What is LINE for Business? Thorough explanation of how to use, what you can do, and operation techniques

LINE for Business is a general term for services and apps provided by LINE for businesses such as companies and stores .

It may be easier to imagine that LINE for Business is a service that connects individuals and companies, whereas regular LINE is mainly a service for communication between individuals and groups.

LINE has many customer-attracting tools, including the “LINE Official Account”, and by obtaining a “LINE Business ID” for LINE for Business, you will be able to access these services and apps.

For those who are considering introducing LINE for Business, we will introduce the advantages and disadvantages of using LINE for Business.

merit

LINE for Business has the following advantages:

• Reach a wide range of users
• Low hurdles for introduction
• Easy for users to use

LINE has 92 million monthly users in Japan (as of the end of March 2022). This is about twice as many as other SNS such as Facebook and Twitter.

LINE’s user base is distributed among people of various ages, genders, occupations, and regions.

Due to the large denominator of users and the wide range of user attributes, it can be said that it is a tool that can deliver information to many people and is easy to apply to various businesses .

Another advantage is that opening a LINE for Business account is free and easy, so the hurdles for introducing LINE for Business as a tool for attracting customers are low.

Furthermore, if you distribute messages and coupons to users who use LINE on a daily basis, the chances of them seeing your content will increase. According to the official website of “L Step”, a marketing support tool specialized for LINE official accounts, the opening rate of e-mail magazines is about 10-30%, while the opening rate of LINE official accounts is 60%.

By using LINE for Business to distribute content from the customer’s point of view, it may be possible to approach users more effectively than conventional marketing measures.

Demerit

LINE for Business also has the following aspects that can be considered as disadvantages.

• Can be inefficient depending on the target audience of the product/service
• If you do not highlight the difference from other companies, information tends to be buried

The SNS usage rate among seniors aged 60 and over is as low as about half of the total, and LINE is the most common among them, but only about 40% of the SNS users. Therefore, if the target audience for products and services is set at the age of 60 and over, there are cases where it is better to consider other methods of attracting customers.

Also, since there are many companies and stores using LINE for Business, it is possible that information will be buried if we do not send content that is superior to that of other companies.

However, LINE for Business has many advantages that can be expected, so it is a good idea to take advantage of it while considering the potential disadvantages .

LINE for Business services can be broadly divided into three categories based on their purpose. Please check it against the purpose of introducing it in your company.

1. Communication related

First of all, it is a service that applies the communication function, which is the conventional way of using LINE. It is mainly introduced for the purpose of shortening the distance between users and companies/stores .

For example, this service.

• LINE official account (former name: LINE@)
• LINE mini app
• LINE Marketplace
• LINE promotion stamp
• LINE STAFF START

Many services are provided based on information distribution and chat functions, creating points of contact between users and companies/stores, which can be expected to increase brand recognition and fanning.

2. Advertising

Advertisement-related services make use of LINE’s strengths, namely the large number of users and the diversity of its user base . There are two ad distribution services provided by LINE.

• LINE Advertisement
• Talk Head View

LINE for Business’s unique ad distribution function and high accuracy of targeting are characteristic. It can be used for a wide range of marketing purposes, such as generating new and prospective customers .

3. Sales promotion/OMO related

There are also services aimed at sales promotion and OMO. “OMO (Online Merges with Offline)” is a measure that combines online and offline.

• Apply on LINE (former name: LINE Sales Promotion)
• LINE Flyer
• LINE point AD
• LINE POP Media

There are many convenient services that can solve various problems, such as attracting customers to physical stores, promoting campaign participation, and analyzing customer purchasing behavior .

For the operation side, it will lead to a reduction in store operations, and for the user side, it will be possible to obtain useful information in a timely manner.

Now that you understand the general purpose of the LINE for Business services, let’s check the details of each service.

LINE official account (former name: LINE@)

A LINE official account is a service that allows you to send messages and coupons to users who have registered as friends . In addition, new functions such as “Shop Card”, which allows you to manage the issuance of point cards on LINE, and “LINE Call”, which allows users to make free calls, have also appeared.

Previously, LINE official accounts were divided into “LINE@” for small and medium-sized businesses and “LINE official accounts” for large companies and government agencies, depending on the size of the business. However, it is now integrated into the LINE official account.

For details on what you can do with a LINE official account and how to open an account, please see here.

LINE Advertisement

LINE Ads is a programmatic advertising platform that can deliver ads to LINE users . It can be used from a small amount, and it is also possible to improve the operation by measuring the distribution effect after advertising.

LINE mini app

LINE MINI App is a service for developing and introducing your own apps that work on LINE .

For example, you can implement functions such as “in-store mobile ordering”, “waiting reception / calling “, “digital membership card issuance / presentation” as your own service. It is used by many physical stores, including restaurants and beauty salons.

Apply on LINE (former name: LINE Sales Promotion)

“Apply on LINE” is a sales promotion function that uses packages provided by LINE . It is a mechanism that allows you to participate in the campaign from the QR code attached to the product in the store or the LINE advertisement banner and earn points and prizes.

Users can participate while having fun, and on the operation side, they can promote purchases, improve brand awareness, and collect questionnaires.

LINE research

LINE Research is a monitoring function through LINE questionnaires . There are approximately 17.7 million friends registered in the LINE survey, of which approximately 6.13 million are active monitors (as of August 2022).

With LINE Research, it is possible to conduct questionnaires for students and young people, which are considered difficult to collect, and it is characterized by being able to obtain real survey results and data that are close to general consumers.

LINE Flyer

LINE flyer is a digital flyer function that can distribute flyer information to users on LINE . You can deliver information based on user attributes and living areas.

It can be said that it is a practical function for users as they can receive leaflet information without installing a new app or registering as a member.

You will be charged for using LINE for Business. Basic fees for typical services are as follows:

(As of September 2022)

“LINE Official Account”, “LINE Advertisement” and “LINE Flyer” can all be started with a relatively small amount according to your budget and goals .

Other services such as “LINE Mini App” and “Apply with LINE” differ depending on the scale of registration, development, and operation, so it is necessary to request materials and make inquiries from the LINE for Business official website .

Issuing a LINE Business ID and opening an account to access each LINE for Business service are free of charge, so it would be a good idea to start by opening an account.

LINE for Business can be used not only for direct customer attraction such as advertising and sales promotion, but also for simplifying management work and branding . We will introduce three specific operation techniques for LINE for Business, so please use them if you are just starting out or if you are having trouble getting the results you want.

Issuing and managing bonus points with LINE Shop cards

By using “LINE Shop Card”, a service that can issue and manage points on LINE, you will be able to centralize the management of benefits such as “purchasing products”, “using services”, and “visiting a store ” .

It not only makes management work easier for the management side, but it also makes it possible to analyze the usage status of the shop card, which is useful for verifying cost-effectiveness.

Since the “point card” can be installed in the LINE app, it can be expected to improve customer satisfaction from the user’s point of view, such as not having to carry a paper shop card .

Deliver messages visually with LINE Rich Menu

The LINE rich menu is a navigation bar that appears at the bottom of the chat screen on your LINE official account. By arranging menus that are assumed to be used frequently, users can easily reach the desired functions, leading to the utilization of the company’s official account.

Previously, LINE Rich Menu could only be used with paid plans for LINE official accounts, but from April 2019, it can also be used with the free plan.

Increase brand recognition with LINE promotional stickers

LINE promotion stamp is a service that can provide LINE stamps to users by paying advertising fees. Users can get stamps under conditions such as “add friends”.

If you create and provide attractive original official LINE stamps and increase opportunities for many people to use them , you can expect an increase in brand recognition.

LINE for Business is easy to fit into various businesses, but there are some things to keep in mind. When operating LINE for Business, be aware of the following three points.

1. Thorough account management and information management

LINE accounts that have been added as friends and the contents of inquiries must be handled appropriately as customer information .

Also, when managing an account with multiple people, the contents that can be operated, such as “member management”, “message distribution”, “timeline posting”, etc., will change depending on the authority. Giving only the necessary privileges to each person in charge leads to proper account management.

2. Be careful not to send the wrong address

Many LINE users register with nicknames instead of their real names, so be careful not to make a mistake with the address .

In particular, if you are using a personal account for your LINE Business ID, you need to manage it thoroughly. Be careful not to leak or leak information, such as by separating personal devices from work devices.

3. Depending on the purpose, it is necessary to use other marketing methods together

Some LINE for Business services, such as LINE Official Accounts, limit messages that can be sent to people who are registered as friends on the company’s account .

In order to create new customers and potential customers, it is necessary to devise ways such as using it in combination with other marketing methods such as web advertising. Please also refer to this page for web advertisements.

Now that you understand the content of the LINE for Business service, let’s look at some use cases. It should be easy to imagine the effect after the introduction.

Example 1: Simultaneous distribution of limited coupons and event announcements

The LINE official account of LINE for Business has a function to broadcast messages by segment . There are many cases where limited coupons and event announcements for LINE friends registered at physical stores such as restaurants, retail stores, beauty salons, and salons have been effective.

Case 2: Simplification of customer support operations

The chat function of the LINE official account allows you to choose between automatic response by an AI chatbot and manned response by an operator , and both can be used together.

It is said that by introducing it during busy hours or at stores that are open with a small number of people, it will lead to the simplification of customer support operations, and human error will be reduced because the chat history will remain.

LINE for Business enables easy communication between companies, stores, and users. There are many benefits for companies, such as distribution by segment and reporting functions.

When using the service, it is necessary to check whether the company’s target is suitable for the LINE user base, and to handle information with great care after the start of operation.

We hope that the contents of this article will serve as a basis for deciding whether or not to introduce LINE for Business, as well as hints for its utilization.