By Ashlie Discenza
It is no secret that TikTok is revolutionizing the app industry, but what is it doing for marketing and communication? With nearly 1 in 6 people in the U.S. now being a weekly user of TikTok and 52 million daily users, it opens up a very fast and easy way of communicating with a very large audience. Companies from all over the world are creating 15 to 60-second videos to capture the audience’s attention and stand out to promote their brand.
Agriculture is no different. Farmers are turning to TikTok to show the behind-the-scenes of a day on the farm that most people don’t get to see. An article from AgDaily shows six farmers who are using TikTok to address the positives and negatives of being a farmer. For example, Lesley Kelly is using her platform to talk about the mental health crisis among farmers. TikTok has become a way for farmers and those in the agribusiness to showcase their lifestyle, products and make a personal connection with viewers while doing it. Regardless, TikTok is revolutionizing the app industry and it is time for agribusinesses to join!
Here are a few reasons WHY:
Pop culture is going to give you a leg up.
- Incorporating pop culture items such as your favorite song or tv show into content is a great way to spark millions of engagements with your target audience. Taking a creative edge to a new trend can make you stand out among the crowd and in turn, get you millions of views.
The algorithm is your best friend— use it!
- TikTok’s algorithm will select videos based on your interests and put them on your For You Page. This page is specifically tailored to every user based on what they interact with, how long they watch videos and other ways to hone in on your interests. This “For You” page is your best friend as a marketing tool. Using hashtags, tagging certain accounts, and using popular sounds will allow your content to be more accessible to users unfamiliar with your content. That means that if you are posting your content and utilizing hashtags, it will reach new people that have no prior connection to your brand.
Attention spans are depleting.
- The short and to-the-point videos keep the audience engaged. Our brains like instantaneous information, and videos that are short, sweet and to the point is exactly what it wants.
You can leave the filmmaking to Quentin Tarantino.
- Creating content on TikTok is pretty user-friendly. Watching some tutorials and practicing is the best way to familiarize yourself with the platform. Creating content doesn’t need to require a huge production budget.
Advertising on TikTok is easier than ever.
- After signing up for a TikTok business account, you can then begin your advertisements. The campaign level minimum budget is 50 USD per day. Ad group minimum daily budget must exceed 20 USD.
Here are a few ways HOW:
Show some behind the scenes.
- Showing snippets of agricultural jobs on TikTok can help with recruitment, especially with a younger crowd. It’s nice to have an understanding of what a prospective job would look like on a daily basis. It can also be valuable to show the incredible culture of your company.
- Show-and-tell your audience how food impacts consumers and that production agricultural practices protect them. Demonstrate how to make a delicious meal or high-protein snack with time-lapsed video that highlights your grain or meat product. .
- If you produce livestock, show how you care for your animals, highlight how they’re fed for or set a beautiful farm scene to music.
- If you produce grains, demonstrate how you reduce the use of herbicides and pesticides through the 4Rs.
Inspire safety.
- During planting and harvest, set some driver safety tips to music to encourage caution around slow moving vehicles, or share a short rant about the dangers you see as an operator.
- Health concerns such as skin cancer can be serious, but you can create entertaining content with jokes about how to dress to keep your skin safe. This could be humorous, as well as informative. The trick is to find the message you want to get across and put a creative twist on it to stand out to a large audience.
TikTok can be a budget-friendly platform to help you engage with new audiences, and it’s easy to do. Take a step out of your comfort zone and create a TikTok for your business.