Shirley's and Social Media

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Photo by Mikhail Nilov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-shot-of-caramel-popcorn-7676079/

Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn Co. is a small, family owned popcorn business located in Bluffton, Ohio. Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn Co. is named after a beloved employee of Shannon Theatre, a movie theater that is next door to Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn Co. She was known around town due to her popularity at the theater, therefore becoming the namesake of Shirley’s (Shirley's Popcorn, 2021). Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn started in Bluffton, but has since grown to Indiana and Virginia.

Watch this video to learn more about Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn.

There are many reasons as to why small businesses, especially ones as unique as Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn, should embrace social media. Social media helps businesses reach consumers both near and far. Having a unique business tends to grab the attention of consumers, as it is not the “norm” for products being sold. Embracing social media can help get their unique product in the hands of those who many not have had it before.

Currently, Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn has a website, Facebook page, and Instagram page. Consumers are able to order popcorn and have it shipped nationally directly from their website. Their Facebook and Instagram pages seem successful and have frequent posts, but I think they would thrive if they tapped into the TikTok audience. TikTok is used by many businesses, and many businesses have been able to “go viral” and grow their business solely through TikTok. Tapping into other social media users and potential consumers could help Shirley’s grow their business even more.

Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-black-android-smartphone-5081930/

There are several benefits to using TikTok to help grow brand awareness. See below (Rohr, 2021).  

  •        Increased brand visibility
  •       Engaging with younger audiences
  •        Prime opportunity to build brand personality
  •       Affordable media campaigns
  •       Local to global reach

You can find more reasons to use TikTok for business here.

Posting on social media could be a challenge of its own. However, there are some simple guidelines as to how often a business should post on TikTok. TikTok recommends that businesses post 1 to 4 times per day, but it has been found that most brands post two videos per week on average (Hill, 2022). Posting less often puts less pressure on social media managers in businesses, especially small ones like Shirley's Gourmet Popcorn. 

Shirley's has many opportunities to post on TikTok and different types of content. For example, they could post a "behind the scenes" videos about how their popcorn is made and how they decide on flavors. They could also post videos with trending sounds to gain a more favorable chance to show up on more "for you" pages. 

If you were the owner of a unique small business, which platforms would you choose? What would you post? 

References

Shirley’s Popcorn. (2021). Shirley’s Popcorn. https://www.shirleyspopcorn.com/pages/story

‌Rohr, J. (2021, April 8). 7 Reasons You Should be Using TikTok for Business. Ignite Visibility. https://ignitevisibility.com/7-reasons-you-should-be-using-tiktok-for-business/

‌Hill, C. (2022, August 25). How often to post on social media. Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/how-often-to-post-on-social-media/

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