Image Provided by SymbiSymbi, a herbal wellness direct-to-consumer brand, is leveraging TikTok and Instagram for its content strategy to connect with its consumers and audience.
Since its launch in 2021, Symbi has relied heavily on TikTok for its sales. From 2021 through 2023, TikTok was Symbi’s primary channel, utilized daily to drive business. Over the last six months, with the investment in an ad agency, Symbi has shifted its focus more towards Instagram. While still appreciating the benefits of TikTok, Symbi is working diligently to diversify across a range of social channels. The potential TikTok ban is not a significant concern for Symbi, as the brand is well-prepared for such an event.
Because users interact with content differently on each platform, Symbi’s engagement strategies on Instagram and TikTok are distinctly different. Short videos with text overlays on B-roll footage have been extremely successful on Instagram, capturing audience attention and conveying key messages effectively. In Instagram, users prefer polished, aesthetically pleasing content, which leverages the visual driven nature of the platform.
Symbi’s founder, Lindsay Etemadipour, says that videos of its founder answering questions have increased engagement on TikTok. As a result, users value direct interaction and transparency on TikTok, where it favors authentic, personable content. Symbi builds a sense of community and trust by having team members answer queries.
“One thing that has worked on both apps is videos that tell stories, so those have been fun to make,” said Etemadipour. “We have a large content library that we pull from for all social channels, we just [present the information] depending on the channel preferences.”
The brand targets two primary demographics: those who already drink tea and love it, and those who do not drink tea but are into health and wellness. The brand enjoys converting tea enthusiasts to loose-leaf tea while also introducing loose-leaf tea to health-conscious individuals unfamiliar with it.
Symbi’s content strategy has been tailored to maximize engagement on both platforms by recognizing these differences. In Instagram, the team creates visually compelling and informative short videos, while in TikTok, they create interactive and educational videos. Symbi leverages both social media channels to reach and resonate effectively with its diverse audiences.
Etemadipour launched Symbi in 2021 in response to high demand on social media. Initially, she shared her autoimmune journey and insights on herbalism on her personal Instagram page, noticing significant intrigue. After creating a TikTok, her first few videos went viral, leading to thousands of DMs requesting her tea blends. This overwhelming response prompted Etemadipour to take a leap of faith, bringing Symbi to fruition.
“When I got the idea to start Symbi, there were not a lot of loose-leaf tea options on the market, and there still aren’t,” she said. “I had seen first-hand the power of organic herbal teas in my own autoimmune journey that I knew I could not keep that knowledge to myself.”
Etemadipour stated that experiential marketing will be a significant part of Symbi’s brand strategy for the third and fourth quarters of this year. The focus will be on increasing online workshops and product sampling, and the team is also brainstorming co-branded products with some of their favorite brands.
Having been in the market since 2021, Symbi has grown 100% year over year. In 2023, Symbi grew from a six-figure brand to a seven-figure brand, but it’s not clear how much increased in dollar value the brand had.
