiten claims to be ``Japan's largest store reviews and ranking site,'' and users of Ekiten post reviews not only of stores in urban areas but also of suburban stores. For example, there was a recommendation for a curry restaurant in a regional city in Kyushu with a population of around 60,000.

On Ekiten, store owners can post and promote their store information, and users can search for the store they want to visit and post their impressions of the store as reviews. There are approximately 4.1 million reviews posted in total, so if the trust level of the store increases, it will lead to attracting more customers. The advantage of posting your store's information is that you can advertise it to a large number of people.

2. Can be used by all industries, from chiropractic clinics to housekeeping services

From shops that rent the floors of buildings, to shops that sell products and provide services in corners of shopping centers, to door-to-door sales activities that visit customers' homes or offices to provide services. , Ekiten can be used in almost all industries.

In addition to relaxation facilities such as chiropractic salons, beauty salons, barbershops, and beauty salons, we also use dry cleaning shops, cram schools, ballroom dance schools, and piano lessons. We also found information on nursing supplies specialty stores, pawnshops, recycling stores, and even temples.

``Home-visit'' offers information on tutoring, house cleaning, and housekeeping services.

There are many shops that introduce reviews on their own websites and blogs to further promote themselves and make full use of their exhaust. A cafe on the beach in Okinawa, a dog salon in Fukuoka, a flower shop in Saitama, and a real estate and renovation shop in Osaka were all trying to attract customers by reintroducing reviews posted on Ekiten. .

Useful for both red ocean and blue ocean industries

"Red ocean" and "blue ocean" have been used as business terms to describe market conditions since the 2000s.

A "red ocean" refers to a market that has become overheated due to an increase in the number of new entrants and competition in price and functionality. On the other hand, a "blue ocean" refers to an untapped market with little competition. It is said to be likened to a wide, blue sea with a good view and a feeling of hope.

Ekiten supports more than 150 industries, so businesses in industries that are in a "red ocean" environment with intense competition may be able to gain a slight advantage by posting information. On the other hand, for stores that have entered a "blue ocean" where there are few competitors, even if the business is not well-known, using Ekiten will make it possible to appeal to a new customer base. If you are a restaurant or beauty shop, you can attract customers more effectively online by registering on multiple sites, not just a specialized information site. You can register for Ekiten for free, so many shops are registering as an option.

3． Free and easy to follow

It takes a certain amount of money to distribute flyers, put up posters, and place newspaper advertisements to advertise your store. Advertising on the Internet costs money if you ask someone to create a homepage, and you may also need to pay for a contract with a server to upload your homepage.

If you use Ekiten as a free member, there are no initial costs, monthly costs, or performance charges, so you can post ads on a daily or weekly basis without worrying about cost management. It is optimized for both smartphones and PCs, so you can connect from either device, reducing the risk of lost opportunities.

Four. A wealth of information is available and support is also available.

Ekiten allows you to post basic information about your store such as ``store name, address, TEL, and business hours'' on your store page for free, as well as photos, menus, staff introductions, event and campaign information, coupons, etc.

However, although you can edit the posted content, you cannot set the layout. However, this is still enough information to promote your store. You can also use tools to help you manage your store, and if you have trouble figuring out how to edit a page, you can consult with them and our professional staff will carefully support you.

Why it costs nothing

There is a reason why you can use Ekiten's extensive services for free. If you use it as a free member, other advertisements will also be posted on your store page in a frame provided by Ekiten. By allocating revenue from advertising to part of the operating costs, the store page is free of charge. Please feel free to use it as we operate it properly so that you can use it for free.

Five. You can quickly update information even without specialized knowledge

Even if you publish your store page, it will not be as effective if you leave it alone. By frequently disseminating the latest information, it becomes easier to attract attention and lead to more customers. With Ekiten, you can easily edit Shop Information and respond to reviews, so you can update information without any specialized knowledge.

6. Strengthen store management measures with free tools

At a lecture on ``Successful Ekiten Stores that Attract Customers'' previously organized by Design One Japan Co., Ltd., which operates Ekiten, a photo studio owner from Aichi Prefecture gave a lecture titled ``How to use Ekiten to become the best shop in the area. ” were explained. In order to strengthen store management measures, it is important to increase the number of customer comments such as "I looked at the website!"

What kind of measures should you take to actually encourage people who look at your homepage, or your store page, to visit your store?

Ekiten also offers a variety of free tools that store owners can use for promotions. First, let's use the access analysis function. You can see the number of accesses to your store page and the access ranking in your area.

It's also great because you can check the number of times the coupon has been viewed. By using coupons, customers can receive services at a discounted price, which will increase the number of customers, so be sure to issue coupons. You can also edit the discount details and terms of use. You can analyze access and create coupons yourself from the Ekiten management screen.

You can also use the ``push notification'' function to send the latest information about stores to users who search near your area, but if you are a free member, notifications are limited to three times.

Tools that encourage customers to post reviews

A word-of-mouth collection tool is not only a tool to attract customers on the store page, but also a tool to collect reviews from people who have actually visited the store. By scanning the QR code at the store, customers can easily post reviews without having to register as a member. The ``Word of Mouth Speed ​​Lottery'' has been gaining popularity due to the sense of fun that ``you can win a 1,000 yen worth of Amazon gift certificate in a lottery.''

A beauty salon that previously ranked number one in Ekiten's access ranking even asked customers on their blog, ``Did you win an Amazon gift card?'' We heard that Ekiten's tools are being actively used in many stores.

7. Differences between services available to Ekiten free members and paid plans

Even if you are a free member of Ekiten, you can use a dedicated page to promote your store, but what are the benefits of a paid plan?

We recommend the paid plan of 5,000 yen (excluding tax) per month for those who want to hire a professional to create their store page, those who want to further enhance the content listed, and those who want to be able to accept online reservations. You can use it with confidence as you can use a full-fledged service and there are no pay-as-you-go charges.

On Ekiten, free members' store pages display PR advertisements for other stores using "area match," but the big difference is that with paid plans, you can promote your own store using area match advertisements. You can also check the click-through rate of area match ads.

In addition, free members can use push notifications up to three times, but paid plans allow you to use them every month, and there are many other benefits such as being able to upload videos.

summary

Shop search sites have the impression that they mainly contain information about gourmet and relaxation shops, but you will find that on Ekiten, shops of various genres are advertised for free. Is not it.

To become a free member of Ekiten, apply by entering Shop Information in the special form, and if you pass the confirmation and screening, the store page will be published and information will be posted in at least 2 days, so even first-time users can join immediately. It is possible to get started.