Outsourcing Digital Marketing in japan | 20 Recommended Digital Marketing Agencies

There are so many agencies out there that comparing them and figuring out which one fits your company is a daunting task.
You don’t want to fail after spending a large amount of money and end up wasting valuable budget and time.

Many marketing managers and business owners likely share these concerns.

While digital marketing agencies can become powerful partners that accelerate business growth, choosing the wrong one will prevent you from achieving the results you expect.

That’s why, in this article, we thoroughly explain the following points from the perspective of digital marketing industry experts:

• The role of digital marketing agencies and the specific services they provide
• The advantages of using a support agency, as well as the disadvantages you should be aware of
• How to choose the right agency without failing: 8 critical checkpoints
• Pricing structures and cost ranges by service type
• [2026 Latest] A curated list of recommended agencies (from large full-service firms to BtoB specialists)

By reading this article through to the end, you’ll gain concrete knowledge and a practical list that will help you identify the one agency that truly matches your company’s challenges and goals from among countless options—and move closer to achieving your business objectives.

Let’s take your business to the next stage with the right partner.

Tecro Inc. is currently offering a free “Digital Marketing Operations Outsourcing Guide.”
If your company is facing challenges with digital marketing, be sure to check it out.

Free owned media management service materials

We offer a comprehensive support menu and track record, from strategy design to production, operation, and performance measurement.

• Explaining how to launch your own media
• Explaining content marketing
• A must-see for those who want to maximize the effectiveness of their owned media
• And more

Start With the Basics: What Is a Digital Marketing Agency?

Before diving deeper into digital marketing agencies, it’s important to understand their fundamental role and scope of work.

These agencies are not just task executors—they are strategic partners that can directly influence a company’s business growth.

Understanding their definition and specific services will help clarify what your company should outsource.

A Professional Team That Supports All Online Business Activities

A digital marketing agency is a group of professionals that specialize in supporting a company’s marketing activities in the digital domain.

Their services cover a wide range of areas, including:

• Website creation and optimization
• Advertising operations
• Social media utilization
• Data analysis

By combining expertise across multiple fields, they help companies achieve goals such as customer acquisition, branding, and ultimately increased sales.

Since it is difficult to have experts in every field in-house, leveraging an agency allows companies to tap into professional expertise as needed.

Key Services Provided by Digital Marketing Agencies (7 Core Methods)

While services vary by agency, most digital marketing agencies address corporate challenges using the following seven core methods. Compare these with your own challenges as you read.

1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO refers to optimizing your website so that it appears higher in search engine results such as Google.

2. Content Marketing

This method builds trust by providing valuable information to potential customers through blogs, videos, whitepapers, and other content.

3. Social Media Marketing (SNS)

Using platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook to engage users and improve brand awareness and affinity.

4. Web Advertising (PPC Advertising)

Displaying ads on search engines, social media, and websites to directly reach targeted users. PPC stands for “pay-per-click.”

5. Email Marketing

Sending regular emails such as newsletters to prospects and existing customers to deepen relationships.

6. Data Analysis and Optimization

Using tools such as Google Analytics to analyze user behavior and propose data-driven improvements.

7. Strategy Planning and Consulting

This is the upstream support that designs an overall digital marketing strategy before executing individual tactics.

Is Outsourcing the Right Choice? Pros and Cons of Using an Agency

Leveraging expert support offers many benefits, but there are also points to be aware of.

Advantages: Expertise and Resource Optimization

• Keeping up with trends: Agencies stay on top of rapidly changing digital trends.
• Efficient resource allocation: Internal teams can focus on core activities.
• Objective perspective: External analysis reveals issues internal teams may overlook.

Disadvantages: Cost and Communication Challenges

• Ongoing costs: Professional services require continuous investment.
• Knowledge hollowing: “Full outsourcing” may prevent internal skill development.
• Communication overhead: Regular coordination is necessary to align goals.

【Most Important】How to Choose a Digital Marketing Support Company Without Failing: 8 Checkpoints

In order to find one company among many support agencies that will truly contribute to your company’s success, it is essential to compare and evaluate them based on clear criteria.
Here, we explain eight important checkpoints to help you avoid making the wrong choice when selecting a partner.

Clarify Your Company’s Issues and Objectives

First and foremost, clarify what your company wants to achieve through digital marketing.
Rather than vague goals such as “increase sales,” it is important to translate them into concrete numerical targets, such as “acquire 30 new customer inquiries per month within six months” or “increase the average order value of the EC site by 10%.”
The clearer your objectives are, the easier it will be for the support company to make accurate and appropriate proposals.

Check Whether Their Strengths and Areas of Expertise Match Your Company

Although referred to collectively as digital marketing, the field itself is extremely broad. Each support company has its own areas of strength.

• Companies that are strong in BtoB marketing
• Companies that specialize in increasing EC site sales
• Companies that excel in youth-oriented promotions using social media

Choose a company that has expertise aligned with your business model, industry, and target customers.

Review Their Track Record and Success Stories (Same Industry or Similar Scale Is Even Better)

Be sure to check the track record and case studies published on the company’s official website.

Rather than simply stating “results were achieved,” confirm whether the case studies clearly describe:

• What kind of challenges existed
• What measures were taken to solve them
• What specific numerical results were achieved

In particular, success stories from companies in the same industry or of a similar business scale to yours can serve as strong candidates.

Is the Pricing Structure Clear and Within Your Budget?

Choose a company with a clear pricing structure that clearly explains what costs how much in advance.
Instead of vague estimates such as “XX yen for everything,” transparency is demonstrated by providing a detailed breakdown for each initiative.

Be cautious when choosing solely based on low price, as this can lead to insufficient support or unexpected additional charges later.

Compatibility With the Person in Charge and Smooth Communication

The skills and personality of the person you will actually be communicating with can significantly affect the success or failure of the project.

• Are the proposals easy to understand, without excessive use of technical jargon?
• Do they respond accurately and promptly to questions?
• Do they demonstrate understanding of your business and enthusiasm for it?

Before signing a contract, make sure to speak directly with the person in charge and assess whether they can be a trustworthy partner.

Are KPI Setting and Reporting Systems Clearly Defined?

To objectively evaluate results, it is important to align in advance on what metrics will be used as KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).

Also confirm how progress and results will be reported—what format will be used, and how frequently (weekly, monthly, etc.).
The presence of regular meetings and the clarity of reports are also important checkpoints.

How Much Will You Entrust? Confirm the Scope of Support

Clarify how much support your company is seeking, such as:

• “We only want help with strategy planning,” or
• “We want everything handled, including article creation and ad operations.”

Depending on the company, the scope may differ: consulting only, execution only, or both.

To avoid misunderstandings after signing the contract—such as “we didn’t realize this wasn’t included”—be sure to confirm the scope of support in detail beforehand.

Balance Between Short-Term and Mid- to Long-Term Measures

Excellent support companies do not focus solely on immediate results.

Check whether they can propose a balanced combination of:

• Short-term measures that deliver quick results, such as web advertising, and
• Mid- to long-term measures that build assets over time, such as SEO and owned media.

A company that can work alongside you with a long-term perspective on business growth can truly be called a genuine partner.

For a detailed explanation of content marketing methods and their benefits, please refer to the article below.

What Is the Role of BtoB Content Marketing? Introducing Methods and Benefits

Pricing Structures and Cost Ranges for Digital Marketing Support

When outsourcing to a support company, cost is likely the biggest concern.
Here, we explain the common types of pricing structures and the approximate cost ranges depending on the services requested.
Please use this as a reference when setting your budget or seeking internal approval.

Three Types of Pricing Structures: Fixed Fee, Hourly Rate, and Performance-Based

Pricing structures can generally be divided into three main types.
Understand the characteristics of each and choose the one that best fits your request scope and budget management approach.

Approximate Cost Ranges by Service Type

Costs vary significantly depending on the scope of services, company size, and contract structure, but general market ranges are as follows.

【2026 Latest Edition】Recommended Digital Marketing Support Companies List

Here, we introduce carefully selected companies based on their track records and areas of expertise.
The list covers a wide range, from major full-service enterprises capable of handling any industry to specialized firms with strengths in specific fields.

【Selected by Overall Capability】20 Major Digital Marketing Support Companies

First, we introduce major domestic support companies with extensive resources and broad industry coverage.
These companies are suitable for large-scale projects or cases where you want to outsource multiple initiatives on a one-stop basis.

Deep Dive: Techro Inc. — A BtoB-Focused Company with Proven Owned Media Success

(Source: Techro Inc.)

From here, as original content exclusive to this article, we will take a closer look at Techro Inc., a company that marketing managers at BtoB companies should pay particular attention to.

The company is a group of specialists with numerous successful cases in BtoB marketing, especially in lead generation strategies that leverage owned media.

【Techro Support】
Success Story ①: LG Breakthrough Co., Ltd. “Jichitai Business.com”

Media name	Jichitai Business.com
Media URL	https://www.b2lg.co.jp/jichitai/
Concept / Theme	Information to help succeed in the local government business
Operating company	LG Breakthrough Co., Ltd.
Launch year	2017
Objectives	Lead generation New customer acquisition

“Jichitai Business.com” is a company that provides solutions for businesses seeking to contract work from local governments and public institutions.

Although the company had previously launched an owned media platform, they believed that there were no meaningful online touchpoints with companies, and as a result, the media was not actively operated.

To break this situation, they implemented content marketing. After about six months, page views grew by approximately 20 times. The key reason for this growth was that they continuously recorded performance changes as numerical data when creating content and used those insights to drive improvements.

They also achieved their goal of leveraging the owned media as a core business asset.

Despite being a small company, this is a successful example of automating sales through the effective use of an owned media platform.

Reference: “[PV Increased 20x in Six Months] Increasing Site Traffic Through Owned Media | LG Breakthrough Co., Ltd.”

Techro’s achievements in supporting LG Breakthrough’s content marketing are introduced on our “Case Studies” page.

【Techro Support】
Success Story ②: J&U Co., Ltd. “PAPER AD”

Media name	PAPER AD
Media URL	https://j-you.co.jp/blog/
Concept / Theme	Sharing information about offline advertising
Operating company	J&U Co., Ltd.
Launch year	2020
Objectives	Lead generation New customer acquisition

J&U Co., Ltd., an advertising agency, received support from Techro starting from the launch of their owned media. By launching and continuously operating “PAPER AD,” they succeeded in acquiring new leads from industries that had never generated inquiries before.

Subsequently, we also supported the implementation of HubSpot for lead management and nurturing.

By organizing sales processes and configuring HubSpot, they achieved centralized management and improved efficiency in sales operations. Visualizing sales and inventory status led to a 5% increase in revenue.

You can find more details in the following case studies:

Reference: “Achieving Inquiries from Other Industries and Boosting Sales Motivation Through Owned Media | J&U Co., Ltd.”
Reference: “[Revenue Up 5%] Visualizing Sales Through HubSpot Operations Support—What Were the Measures That Significantly Increased Revenue and Profit Margins Compared to the Previous Year? | J&U Co., Ltd.”

Techro’s achievements in supporting J&U’s content marketing are introduced on our “Case Studies” page.

Reference: “Achieving Inquiries from Other Industries and Boosting Sales Motivation Through Owned Media | J&U Co., Ltd.”
Reference:“[Revenue Up 5%] Visualizing Sales Through HubSpot Operations Support—What Were the Measures That Significantly Increased Revenue and Profit Margins Compared to the Previous Year? | J&U Co., Ltd.”

Techro’s achievements in supporting J&U’s content marketing are introduced on our “Case Studies” page.

【Techro Support】
Success Story ③: Reloclub Co., Ltd. “RELO General Affairs & HR Times”

Media name	RELO General Affairs & HR Times
Media URL	https://www.reloclub.jp/relotimes/article
Concept / Theme	Information related to general affairs and human resources
Operating company	Reloclub Co., Ltd.
Launch year	2023
Objectives	Lead generation New customer acquisition

Reloclub Co., Ltd. provides employee benefits outsourcing services and operates “RELO General Affairs & HR Times” as its owned media.

Although the site had strong domain authority and high page views, the challenge was that it was not generating inquiries.

After outsourcing the media operations to Techro, we conducted CV-focused keyword selection and site improvements. As a result, inquiries increased, and the media evolved into a stronger revenue-contributing asset.

This is a successful example of revenue growth achieved through CV optimization.

Reference: “Optimizing Media Conversions Through Product-Relevant Keyword Selection and Site Improvements—What Is Techro’s Trust-Based, Hands-On Support? | Reloclub Co., Ltd.”

Techro’s achievements in supporting Reloclub’s content marketing are introduced on our “Case Studies” page.

【Techro Support】
Success Story ④: NTT Printing Co., Ltd. “Kachiaru Support”

Media name	Kachiaru Support (Owned Media)
Media URL	https://kachiarusupport.nttprint.com/column
Concept / Theme	Introducing BPO services
Operating company	NTT Printing Co., Ltd.
Launch year	2024
Objectives	Lead generation New customer acquisition

NTT Printing Co., Ltd. provides BPO services and operates the “Kachiaru Support Owned Media.”

With limited internal resources, the company needed to prepare various content for the owned media while also managing other initiatives such as exhibiting at trade shows once or twice a month. They recognized the need for a partner both in terms of resources and expertise.

By outsourcing owned media operations, they successfully reduced internal workload while achieving tangible results.

Reference: “Achieving Increased PV and CV Through Essential Content Creation—What Is the Support Like That Combines Close Collaboration and Deep Expertise? | NTT Printing Co., Ltd.”

Techro’s achievements in supporting NTT Printing’s content marketing are introduced on our “Case Studies” page.

【Techro Support】
Success Story ⑤: JAF Media Works Co., Ltd. “JAF Torecolumn”

Media name	JAF Torecolumn
Media URL	https://jaf-training.jp/column/
Concept / Theme	Sharing information on traffic safety
Operating company	JAF Media Works Co., Ltd.
Launch year	2024–
Objectives	Lead generation New customer acquisition

JAF Media Works Co., Ltd. provides JAF Traffic Safety Training and operates “JAF Torecolumn” as its owned media.

The company did not have an internal marketing department. Although they attempted to work on customer acquisition, they were unsure whether their efforts were effective or which initiatives would deliver the best results.

They therefore requested Techro’s owned media support. From launching the media to acquiring page views and conversions, Techro provided end-to-end support, resulting in successful lead generation through content.

Reference: “Hands-On Support From New Owned Media Launch to PV and CV Acquisition—What Was the Data-Driven Proposal That Became the Deciding Factor? | JAF Media Works Co., Ltd.”

Techro’s achievements in supporting JAF Media Works’ content marketing are introduced on our “Case Studies” page.

Strength ①: BtoB-Focused Strategy Development Based on Data from Over 100 Companies

Techro Inc.’s greatest strength lies in its specialization in BtoB businesses.
Based on performance data from supporting over 70 BtoB companies, the company formulates data-driven strategies that do not rely on intuition or experience alone.

By deeply understanding each client’s business model and complex purchasing processes, Techro provides end-to-end support—from optimal target definition to tactical planning.

Strength ②: Concrete Success Stories Such as a 26x Increase in Lead Generation

Techro’s achievements are demonstrated through clear, numerical results.

A BtoB Software Company
By rebuilding its owned media strategy, lead acquisition increased 26 to 32.5 times within six months.

An Industrial Machinery Manufacturer
By delivering content aligned with the customer purchasing process, the company increased high-quality leads by 40% while reducing cost per acquisition (CPA) by 25%.

NTT Printing Co., Ltd.
Successfully increased inquiries from the website by 40% in four months.

These results are the product of high-quality content creation that captures BtoB-specific customer psychology, combined with meticulous SEO optimization.

Strength ③: Supporting In-House Capability Building Through the BtoB Marketing Training Service “Markeburu”

Techro Inc. goes beyond simple operational outsourcing.
To enable clients to independently drive marketing initiatives in the future, the company offers an e-learning service called “Markeburu”, designed to develop BtoB marketing talent.

Through this service, companies can accumulate practical skills internally and aim to bring marketing operations in-house.
With adoption by over 500 companies, Techro demonstrates a long-term commitment to supporting sustainable business growth.

Directorbank Inc.

(Source: Directorbank Inc.)

Directorbank Inc. is a marketing company specializing in web marketing support.

Leveraging its extensive network of professional web marketing talent, the company supports efficiency improvements in web marketing initiatives.

Nyle Inc.

(Source: Nyle Inc.)

Nyle Inc. is a marketing company providing DX (Digital Transformation)–driven marketing support.

By leveraging proprietary SEO technologies, content creation expertise, and know-how in generative AI utilization, the company solves digital marketing challenges.

Nexal Inc.

(Source: Nexal Inc.)

Nexal Inc. is a marketing company engaged in digital marketing research and problem-solving.

By reviewing marketing strategies from the perspective of overall business strategy and aiming for total optimization, the company works to resolve digital marketing challenges.

Principle Co., Ltd.

(Source: Principle Co., Ltd.)

Principle Co., Ltd. is a marketing company with strengths in website traffic growth and SEO optimization.

The company has a consultant team highly knowledgeable in Google Marketing Platform and provides marketing support services such as SEO and web advertising.

LEAPT Inc.

(Source: LEAPT Inc.)

LEAPT Inc. is a marketing company with strong expertise in the BtoB marketing domain.

The company supports lead (prospective customer) acquisition and improves marketing operational efficiency.

Leading Solution Inc.

(Source: Leading Solution Inc.)

Leading Solution Inc. is a digital marketing company specialized in the BtoB domain.

With over 300 clients, primarily listed and mid-sized companies, the firm excels at maximizing digital marketing results from upstream planning stages.

PLAN-B Inc.

With a wide range of services such as BtoB advertising operations and marketing automation (MA) support, the company solves digital marketing challenges.

EXIDEA Inc.

(Source: EXIDEA Inc.)

EXIDEA Inc. is a marketing company that provides comprehensive support from overall marketing design to strategy planning and execution.

Through its consulting service called “Purpose Communication,” which integrates digital marketing and creative solutions, the company resolves complex communication challenges.

EXIDEA supports clients as a partner from upstream strategy design to on-site execution and continuous improvement.

ALUHA Inc.

(Source: ALUHA Inc.)

ALUHA Inc. is a marketing company based in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture.

The company provides integrated support from marketing strategy development to sales support, lead acquisition, and lead nurturing.

Learning from Case Studies | The Line Between Success and Failure When Using Marketing Agencies

When does leveraging a marketing agency lead to success, and when does it fail?
By examining real-world examples, we can identify the turning points that determine which path a company takes.

[Three Successful Cases] Why Results Such as 240% Revenue Growth Were Achieved

Case 1: Lead Acquisition from Owned Media Increased 26–32.5x

Company: BtoB software company
Challenge: Lead acquisition from the website had stagnated.
Actions: Rebuilt keyword strategy by thoroughly analyzing target customer search intent and continuously published high-quality, problem-solving content.
Results: Organic traffic increased by 400%, and lead acquisition grew 26–32.5 times.
Key Success Factor: Focus on deep customer needs rather than superficial keyword tactics, creating synergy between SEO and content marketing.

Case 2: 20% Revenue Increase Through Comprehensive Marketing Review

Company: E-commerce company
Challenge: Declining sales and low customer engagement.
Actions: Fully redesigned the marketing strategy based on data analysis, implementing personalized email campaigns and optimized SNS advertising.
Results: Revenue increased by 20%, and customer engagement improved by 30%.
Key Success Factor: Eliminating inefficient initiatives and reallocating resources to effective measures based on objective data.

Case 3: 240% Revenue Growth Through Digital Marketing Reinforcement

Company: Hirose Reinforced Soil Co., Ltd. (Construction Industry)
Challenge: Reduced new customer touchpoints due to limitations on face-to-face sales during COVID-19.
Actions: Renewed the website, launched web advertising, introduced MA tools, and began full-scale digital marketing including email newsletters and webinars.
Results: Website sessions increased 536%, conversions increased 317%, and revenue grew 240% over two years.
Key Success Factor: Shifting away from traditional sales methods and building a web-driven inquiry generation system.

[Three Failure Cases] Why Results Were Not Achieved — Three Common Causes

Case 1: Mismatch Between Objectives and Tactics

A company outsourced SNS marketing simply because it was trendy, despite its target audience rarely using SNS, resulting in no engagement growth.

Case 2: Misalignment Due to Lack of Communication

An EC company expected content creation from SEO services, while the agency focused on technical optimization, leading to dissatisfaction and contract termination.

Case 3: Loss of Ownership Due to “Complete Delegation”

A BtoB company left everything to the agency without providing internal expertise, resulting in shallow, generic content that failed to generate leads.

Conclusion: Find the Right Partner to Achieve Sustainable Business Growth

This article comprehensively covered digital marketing agencies—from definitions and selection criteria to pricing, recommended companies, and success and failure cases.

Selecting the right digital marketing support company is a critical management decision that can shape the future of your business.
Using this article as a reference, we encourage you to first clarify your company’s challenges and objectives, and then reach out to several companies that catch your interest.
We sincerely hope that you will find the best possible partner and that your business will achieve significant growth.

Please note that Techro Inc. is currently offering a “Digital Marketing Operations Outsourcing Guide” free of charge.

If your company is facing challenges in digital marketing, we highly recommend taking advantage of this resource.

Free owned media management service materials

We offer a comprehensive support menu and track record, from strategy design to production, operation, and performance measurement.

• Explaining how to launch your own media
• Explaining content marketing
• A must-see for those who want to maximize the effectiveness of their owned media
• And more

Techro Inc. CEO Amano

Studied data science at the National University of Singapore and the Indian Institutes of Technology. Founded a startup as a sophomore in university and operated the study-abroad media platform “Koukanryugaku.com” for about a year and a half before selling the business. Later launched a B2B marketing support business, leveraging expertise in content marketing. Specializes in B2B marketing, with deep knowledge of SEO and marketing automation (MA) tools.

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