HOLLAND, Mich. — A West Michigan city is embracing their younger generation of employees and pushing content on a platform to reach a different audience.
Their follower count is currently over 12,000, and their views are in the millions.
The City of Holland has nearly 600,000 likes combined on its posted videos, but the reach is far greater.
Their goal is to make people laugh, while also making them aware of Holland and what it has to offer.
"It has been a great way for us to be able to get our message out to another group of people," said City of Holland's Mayor Nathan Bocks.
The city of Holland's most viewed TikTok is minion-themed from the movie 'Despicable Me'.
@cityofholland He really thought we were going to paint an orange tulip 😭🌷 #MayorBocks #cityofholland #hollandmichigan #minionssquad💫 #despicableme ♬ Minion_lovers - 🦦
"Most of them I look at and go ‘Well, I don't know why this is funny, but you guys know why this is funny’," said Mayor Bocks.
Other people think their videos are funny too. They're not all comedy though. They're also educational.
@cityofholland #stitch with @poweristakennotgiven SNOWMELT! SNOWMELT! ❄️💦💧 #snowmelt #energy #park #holland #cityofholland #bpw #hollandbpw #snow #wethebest ♬ original sound - City of Holland
The TikTok video on their snowmelt system has over 44,000 likes.
"I started following a bunch of other cities on TikTok. It’s actually amazing how many other cities do post, and then I just follow trends and stay up to date with what’s popular," said City of Holland Media Production Specialist Kristin Kirsth.
The account was started by an intern a couple of years ago, but it didn't blow up until the mayor got involved.
They say he has been a good sport about it.
"We’re just trying to, you know, show people what a great place Holland is. This is just a great way to reach an audience that we do not reach on Facebook," said City of Holland Multimedia Specialist Erik Bruskotter.
And seeing the response it has generated, Mayor Bocks is all in on it.
"We're starting to see a whole lot more engagement in things like city council meetings, people who are interested in being on boards, committees and commissions, or just frankly, getting involved in the community, and that's been wonderful — one of the wonderful benefits of this," said Bocks.
Some of our FOX 17 was also featured in one of City of Holland's TikTok videos. Check it out:
@cityofholland Thank you all for the support so far!! #fox17 #interview #tiktok #cityofholland #mayor #mayorbocks #news #broadcast #holland #michigan ♬ Glimpse of Us X His Theme - Lukaε Lucoa
You can view all of their TikTok's on their page by clicking here.
Right now, the city is also looking at hiring an intern to help with the account and its other social media platforms.
Click here for more information or to apply.
