When we took a deep dive into our marketing automation programs for Japan last year, the results were disheartening. We were only generating about 12 qualified leads per month, far below our ambitious goal of 160. This stark gap highlighted a pressing need for change.
Instead of opting for the conventional route of hiring a local marketing automation expert, we decided to innovate. Within just two months, we restructured Japan’s entire email automation program without increasing our team size. Here’s how we did it and what you can learn from our journey.
The Underlying Challenge
As a company primarily rooted in the U.S., our marketing automation investments were mostly concentrated in key markets: English, French, Spanish, German, and Portuguese. Unfortunately, regions like Japan often received less attention, not due to a lack of resources but because they were not prioritized.
In Japan, our automation programs were outdated, partially built, or never truly localized. The necessary content and infrastructure existed, but they failed to connect with the Japanese audience because they were not designed with cultural relevance in mind.
This phenomenon is common across businesses operating in multiple regions; secondary markets often lag behind primary ones. When a team encounters this, the typical solution is to hire local experts. However, we realized that we needed a fresh approach.
Reinventing the Model
We shifted our perspective from “Who can manage this end-to-end?” to “Should one person manage this?” This simple reframing led us to see that marketing automation involves two distinct roles:
- Technical Role: This includes building journey logic, setting up workflows, defining enrollment criteria, and configuring tracking systems. Surprisingly, none of this requires fluency in Japanese.
- Cultural Role: This role focuses on ensuring that the message resonates, the tone is appropriate, and the pain points addressed are relevant. This definitely requires a deep understanding of the local market.
By separating these responsibilities, we eliminated the necessity for a local automation specialist. Instead, we needed an automation marketer adept in technical skills and a local marketing partner who could validate cultural relevance.
What We Built
Our focused approach yielded impressive results within two months:
Resources Needed:
- Approximately 12 days of automation marketer time (about 1.5 days per week over two months)
- 5 days from a regional marketer for quality assurance
- No additional staff required
Outcomes Achieved:
- Creation of 71 emails and 38 workflows from scratch
- Launch of 2 core programs targeting both unengaged prospects and interested leads
In the first reporting period, our automation-sourced qualified leads skyrocketed from 12 to over 115 per month, translating to an estimated 44 additional deals each month. This remarkable growth stemmed from our deliberate focus on high-intent automation programs.
Targeting High-Intent Prospects
Not all email programs are created equal. High-intent programs target individuals who show clear buying signals, such as visiting pricing pages or engaging with product features. In contrast, low-intent programs reach a broader, colder audience.
By concentrating on high-intent programs, we were able to build focused messaging with clear calls-to-action, making it easier to localize and faster to implement. This decision was instrumental in achieving our 9x growth in qualified leads in just two months.
Implementing the Two-Person Model
With our model established, the division of roles was clear:
Automation Marketer Responsibilities:
- Designing customer journeys
- Setting up workflows
- Creating segmentation logic
- Establishing enrollment criteria
- Structuring emails and timing
- Conducting technical QA and reporting
Regional Marketing Partner Responsibilities:
- Validating messaging for cultural relevance
- Ensuring pain points are relatable
- Confirming the appropriateness of tone
- Signing off on the final customer experience
We utilized AI tools to draft emails, allowing the regional partner to focus on refining the message rather than starting from scratch. The key was ensuring that the regional partner understood the local customer journey, as mere language fluency would not suffice.
Is This Model Right for You?
Before adopting this approach, consider the following:
- Is your current automation outdated or underperforming? If it’s already driving results, prioritizing optimization may be more beneficial.
- Do you have access to a sizable high-intent audience? You need enough prospects showing purchase signals for meaningful results.
- Is a qualified local partner available? Look for someone who understands the market and can commit minimal time to the project.
Skip this model if you lack a knowledgeable local partner. Language alone won’t lead to effective communication.
Your Roadmap to Success
For teams eager to implement this strategy, here’s a streamlined process:
- Assess the current state of workflows.
- Evaluate the opportunity size based on your audience.
- Identify the right local partner.
- Establish a shared messaging guide.
- Audit existing content for reuse or rebuilding.
- Prioritize high-intent programs first.
- Conduct thorough QA checks.
- Measure results at 30, 60, and 90 days.
The pilot program in Japan proved a vital lesson: you don’t need a local automation specialist in every market. Instead, a clear division of responsibilities between technical and cultural roles can lead to impressive results, as demonstrated by our leap from 12 qualified leads to 115 in just two months—all without adding new staff.
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