Using social media to energise the local community: supporting Obihiro Shinkin Bank's challenge through social media training

Our guests this time are the team from Obihiro Shinkin Bank. In 2021 the bank launched the Tokukachi Project to strengthen sales of local specialities both inside and outside the region. Its distinctive ideas, such as introducing Achikochi Tokachi vending machines that sell local specialities, attracted attention.
Social media was indispensable to driving the project forward, but they felt they lacked know-how, for example in how to run accounts. We asked how and why they started working with NowVillage, and what has changed since.

The need for social media, and the challenges of getting started

Image: the team at Obihiro Shinkin Bank (from left, Mr Wakimoto, Mr Ota, Mr Hayashi)

―First, could you each introduce yourselves and your work?

(Ota) Hello. I am Ota, deputy general manager of the Regional Economy Support Department at Obihiro Shinkin Bank. On either side of me are Hayashi and Wakimoto. The three of us here today are in charge of running Obihiro Shinkin Bank’s social media.

■ Obihiro Shinkin Bank’s Instagram is here → (@obihiroshinkin)

― What are your goals in marketing?

(Ota) My department, Regional Economy Support, provides various kinds of business support that help solve our clients’ challenges. Specifically, this includes support for developing and expanding sales channels, regional talent development, and business succession support.
Beyond that, we also take on medium- to long-term initiatives to promote local industry, and the Tokukachi Project, which was the main subject of our consultation with you, is one of them.

―We understand you are currently focusing on the Tokukachi Project. Could you give us an overview?

(Ota) The Tokukachi Project was selected for The Nippon Foundation’s Wagamachi Fund, and its biggest goal is to strengthen sales of Tokachi specialities inside and outside the region. As part of the project, we installed Achikochi Tokachi vending machines selling local Tokachi specialities at five locations, mainly in Obihiro city. To strengthen the project’s ability to get information out, we are also putting effort into social media.

― At the time, what challenges did you feel you had with using social media?

(Hayashi) We had decided, “Let’s use social media for the Tokukachi Project!”, but when it came to actually doing it, many of our staff, depending on their age group, were completely unfamiliar with it, so the first difficulty was getting them to understand why it was needed, I think.
Of course, not all of our client businesses were making full use of social media either. One of our big challenges was first to deepen staff understanding of “what social media is”, and then to create a positive atmosphere, both inside and outside the bank, of building momentum together with those businesses.

“Please let us do this!” Their enthusiasm was the deciding factor

― What led you to ask NowVillage?

(Hayashi) To be frank, it was an introduction from an acquaintance.
At the time we were completely feeling our way. I searched online for companies offering “digital marketing support”, but they all said good things about themselves, which actually left me not knowing what to trust. We were also approached by companies we knew nothing about, but we had no idea on what basis to choose.

When I looked at your website after the introduction, I felt you were a company we could work with. The person who introduced us told us you “really put a lot of enthusiasm into everything”, and when we spoke once on Zoom, you said, “Please let us help you.” Seeing that kind of enthusiasm, we placed our full trust in you and asked you to take it on.

(Ota) We had no criteria of our own to judge by, so we were wondering what to do. Then we looked at NowVillage’s website and Twitter and got the impression that you provide detailed support across a wide range of initiatives, and that was a big factor too.

##After the training, more “likes” from senior management! Social media is now more easily understood across the organisation

― In our actual work together, we have run training twice online and twice in person, starting from “what is social media”. How easy to understand was it?

(Hayashi) When we surveyed participants after the training, more than half said it was “very easy to understand”, and to the question “Is training like this necessary?”, almost all participants answered “Yes”.

― What were your own impressions?

(Ota) You explained everything in detail, from the basics of how to use it through to targeting, so our previously vague picture of “social media” came into much sharper focus. It was also good that we could confirm how well, or how poorly, Instagram suits this project.

We also learned that, going forward, it is better for several people to work on it together so that no single person ends up carrying all the work alone.

― We hear Mr Hayashi and Mr Wakimoto use social media regularly. What did the two of you think?

(Hayashi) Unlike personal social media, with a company account I didn’t know what to post, so being able to hear a professional’s views on everything from planning and generating ideas to photography techniques was extremely helpful. It also made me hopeful that if each member of staff can show their own personality well, our Instagram could become distinctive and interesting.

(Wakimoto) I also use social media personally, but I felt that to publish as a company, we would need to work on “how to attract users”. This training showed how to do that in a very practical way, so I learned a great deal.
It also brought home to me again how much more used to social media our younger staff are. As we keep running our social media, I feel the instincts and opinions of the younger generation in particular will be a valuable reference.

― Please tell us about any changes within your organisation since the training.

(Hayashi) After the training, officers and staff, including the chairman, who had not had social media accounts before, created their own accounts and now react to our official Instagram posts.

Having senior management, who carry great influence in the organisation, take the lead and act is a welcome development in terms of spreading and fostering awareness. We have moved a step beyond “What on earth does running social media involve?”, and I feel that it being easier to gain understanding within the organisation will be a tailwind for our future activities.
If understanding of social media grows further, I expect more staff will be able to share the social media worries our clients have, and I hope we may also start getting requests from clients to be featured on the bank’s official Instagram.

Thanks to their attentive support, we could approach the training day with peace of mind

― Is there anything about working with NowVillage that left an impression on you?

(Wakimoto) How carefully they responded to our requests. For example, they set up a rehearsal and online meetings before the training.

(Ota) This was the first time we had done training like this too, and since we didn’t know what the right answer was, we were helped by NowVillage’s sincere attitude in responding even to our small questions.
During the preparation stage they refined the content until it was in a form we were happy with, so we were able to go into the day itself with peace of mind.

― Is there anything you expect from NowVillage going forward?

(Hayashi) At present we run social media within the Regional Economy Support Department, but in future we would like sales staff at each branch to come up with posts too.

When our social media activity has expanded step by step like that, we would like to ask NowVillage for training again, divided by level into beginner and intermediate courses. We are also thinking about including content with a bit more of a marketing perspective in future training.

The Tokukachi Project continues until November 2024, and we want to keep strengthening our social media communication, so we hope we can count on your support again.
(Ota) Running social media is not something that suddenly goes well just because you have had training. To raise the level on the ground, I think it is more efficient to get input from specialists, as we did this time. If possible, we would like to ask for training like this again, or content at an even higher level.

― Finally, what kind of challenges would a company need to have for you to recommend NowVillage?
(Ota) We too started out knowing almost nothing about digital marketing or running social media. In that sense, I think NowVillage’s characteristic attentiveness really comes into its own for companies that feel “We’re motivated but don’t know where to start, and want to be taught from the very beginning”.

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Obihiro Shinkin Bank
・Website: https://www.shinkin.co.jp/obishin/
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