#FoodTok: Should Your Brand Be On TikTok?

Every time a new social media platform becomes popular the same question arises: Should I advertise my company on it? And for the most part, the answer is yes. A new platform to communicate directly with your customers is always welcomed. However, since its inception and quick rise in popularity, marketers have had a turbulent relationship with TikTok. With its complicated algorithm and irreverent trends, successfully tapping into the TikTok market has proven to be challenging for a lot of brands.

So as a food & beverage CPG brand, is it worth the undertaking? And the answer is yes, but also no? Over the past 10 years, customers have become increasingly more critical and cautious of traditional advertising techniques. Traditional selling techniques are lost on a lot of shoppers, especially the younger generations that make up a large portion of TikTok’s user base. With that in mind, your social media content strategy may not yield the same results on TikTok as it would on Instagram or Facebook. However, as a food & beverage brand, there are a lot of sub-communities on TikTok worth paying attention. #foodtok is one of the biggest hashtags on the platform. It has become a corner of the app that allows content creators to share recipes, tips and tricks, favorite products, and much more. #foodtok has also been the source of a few of the biggest food trends in the past year – for example, the infamous baked feta pasta and dalgona coffee. And although these trends tend to come and go rather quickly, they speak to a larger shift in the way shoppers interact with food-related content online. TikTok is a great platform for food & beverage brands to understand what shoppers are interested in, and possibly what is the next big food trend.

Below is an infographic that breaks down what businesses should know before launching a TikTok strategy:

Infographic originally posted on FoodDive

Directly advertising on TikTok is not for every brand. For some, it may be a great investment, and for others not. However, occupying a space on the app can give brands an opportunity to join in on  #foodtok trends early on. Monitoring and engaging with users is a great way to position your brand within a subset of content creators who often create the next big food trend. And who knows, maybe that next big trend will be your brand’s big break.

To stay up-to-date with trends and news in the food & beverage industry please follow us on social media: FacebookTwitterInstagram, and LinkedIn – and check some of our previous blogs.