Finding the next generation of NHS staff on TikTok
When NHS Leeds asked us to support their recruitment drive with a social media campaign, we saw a great opportunity to test TikTok ads.
TikTok is known for its addictively fun content that has users losing track of time as they scroll through viral videos. At first, due to its newness and some security concerns, many brands were hesitant to jump on the platform. But a few years down the road, TikTok has matured as an established social media channel. In 2021, it was the most-downloaded app – with over 100 million more downloads than Instagram.
The objective of the recruitment campaign was to drive applications for unqualified roles available within NHS Leeds. A large segment of the target audience was school leavers and other young people looking get out of the part-time gig economy and train for a job with more security and good benefits.
Previously, when reaching out to younger social media users, advertisers would look at Instagram and Instagram stories. But with Gen Z flocking to TikTok, things have changed.
An estimated 24% of TikTok users in the UK are aged between 15 and 25 years old. By comparison, the largest age group on Instagram is aged between 25-34. This made it the perfect platform for us to engage young job seekers in Leeds.
We allocated media spend for video ads across Instagram feed and story placements, alongside TikTok ads. Our expectation was that TikTok and Instagram stories would come in with a similar cost per click.
It wasn’t even close. The TikTok campaign CPC was a massive 77% less than the Instagram story CPC.
When compared to the Instagram feed ads, the TikTok ads performed even better, with an 89% lower CPC.
Lesson learned! Don’t underestimate TikTok advertising. The platform isn’t just a way to view the latest viral dance challenge, it’s a seriously powerful campaign delivery tool for engaging Gen Z.