Source Japanese article: Bigbeat Inc. "住友重機械工業 × フィードフォースベトナム × Bigbeat：ベトナム市場におけるFacebookマーケティング事例"
To raise brand awareness and acquire new leads in the Vietnamese market, Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Feedforce Vietnam (hereinafter "FFV"), and Bigbeat collaborated on a Facebook-based marketing initiative targeting the Vietnamese market.
In this project, Sumitomo Heavy Industries participated as the client, Bigbeat was responsible for strategic planning and overall design, and FFV handled local ad operations and content production.
The interviewees were Mr. Okawa, who oversees the overall business management of Sumitomo Heavy Industries' local subsidiary in Vietnam, and Mr. Mori, Representative Director of Feedforce Vietnam. In this article, we explored the background behind their Facebook marketing efforts, the three-party collaboration structure, the results achieved through operations, and their future initiatives.
Sumitomo Heavy Industries is a Japan-based manufacturer of a broad range of industrial machinery, operating in Vietnam with a focus on its plastics business. The local subsidiary's primary business is the sales of plastic injection molding machines, serving not only Japanese-affiliated companies but also local Vietnamese enterprises.
Beyond simply selling machinery, the company distinguishes itself by offering a comprehensive service model that includes installation support, post-launch technical assistance, and after-sales service. In the Vietnamese market, many customers place high value on post-investment support, making this approach a critical differentiator. With offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the subsidiary operates with a team of approximately 30 staff, comprising both Japanese expatriates and local employees.
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In Vietnam, Facebook is more widely used than Instagram and is commonly adopted for business purposes as well. In fact, the Facebook Page itself had already been created by local staff previously, so this was not a launch from scratch.
Having been engaged in inside sales practices in Japan, there was a natural progression of thought: "Let's try applying an inside sales-oriented approach in Vietnam as well." Against this backdrop, the decision was made to leverage the existing Facebook channel for full-scale operations.
Initially, there was some skepticism, and KPIs were centered on follower growth — with a relatively modest goal of "first, grow the follower base, and if even one inquiry comes in from that, it's a success."
At the project's outset, the Facebook Page had approximately 200 followers. For this reason, rather than prioritizing immediate lead generation, the initial phase focused first on building a foundation of brand awareness.
In the early stages, rather than publishing information-heavy posts from the outset, the approach centered on photos and lightweight content.Once a consistent baseline was established, article content and videos were introduced incrementally. Videos in particular performed well in terms of play counts and engagement — given the nature of injection molding machines as a product, they were highly effective at conveying actual movement and scale, resulting in strong visual appeal.
Working in close coordination with Bigbeat, we took full responsibility for all execution on the Vietnam side.Our primary roles encompassed: Facebook Page and ad account setup, targeting configuration based on industry and industrial zones (Binh Duong, Bac Ninh, etc.), Vietnamese-language content production, ad delivery, PDCA cycle (continuous improvement) management, and monthly reporting.
Delivering a niche B2B product such as injection molding machines through Facebook required ingenuity from the very beginning. Rather than straightforward product descriptions, we placed particular emphasis on ensuring that information was presented in a way that local decision-makers could intuitively understand.
Once operations began, the response exceeded expectations. The follower count grew to approximately 7,000, and inquiries generated through Facebook began coming in consistently.
The fact that inquiries started arriving from companies and contacts with whom there had previously been no touchpoints represented a significant shift. Compared to trade shows, the cost-effectiveness of Facebook was felt to be notably higher. While exhibiting at a trade show entails substantial one-time costs, Facebook offered a more tangible sense of being able to generate continuous awareness and leads on an ongoing basis.
Among all the initiatives, what proved particularly effective in operations were static image banners and short-form videos that prominently showcased the product and conveyed its value proposition concisely.Short-form content that delivered key messages quickly outperformed long-form videos in terms of engagement, and the actual data reflected a clear tendency for such formats to drive higher engagement and lead to more inquiries.
Additionally, the introduction of instant forms — enabling inquiries to be completed entirely within Facebook — had a significant impact. By minimizing redirects to external websites or Messenger, drop-off rates decreased, making it considerably easier to capture inquiries from users with a genuine and specific intent to evaluate the product.
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In Vietnam and across Southeast Asia, Facebook is not merely a personal social networking platform — it is widely used as a channel for gathering business-related information and facilitating industry communication. In this project as well, we received specific technical inquiries and product-related consultations through Facebook, reaffirming our conviction that it functions effectively as a B2B channel.
In Japan, there is a common perception that "Facebook is not suited for B2B," but we believe that if the right message can be designed to reach the right audience, even highly specialized B2B products can be used to efficiently approach prospective customers. We consider the ability to flexibly deliver messages aligned with the platforms used by local users, and to continuously run PDCA cycles (continuous improvement), to be indispensable elements of effective Facebook utilization in overseas markets.
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Going forward, we intend to more consciously position order acquisition through Facebook as a clearly defined objective. Having confirmed through actual operations that inquiries can be converted into business opportunities, we are looking to gradually establish a systematic flow for acquiring new customers via Facebook.
Regarding follower count, which has now grown to approximately 7,000, our policy is to continue operations with 10,000 followers as the next milestone. We hope to advance initiatives that, by combining online and offline efforts, can lead to more concrete business negotiations and order acquisition.
Through this Facebook marketing initiative, we worked in close three-way collaboration with Sumitomo Heavy Industries and Feedforce Vietnam to drive information dissemination and operations in the Vietnamese market. By leveraging Facebook — a channel widely used on the ground — we were able to establish meaningful communication with audiences who had previously had little to no touchpoints with the brand, and we regard this as one of the key outcomes of this initiative.
Going forward, we will continue to support the execution of marketing strategies tailored to the market conditions of each country and the specific circumstances of each company.
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