Winning on TikTok with Oli Hills

We’re speaking with Oli Hills, CEO of Nonsensical, the agency that helps clients  win on TikTok. Having taken over Updates Media Ltd in 2017 after a career in investment management, he evolved it into Nonsensical just as the pandemic hit and TikTok rocketed. In this episode we talk about how to get the right strategic approach for the platform to better engage youth audiences, how to avoid doing it badly and who’s doing it really well. It’s packed full of tips and advice!

You can find out about Nonsensical here and connect with Oli on LinkedIn here and Twitter (X) here plus the Nonsensical blog which is worth a read. 

Things we talk about

Approach to organic strategy and having multiple accounts for different audiences

• Gymshark men and women accounts on TikTok
• Duolingo region specific accounts UK and France for example
• The Works on books and Oli discussses how they could split this out to books and parents

Paid ads approach and finding the right kind of content your audience might be engaging with

• Mukbangs
• Restaurant reviews and tours

Other accounts we mention

• Urban Tandoor Bristol – the restaurant who have amassed over 10m likes through their parody songs
• Duolingo and Ryanair may not need TikTok but they are brands who land their tone of voice well
• Sheer Luxe; digital fashion and lifestyle publication whose team operate as influencers within the content
• Luxe Collective: luxury fashion buying second hand. Interviews with owners, provides a depth of content as well as the shopping option
• RSPB: and how their Bird of the Week is a fun, platform relevant way to engage Gen Z with bird info.

Attribution and it’s challenges with TikTok

• Attribution tools like Fospha
• Post purchase/engagement surveys

Three top tips for winning on TikTok

• Organic: define your biggest audience that has something in common and focus on creating content on just that audience.
• Creative: really thing about being native, authentic, genuine and looks/feels like TikTok
• Repeatable, scalable style of content that you can repeat

Recommendations

• TikTok for Business on LinkedIn
• Disney’s Creativity Inc book