Turning TikTok Into Traffic
By
Stephen Schrutt, Founder & CEO of Hunger Thirst Group
TikTok, known for its bizarrely entertaining short videos and challenges, has rapidly become the world’s most popular social media app. So, when MGH released its national survey of TikTok users in October, the results were often stunning.
For example, the survey found that more than half (53%) of users between the ages of 26 and 41 said they ordered from a restaurant after seeing a video about it on TikTok. If you’re counting, that’s roughly 52 million hungry people. A Google executive backed up MGH’s data, telling a conference audience that about 40% of its young users now go to TikTok or Instagram when deciding where to go for lunch.
Why? As one 25-year old Angeleno told The New York Times in October, on TikTok “you see how the person actually felt about where they ate.”
The Times went on to declare TikTok the new Google for Gen Z, and the new Yelp! for Millennials. If you are in the restaurant business, it would be hard to underestimate the importance of the former. Gen Z, which is composed of those born between 1997 and 2012, is now the largest generation on earth, with 69 million members in the United States alone. And its affinity for certain foods, like Crumbl Cookies (6.2 million TikTok followers) is creating overnight success stories in an industry that typically has to build up trust one plate at a time.
So, how does one turn TikTok into traffic? It’s complicated.
On TikTok, review-style short videos showcase the customer’s exact experience through their own lens. Because the audience trusts the influencer-reviewer, and because of the power of a real-time video, these TikToks are far more powerful than a written review by a critic. They should arouse a lot of interest in your establishment, but if you’re not prepared, TikToks can also have the opposite effect.
Keep in mind that Gen Z has an extremely short attention span, estimated at just eight seconds (Millennials, by comparison, clock in at 12 seconds). This explains the popularity of TikTok, but it also means that you’ll have to make an impression very quickly. Thankfully, Gen Zers love food, but they are particularly focused on trends and experiences. They live for concepts that are unique and memorable in every conceivable way, so make sure that if an influencer shows up at your establishment, you deliver.
For example, Gen-Z loves to travel, so it would be amazing for them to feel like they’re enjoying authentic Cacio e Pepe in Italy while they’re still in their hometown. While you can’t cater to all five senses, your restaurant should at least have visual cues that let their imagination run wild. And even though they are young, Gen Zers can get nostalgic about certain products, decor, and even words.
Your Gen Z guests, influencers or otherwise, will document all of this on TikTok. If something doesn’t align or is falsely promoted, they will be the first to call it out, and loudly. Anything hyped up can quickly — and publicly — be dismissed as overrated. It is important to see your restaurant from their lens; otherwise, your brand may be out of alignment.
One thing that should definitely come through is your passion and love for the business. While restaurant life is about the grind – and customers are typically more likely to share negative experiences – TikTokers actually want to show off, and maybe even make their followers a little jealous of their fabulous lives. So, while you can never control everything, you can guarantee everyone a good time, even virtually. What their audience should see is an escape, not a reality show.
