Cultivating their online presence: How local farms use TikTok to grow business

As important a topic as it is, no one expects the concept of food resilience to trend on social media. So how did a non-profit organisation like Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation (SAFEF) capture thousands of new views on their socials in a short period of time?

The answer lies in their partnership with SpoonX, a Singapore-based marketing agency well-versed in engaging audiences across various social media platforms with compelling content.

With SpoonX’s roots in Shanghai-based creative agency Zaihui, the agency brings its Chinese social media expertise to help Singapore companies elevate their online presence.

Says SpoonX co-founder Xiaojie Li: “We leverage our successful experience in China and adapt it for the Singapore market in terms of TikTok, Instagram, Xiaohongshu and Douyin.”

In the case of SAFEF, the non-profit organisation engaged SpoonX to kickstart its TikTok account (@sg.farmers.market) to raise awareness about its farmers’ market events and other initiatives.

“Our mission is to support local farms, and grow productivity and profitability. Our key outreach is to the public, to educate them as to why they should support local farms,” shares SAFEF chief executive Ken Cheong. 

To do that, SpoonX created content about SAFEF – such as the local farms’ produce and a series of farmers’ market events – in a casual and relatable manner. 

Content produced includes recipe videos on how to cook dishes with fish and vegetables sourced from local farms. These range from featuring a daughter and mother making wonton soup for Mother’s Day to a video guide on preparing Chinese spinach soup at home and a busy professional whipping up a quick one-dish dinner.

“The point was not to just force-feed information about SAFEF's initiatives, but to showcase their products in a way that was accessible and could connect with the everyday Singaporean,” says SpoonX co-founder Chenhao Zhu.

As an official partner of TikTok and Xiaohongshu, SpoonX can offer clients more tailor-fit ideas to grow their online presence on these platforms.

“Our team recently attended TikTok’s partner workshop where we did a deep dive on what the latest platform and partner features are,” shares Mr Zhu. “Through this, we can create even more impactful campaigns for our clients.”

Besides SAFEF, SpoonX has also worked with brands such as Putien, Marina Bay Sands, R&B Tea and Meijian Plum Wine.

SpoonX was created to be an all-in-one solution to serve the needs of smaller-sized organisations and companies struggling to build online traffic and have no experience in attracting customers online, shares Mr Zhu. 

The marketing agency’s services include conceptualising social media strategies, planning, creating content and reporting results.

In 2022, SpoonX’s parent company Zaihui entered the Singapore market under the Economic Development Board’s Tech@SG programme. The company’s expansion coincided with the popularity of Chinese social media apps like TikTok and Xiaohongshu in South-east Asia, making it an opportune time to establish its presence here.

SpoonX also specialises in influencer marketing. This proved helpful with SAFEF, when the agency curated ambassadors who could bring awareness to the farmers’ market events. 

“SpoonX was able to recommend a whole suite of influencers to tell slightly different parts of the story,” notes Mr Cheong. 

The marketing agency engaged influencers to share with followers their experiences visiting the farmers’ market events and the vegetables and fish that people can buy from local farms. 

The videos produced by SpoonX generated a great deal of interest, translating into a “clear rise in engagement” in terms of post likes and page follows. “Results were almost immediate,” Mr Cheong shares.

Since SAFEF’s first TikTok post in February 2024, it has gained over 4,300 followers and more than 7,000 post likes.

“From our analysis, SpoonX aligned with what we wanted to do and was quite forward-looking. In our working experience, they are helping us think beyond our needs,” shares Mr Cheong, who says the agency has been easy to work with from the start.

While Mr Zhu is confident of the service offerings and technical know-how SpoonX brings to the Singapore market, he is most proud of the people who drive the business.

“Our greatest strength would be the people. We employ both Singaporeans and Chinese expats, and they’re all highly-motivated. Having the right people and building the right team makes all the difference when it comes to successfully bringing in new clients,” he says.

Mr Zhu, who recently won the Gold Award for the Future Leader category of The Drum Awards Marketing APAC, believes SpoonX’s ability to constantly evolve and keep tabs on trends is a great asset. 

“We are always looking at the next big wave to ride to develop products and services to better service clients,” he says. “We are able to quickly adapt our services based on what’s changing in the market.”

Mr Zhu adds, “Our philosophy has always been to equip and empower brands and businesses with a means to do things better, and increase their online visibility and customers more easily.”