Marketing analytics and operations insights
Articles about marketing, products, and how to get the most out of NeX-Ray.
What is Criteo? A Plain-English Guide to Its Meaning, Mechanism, and Use Cases
A practical guide to Criteo, the global dynamic retargeting and commerce media platform. Covers what Criteo is, how the Shopper Graph and AI optimization (bidding, creative, recommendation) work, main products (Customer Reengagement / CDR, Customer Acquisition, Audience Match, Retail Media), benefits and drawbacks, best-fit sites, common implementation pitfalls, and how Criteo fits with Google Ads, Yahoo!, and GA4 in a modern performance marketing stack.
Shusaku Yosa
What is SEO On-Page Optimization? An Easy-to-Understand Guide to Meaning, Mechanics, and Application
A practical guide to SEO on-page optimization (internal SEO): definition, how it differs from off-page and content strategy, the three objectives of crawlability/indexability/usability, a category-by-category implementation guide (HTML tags, site structure, crawl control, structured data, page experience, image optimization), priority sequencing (foundation → mid-term → continuous), and common pitfalls to avoid — written for the AI search era from a web operations perspective.
Shusaku Yosa
What is PageSpeed Insights? Average Score Benchmarks and 7 Ways to Improve It
A practical guide to PageSpeed Insights: the difference between lab data and field data, Core Web Vitals pass thresholds (LCP, INP, CLS), realistic score benchmarks by industry, the relationship with SEO, and seven impact-ordered improvement methods — image optimization, render-blocking resource removal, server response time, JavaScript slimming, CLS suppression, web font optimization, and operationalized measurement.
Shusaku Yosa
What Is Native Advertising? Types, Benefits, and Success Cases
A practitioner's guide to native advertising — covering the IAB definition and three conditions, the six types (in-feed, paid search, recommendation widget, promoted listing, in-ad, custom), benefits and drawbacks, major media (Meta, X, LINE, SmartNews, Outbrain, etc.), success patterns across B2B SaaS, D2C, and large brands, funnel-based KPI design, and how native ads differ from stealth marketing under Japan's Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations.
Shusaku Yosa
How to Create a Whitepaper | Effective Structure and Trade-Show Lead Reactivation
A practical guide to creating whitepapers that drive results — covering goal and target setting, theme selection, the standard structure (cover, problem, solution, case studies, CTA, company info), writing and design execution, LP and form design that lifts download rates, reactivating trade-show leads, distribution channel design, KPI and improvement cycles, and how to decide between in-house and outsourced production.
Shusaku Yosa
How to Plan a Seminar: A Complete Guide with Preparation Checklist
An end-to-end guide to seminar planning and preparation. Covers the four planning steps (goal/KGI-KPIs, target and personas, theme and content design, budget and team), a three-month preparation timeline, day-of operations and post-event follow-up, a phase-by-phase preparation checklist (planning / demand-gen and ops / day-of and post-event), and common pitfalls including goal drift, demand-gen shortfall, and thin follow-up.
Shusaku Yosa
Inside Sales and Marketing Alignment: The Roles of SDRs and BDRs
A practitioner-focused guide to aligning inside sales and marketing — covering SDR (inbound-response) and BDR (outbound new-logo) roles, the division of labor in The Model, the four steps of alignment design (lead stage definitions, hand-off SLAs, data/tooling foundation, shared KPIs), funnel metrics, and common pitfalls including finger-pointing, lead neglect, and content supply gaps.
Shusaku Yosa
CRM vs MA: Differences and Integration for Optimal Lead Management
A practical guide to CRM and MA: their definitions and core capabilities, the differences in purpose, audience, data granularity, and owning team, the relationship to SFA, the four forms of value unlocked by integration (smoother lead handoff, coherent customer experience, accurate ROI evaluation, cross-functional reporting), the four-step path to designing the integration, representative tools (HubSpot, Salesforce + Marketo, domestic MA), and the most common pitfalls — with concrete remedies for each.
Shusaku Yosa
Marketing KPI Design: KGI, KPI Trees, and SMART Indicator Selection
A practical guide to marketing KPI design, covering the relationship between KGI, KPI, and KSF; how to build a KPI tree by decomposing the KGI and expanding along funnel stages; selecting indicators with the SMART framework; representative KPIs from awareness through loyalty (reach, branded search, CVR, CPA, ROAS, LTV, NPS); and common pitfalls like vanity metrics and last-click bias — with concrete remedies.
Shusaku Yosa
What Is a Marketing Funnel? A Guide to AIDA, AISAS, and Other Major Models
A complete guide to the marketing funnel: the basic concept of mapping the customer journey, the three foundational shapes (purchase, influence, double), major buyer behavior models (AIDA, AIDMA, AISAS, AISCEAS, DECAX, SIPS, Dual AISAS, 5A), the B2B funnel, and four steps to put it all into practice.
Shusaku Yosa
10 Ways to Improve Email Open Rates: Subject Lines, Send Timing, and Personalization
10 practical tactics for lifting newsletter open rates, organized around four levers: subject lines (the 4 U's), send timing, personalization, and list management. Covers industry benchmarks, iOS 17 Apple MPP impact, KPI design, and A/B testing workflow.
Shusaku Yosa
What Is Opt-In? Differences from Opt-Out and Legal Considerations for Email Marketing
Learn what opt-in is, how it differs from opt-out, the regulations under Japan's Act on Specified Electronic Mail, the Specified Commercial Transactions Act, and the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, plus display obligations, double opt-in, penalties, and operational tips for email marketers.
Shusaku Yosa