In the early 2010s there were more than a dozen fairly prominent social media sites and many more insignificant ones. It seemed every month some new site was touted as the next big thing. It was tough for business owners to know which platforms their company should dip their toes into, and which were just flash-in-the-pan noise. (See: Google+, Yik Yak, Vine)
Those irrelevant sites all went the way of the dodo, but even though YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn have withstood the test of time, TikTok is also in for the long haul. The future is here, and it’s video.
Kieran Wood is the content creator and mastermind behind Drillage Time, a social media company that’s opening the world of mining and exploration to a whole new audience. His goal is to reach the 4 billion-strong world through video marketing channels to re-engage millennials and younger with the mining industry.
And he’s doing it.
If you’ve followed us for long, you know we see a big opportunity in the younger generations to solve the skill shortage in the mining and resource industry. We worked with Drillage Time on a video campaign to see how to reach younger generations through our social channels best. Here’s what we found.
The campaign we ran with Drillage Time received more than 52,000 views across three channels, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
On TikTok, the age demographic was markedly young:
- 37% 18-24
- 28% 25-34
- 17% 35-44
- 17% 45-55+
While we expected strong numbers at the younger end of the spectrum, you might be surprised, as we were, that we reached all age groups on the newest platform.
The TikTok posts garnered more than 23,500 views and 2,040 engagements, meaning the posts were liked, viewed, saved, commented upon or shared. YouTube is responsible for 4,800 of the 52,000 views, and Instagram for 23,700 views. Clearly, TikTok is a viable platform across the board.
Drillage Time was able to help us reach high school, undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students, along with young working adults. It also engaged people who’ve been in the industry for 10+ years, more mature investors and even people who retired from the industry.
Your future employees and investors are skewing younger every day, and businesses that ignore video platforms and their billions of users, do so to their own detriment.
I’ve talked at length about the mining talent bathtub we’re in right now. Baby boomers, with their decades of mining knowledge, are nearly all retired, and fewer new resource employees are entering the field. Showcasing the industry’s benefits to those still in high, middle or elementary school can go a long way toward piquing interest and perhaps driving career interest in the years that come.
At MRC we’ve found success with short, fast-paced videos that convey a single message completely yet quickly and our campaign with Drillage Time proves that social media gives companies the ability to share their story and their value proposition to the entire world.
If your company wants to be part of the future (and shouldn’t we all?) and feels it isn’t connecting with the under 35’s for education, recruitment, investing or brand awareness, working with partners to reach new online audiences is paramount.
Check out these two clips about life without mining and . While these videos were professionally done by Drillage Time, it’s easier than ever to stay connected with the vast video audience.
A concise, well-thought-out message and any smartphone can produce sharp, polished video messages. Check out the video we did on LinkedIn about keeping up with the mining industry.
Pair a short video like that with appropriate hashtags and your company can drill down to audiences you haven’t reached through your current marketing.
While TikTok and YouTube aren’t the only short-take video platforms (Instagram and Facebook Stories and Reels act much the same as TikTok), it’s clearly one of the largest. Reaching more people to hire, more people who invest and more people with accurate knowledge of your company always reaps benefits. Video platforms aren’t just for kids. They are full of intellectuals, workers, investors, and people who want to be entertained and learn in a visual manner.
We agree with Drillage Time. If companies aren’t using these platforms or working with partners like MRC who understand how to leverage them, they’re missing out on critical opportunities.
You can find Drillage Time on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. Connect with Kieran Wood.
If you’re looking to hire your next team member, MRC can help connect with us.