THIS IS NOT YOUR GRANDMA’S CLOCK SOUND
Let’s talk TikTok. While Facebook and Instagram have long held the marketing mantle of How To Connect With Your Customers, the new kid in town doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. That new kid? TikTok. Now, if you’re under 35 (give or take), you’re probably thinking, “Huh? TikTok isn’t new…” But, if you’re old enough to feel like you’re just getting used to whatever an Instagram “story” is…welcome. This post is for you.
What’s TikTok? TikTok is a social media platform that hosts short-form videos. And, while TikTok has recently bumped its video-length time limit to 10 minutes (going from 15 seconds, to one minute, to three minutes before expanding to 10), the most beloved video clips often max out around 20 seconds. And what does any of this have to do with those of us in the produce biz? Well, lots actually. You see, while TikTok quickly became something of a kingmaker when it comes to beauty, clothing, and lifestyle brands (“TikTok made me buy it” has become such a thing, Amazon has an ongoing curated list of these popular items), it also has the ability to set cooking, crafting, and other DIY trends on complete and total fire. And once that fire catches, everyone’s talking about it, and even old folks’ social media (i.e., the news) picks up the story (see photo at the bottom of this post).
We may be biased, but one of the TikTok trends we’re most excited about is deviled strawberries. Originally posted in February by TikTok user @cookiterica, this clip “caught” and has been shown on Good Morning America and hailed as the summer dessert by multiple media outlets as recently as this past week. You can watch the (very) short video here.
Yum, right? We can just imagine how absolutely perfect this recipe would taste with Well•Pict Berries strawberries as the star ingredient. And while we haven’t verified this specifically, we’re pretty sure TikTok’s foodie tastemaker status doesn’t end with berries. TikTok provides a great opportunity to connect with your customers…hop on the #tiktokmademecookit train with your own short-form videos, or repost trending content and watch as the views rack up! Feeling bold? Try using the “duet” feature to create a video alongside an existing one (e.g. trying a recipe as the other video explains it or simply reacting to something interesting or surprising).
If you haven’t tried it out yet, we hope you enjoy your foray into TikTokery. And if you want more tips, tricks, and ideas for connecting with your shoppers on social media in general, don’t forget to take a peek at our Digital Retailer Kit!