An Out of This World Idea
There are a few food and beverage TikTok accounts that have jumped out at me in my 18 months on the 'Tok. My favorite, so far, has been Mars' LifeAtMars account.
Whoever is behind this account deserves a raise. It not only offers some light-hearted and relatable funnies (I see you emotional support water bottle), but it also gives people outside of the food and beverage industry a glimpse of what working at a food company is like.
I've been in my job for well over a decade and I'm still learning about who does what in different parts of the plant. Getting to see brief videos where a plant engineer or a QA specialist takes me on a 'day-in-the-life' gives me a better idea of what they deal with every day. It also has the added benefit of humanizing the people behind products we all know and love.
Another example is the food and beverage-adjacent brand Xena Workwear. Their account walks you through their functional work apparel by showing people actually working in their product. They also answer questions and comments people often hear while on the job. They take a topic -- workwear -- and remind you that these boots may be for walking and working, but there's a real person standing in those boots that can answer a lot of industry-related questions for curious lurkers.
I don't know if the decision-makers and power players in most food and beverage companies know how integral this kind of social media existence is to their future successes. Judging by how often I hear people older than I am talk about social media, I imagine many of them scoff at the idea of putting their companies on social media at the risk of exposing themselves.
It feels like a sizable generational divide.
The Sweet Spot of Social Media
If the scoffing is true, then that's a real shame. From my point of view -- and many more people far younger than I am -- companies should take this 'the real us' kind of approach to social media, in particular being on TikTok.
I'm not sure if you've heard, but GenZ is information-hungry. They do want to see how the sausage (or candy) is made and they want to help figure out the best way to formulate it, too. They may not know how to write the perfect cursive Q, but they definitely know what they're willing to accept -- or not -- when it comes to their favorite food and beverage brands. Don't even get me started on their activist tendencies.
This younger generation is a real powerhouse and they love TikTok. You want to find an untapped talent market? Get on TikTok and start talking more about the jobs in your plant and who does what and how one might go about getting into that line of work. Start showing how diverse your workforce is. Show the moms, the dads, the dog parents, the cat-lovers, the childless and how they've adapted to life in this corona world.
Younger generations aren't going to stop 'consuming' TikToks on their lunchbreak anytime soon, so stop trying to beat the system. Join it.
Erin Hallstrom is the resident geek and Swiss Army Knife of FoodProcessing.com and the author of our Working Wit blog, she's responsible for the digital strategy for FoodProcessing.com including posting content, managing social media, and analyzing reader data. She's a Toastmaster, a Black Belt in Karate, and an improv performer. Erin is the creator and founder of the Influential Women in Food program, the creator, host, and producer of our Food For Thought podcast. Give her a shout-out or get in touch with her via email.