It is becoming increasingly difficult for companies in the skilled trades sector in particular to recruit apprentices. Especially if these companies are located in rural areas, it becomes even more difficult. So how does Böhler Fenster reach young people who are keen to learn a trade in the company?
At TOWA, we have made it our goal to reach teenagers where they not only spend time, but also really feel comfortable. And that inevitably has to happen via social media. But even there, there are suitable and less suitable channels, which is why we first had to make a selection.
Being visible where it makes sense
For Böhler Fenster, we have focussed on Instagram and - most recently - on TikTok, as it has been proven that this is where young people spend the most time, their favourite places and the longest.
However, being visible alone is not enough. Young people should remember what they have seen and - in the best case scenario - apply to Böhler Fenster.
In order to collect as many applications as possible, we focussed on the strengths of each platform and created different video assets for Instagram and TikTok.
Utilising the strengths of the platform
Different videos were created for the two platforms:
For Instagram, we created classic adverts for the stories. These were presented with claims such as "Here you get Windows instead of Apple" in a youthful humour.
On TikTok, we invoked the unwritten rule "Make TikToks not Ads" and humorised classic situations on construction sites and in the workshop and then played these videos as ads with a budget.
The separation of content between the assets of the two platforms took place because it is essential for performance to rely on what works on each platform.
While users on Instagram, for example, do not hold it against the platform and the publishing account if they are addressed with material in ad format and these are also played organically, the rule on TikTok is that pure ads have "no place" on the platform.
The figures speak for themselves
The results on both platforms absolutely confirmed the approach we took when creating the videos.
On Instagram, we reached over 100,000 people with the combination of organic and paid content.
On TikTok, the results were even better: we reached a total of 234,000 people with the videos.
The videos were clicked over 3,300 times and liked a whopping 7,200 times! It is also worth noting when categorising the success of the campaign on TikTok that the majority of users in Vorarlberg were reached thanks to the platform's superbly functioning algorithm - even though it is not yet possible to display ads at a state level. Thanks to countless comments under the videos, the algorithm was able to learn that the videos are particularly relevant for this region and prioritised them there. This all had a positive effect on the reach. Measured by Vorarlberg standards, you could say that this campaign has gone viral!
Our conclusion
The answer to the question of how Böhler Fenster reaches young people has been found. With the ads, we have succeeded in reaching the right target group and being seen by them.
In addition, more applications were registered than before: The number of taster day applications not only increased compared to the previous year, but actually doubled as a result of the campaign. This means that we have also achieved our main objective.
This project shows how important it is to address the target group via the right channels. Even if it seems unconventional at first - new approaches can bring the decisive breakthrough.
Utilise the advantages of social media