Ronja Dornfeld is the founder of Clipvert, an innovative brand that helps companies to position themselves as an employer brand on TikTok and reach the young target group in particular. With up to 80 million monthly views, Clipvert has established itself as the leading TikTok service provider and supports companies in attracting new talent with authentic and entertaining videos.

Znapp: You are super successful with your own content on TikTok. How do you see the role of TikTok for companies? What goals can be achieved with it?

Ronja: I see TikTok as very important for companies, especially in the area of recruitment and employer branding. If you look at the statistics, you can see that almost a third of TikTok users are actively looking for a job, which in turn offers an incredible opportunity for companies. We also need to be aware that recruitment has simply changed in terms of quality in recent years. People no longer look at so many out-of-home campaigns or advertisements on LinkedIn, but want to be fed directly by their new social media algorithms in terms of suitable job offers. When looking for trainees in particular, it is easy to see how companies are talking past their target group. While almost three quarters of the companies surveyed still advertise their vacancies on Facebook, trainees are hardly represented on the platform and are more likely to search for apprenticeships on TikTok. However, not even 4% of companies advertise there.

Znapp: A very nice misunderstanding. But TikTok is known for its creative and spontaneous content, and traditional companies often can't keep up. What do you recommend to them?

Ronja: TikTok is all about so-called “relatability”, i.e. proximity and low thresholds. Nobody is interested in glossy videos that are scripted months in advance and have long since been overtaken by the next trend. On Tiktok, it is therefore important to be fast and deliver entertaining content that is both company-specific and fits into the respective niche of the target group. You can also place individual videos as paid campaigns - the important thing is that you present yourself on the platform as a creator and not as a brand.

Znapp: Yes, you often see the glossy videos that everyone immediately swipes on. What other no-gos are there on TikTok when looking for employees?

Ronja: What doesn't work at all is for a company to simply put its career website and intranet on TikTok. Nobody is interested in that and it is directly punished with little to no engagement. Even generic content with boring stock images and a perfectly staged work environment tends to be labeled as “cringe” on the platform, i.e. colloquially unpleasant.

Znapp: How can interested companies better approach TikTok? What should they show to attract potential applicants?

Ronja: Companies should try to present themselves realistically, especially with a pinch of self-irony you can get a lot of views on TikTok. They should not present themselves as particularly perfect employers, but as realistic employers. “Friendly and open-minded team colleagues”, “Performance-related pay”? All empty phrases that belong on LinkedIn or Stepstone. Companies need to show content that sets them apart from others. For example, an ice cream chest in the office, or a team outing to Karl's strawberry farm. New employees are recruited on TikTok with authenticity - and you can even admit that some things might not work out so well at the office.

Znapp: You and your team offer a range of services for companies around TikTok. Can you tell us something about them? For example, what are the first steps and how do you go about providing support?

Ronja: With our full-service offering, we take care of the entire process for companies that want to be successful on TikTok. This means that we take care of the entire strategy development, from content planning to concrete implementation. We work closely with the company's employees to create authentic videos that fit the brand and TikTok. This also includes post-production, i.e. editing the videos, uploading them to the platform and managing the community to ensure that there is continuous interaction. And we offer workshops for companies that want to get started. How does TikTok work? What content is successful? How do you speak the language of the platform? This way, companies can either get started themselves or get further support from us.

Znapp: Thank you very much, Ronja, for taking the time to give us these exciting insights. Your tips and experiences are super valuable and we are delighted that you have shared some of your knowledge with us.

For all those who would like to know more now and get advice from Ronja and her team, please have a look here on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@rodo.office

or on the website https://www.clipvert.de/