It was only recently when Tokyo-based startup ZoooG released the iOS version of Voice, a new social network app that is designed for users to share their voice.
Prior to releasing the iOS beta version of the app, the company also launched its Android beta version in Sept. Plans for marketing expansion are now being laid down with Japan, Taiwan and China as the first target markets on the list.
The Voice app, as the name implies, allows users to post clips using their own voices. They can also follow other Voice app users who they like and can gain their own legion of followers similar to how things are done in Twitter.
The app is free to use and has a Snapchat-inspired way of posting wherein posts are allowed to remain for only 24 hours before they disappear from the service. However, users can opt to save a post either from their own or from their followed accounts so long as they upgrade to a paid service.
ZoooG plans to employ a celebrity endorsement business model in the near future as a way to push for the app's expansion. The immediate goal is to reach app downloads of at least 20,000 in Japan through "word of mouth" from the company's twitcasters and at least 10,000 in Taiwan using a promotional gimmick through Facebook.
In the case of China which has a rather unique market, the company will utilize Bilibili, a popular video uploading site in the country. Partnering with Japanese firms that will handle on-site marketing is also taken into consideration as part of the expansion plan of the company's business.
Chisato Tezuka, founder and CEO of ZoooG, explains his intention in releasing the Voice app in a statement.
"On the Showroom app (provided by DeNA), there are a lot of people twitcasting and broadcasting on the radio, but there wasn't a service that specialized in broadcasting individual's voices to audiences; that's why I made Voice. In China and Taiwan too, there are many people who post voice contents online casually, so I think the demand for this is big."
Following the expansion in China and Taiwan, Tezuka added that a global markets expansion is next in line. This will include countries in southeast Asia such as Indonesia and Malaysia where there is a large population of the youth.
The development team behind Voice is made up of 10 people that include collaborators and app developers. With a couple hundred thousand dollars raised from private investors, the team mulls over a next round of funding in preparation for its planned global expansion.
