Posted on by Appaloosa

What if we told you that the answer wasn’t so simple and that it wasn’t limited to “TikTok is for young people” or “TikTok isn’t serious”?

TikTok is increasingly becoming the go-to platform for young people. And the question that keeps coming back to communication managers is: should we take the plunge? Is TikTok really the new Eldorado for communicating effectively with the agricultural sector ?

A growing, young, female network

The Agrinautes 2022 study showed that only 7.7% of farmers were present on TikTok. But let’s look beyond that figure: in 2020, farmers were absent from TikTok. So the growth is very interesting, and it’s worth taking an interest in this trend. Let’s move away from the agricultural prism and take a more global view. 21.4 million French people use TikTok every month. 70% of these users are over 18 and 66.4% are women, compared with just 33.6% of men. So we have a target that is quite different from that reached by other networks, with a potential that is starting to look interesting and deserves to be explored further in the “TikTok or not TikTok” debate.

But what is TikTok?

TikTok is a social network (another yes…) based on sharing short vertical videos and images. The application has grown rapidly thanks to its powerful algorithm, which displays content according to the user’s preferences. This very precise (and almost frightening, because it’s so good) targeting is an asset for a company that wants to reach an audience with very specific interests. In this case, it is possible for a company to communicate directly with farmers and future farmers, but also with the entire sector, such as advisers and sales staff. Another advantage of this network? Its high engagement rate: 8.5% for TikTok, compared with “only” 2.6% for LinkedIn, 1.9% for Instagram and 0.07% for Facebook! Likes, comments and shares are much more frequent than on other platforms.

You have a place on the platform

TikTok is all about authenticity and proximity: focus on content that resonates with farmers, their daily lives and their realities. Many influencers produce content and find an audience, so your audience is there too!

Here are some examples of accounts whose content is worth analysing:

– L’arsouillerie(@larsouillerie) describes himself as an agricultural traveller. This son of a farmer and former farm driver chose to travel to discover and share the diversity of the farming world. He shares many of the farming techniques and practices he encountered on his travels. The content is both educational and entertaining, based on first-hand accounts from farmers he has met along the way.

– Conseil en agriculture(@conseilenagriculture) is a company that provides advice to livestock farmers. Their short videos provide educational content on a targeted subject. Note the high rate of engagement thanks to the likes and, above all, the comments to which the company responds. The team has positioned itself as a true expert on livestock farming!

– Let’s take a look abroad at a bigger company: CLAAS. Machinery is a big hit on this network, and Germany has decided to launch its own channel(@claas_deutschland). The channel features a wide variety of content, from entertaining chestnuts to more corporate content with elegant, well-crafted images. Finally, the video interviews provide educational content that is particularly appreciated by viewers.

Getting started on TikTok

TikTok is still a young network, like its audience. But it continues to grow and attract new audiences. Its major advantage is its algorithm, which gives all accounts the opportunity to break through without having to make a financial commitment. That’s how Facebook started out, before evolving towards ‘Pay for View’. TikTok will most likely evolve in the same direction. That’s one of the reasons why it’s so important to get started early and build your community before that happens. Faced with the decline of Facebook and its ageing population, it may make sense in your marketing strategy to take on a new network, and TikTok could be the Eldorado you’ve been hoping for.

With appropriate content

But how do you get started? Well, as with other social networks, start with your strategy! The objective, the KPIs, the personas, the tone, the themes… The strategy can vary from other platforms, with a different tone in particular. But don’t lose your identity either. We can help you build your strategy and content. Because that’s the key to TikTok: offering content that’s adapted to and based on the video format. We recommend associating one or more faces with your brand to gain authenticity and win over your audience. The other option is to rely entirely on the use of trends, as Décathlon has always been a pioneer on social networks. Their @decathlon_quechua account is a perfect example of how to use the platform’s trends to talk about their products. Décathlon relies on a team that is different from other social networks, with a different strategy for responding to TikTok’s codes. The use of hashtags and music will be key to being seen. Your creativity and the quality of your message will make all the difference in getting noticed.

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