TikTokAs part of our SMB (small and medium business) spotlight series we spoke to @HUHClothing, an Irish clothing company raising awareness surrounding mental health (HUH is an acronym that stands for "How's Ur Head,"). Founded by Co.Meath-based creator Mark Donnelly, the company's goal is to promote open conversations about mental health through his HUH-branded clothing line. Through the ADvance programme, Mark wanted to reach more people and generate business leads, especially in the corporate space. During his time in the programme, HUH followers increased by 10% and generated multiple leads - so much so that Mark could not keep up with the demand! Let's hear what Mark himself on his experience and journey of posting his business on TikTok
Q: What first inspired you to start posting on TikTok?
A: It was in March 2020, during the lockdown and I was living in the United States. I was between jobs and my current employer was keeping me there until July, but I knew I wanted to do something about mental health. So I had this idea. It was a mixture of boredom, curiosity, my interests, and my ability not to stay concentrated on something for too long but also loving short-form content. I downloaded TikTok and I made a video instantly just to see how to work the platform. I knew that if I could get the attention of people with really short and sweet content like short-form videos, the business could be successful. So I decided to take it from there and see what could happen. So basically, my curiosity for the app, then my drive to start a business inspired me to start posting on TikTok.
Q: When it comes to promoting your business on TikTok, what do you think works and what do you feel doesn't work as well?
A: What works for me is the storytelling and the documentation of my brand. When I tried to promote sales, it didn't work. When I try to go out with a blank piece of paper and say right lads, let's create some content, it doesn't work. I have tried to make the next Steven Spielberg, a well-edited, really well-created video, an absolute cinematic masterpiece! They never work. So it has to be very user-generated and has to be very relatable. So it's more storytelling documentation than anything.
Relatability and humour are also big ones for me. You have to make it relatable and funny because when I talk about my own mental health, whether that's anxiety or OCD, people put their barriers up when you start getting really serious, so you have to make it relatable and funny so people feel they can trust you.
Using TikTok live in 2021 and 2022 was absolutely insane. I would go live packing orders and it was just a domino effect of people coming on the live. Customers want to see their orders being packed. I swear to God, there were days when I would have zero sales, go live on TikTok and the next thing I’d have thousands of euros rolling in, it was absolutely transformational. Obviously, working trends into my brand is a big thing too. You can't just jump on every trend.
Q: How has your presence on TikTok supported your business, or grown your community in real life?
A: I wouldn't have a business without TikTok. I really wouldn't. There were various stages where if I didn't post on TikTok, I wouldn't sell a single hoodie. Off the back of TikTok, and some viral videos, I've been on RTE Radio One, I've been in every newspaper I can think of and I've gotten massive orders. You would think these corporate people aren't on TikTok, like the decision-makers in the largest construction companies in the world. I got my largest order last March from a guy who said ‘I’ve seen your TikTok’ and it was a massive order and I was kind of like whoah. We've gained so many consumer customers directly from TikTok. One of the major things that changed the whole business was collaborating with Mini Cooper and BMW. One of their interns saw my TikTok and brought it to their manager and the next thing I was a sponsored brand ambassador and they sent me a car, so that was one of the major wins as well.
Q: Can you share a memorable moment that has directly resulted from your presence on TikTok?
A: I have two. One of them was a young girl in County Kerry, who saw me on TikTok. She hand-wrote a letter to my office asking if and how she could buy some clothes, because she doesn't have a debit card. She also started telling me her story of the mental health she had suffered with. It was really affecting her because she was very sporty and she was having really poor mental health. As her physical health was fine, a lot of people disregarded it. So many young girls go through this, so it really hit home. I remember bringing the letter home and telling my parents and I started crying immediately. I decided to get in touch with her mam and I said 'Hey listen, I'm not charging her for these products". I'm going to drive down to Kerry, which is a four-hour drive and can deliver the clothes to her in person. We drove down four hours into the kitchen of their home and we chatted for about three hours with the girl and her mam. That moment was really emotional for me too. It was off the back of TikTok that this young girl reached out to me and why she reached out. Because of TikTok, I’m in a random kitchen in Kerry but having such a massive impact. I still remember it to this day. Her mam would still often email me to see how I was doing.
Then the other one was last year, when I was in the car in Dublin at a farmers market and there was a note on the windshield from a person walking by saying I’m a customer and keep up the good work on TikTok. This person had torn off a piece of their shopping bag paper and written on it to say ‘I love your TikTok keep doing what you're doing’ and left it under my windshield wiper. I got back to the car thinking I had a parking ticket. When I got closer, I saw what it was and thought it was so nice someone took the time out of their day to do that. They enjoyed my TikTok, they bought my clothes and left me this sweet note on my car. There are loads more but they’re two that stand out!
Q: What has been your highlight of the ADvance programme and what impact have you seen advertising having on your company or for your company?
A: I was a bit kind of all over the place at the time, slow to get back to people and not valuing my time. I was thinking to myself, Mark come on, really. It was just a really tough time professionally and personally for me. The ADvance programme was needed more than ever. Without the support of the programme, I don't know how well I would have coped going into the rest of the year.
Q: What is your favourite TikTok you have made and why?
A: It happens to be one that didn’t even end up being that popular, but they’re usually my favourites! We were doing random acts of kindness and I was driving to Dublin City. The car in front of me had a sticker on it saying ‘practice random acts of kindness’. I rolled the camera, I put on the mic, I got out at a red light and ran up to the window. I told them I saw the random act of kindness sticker on their car and I wanted to give them a present. It was what we’d been doing all morning. It was a really cool, wholesome interaction. I wouldn’t really say I’m into manifesting, the work you put in is the work you get out and things do align. I posted on TikTok and it was great.
Q: What advice would you give to other SMBs who want to start out on TikTok?
A: Avoid the hard sell. If you are any sort of product or service-based company, you need to tell the story of what you do and why you do it and not say here's the cost of X, Y, Z. Start with yourself. Look inward first and say, why am I doing this? Why am I starting a sauna company for example, because I struggled with my own inner mental health and saunas and ice baths are good for you. There's the whole story behind it. I'm really into the whole storytelling, behind the brand, not the hard sell. I think what really worked for me, and to this day I see it on my for you page the whole time, is working with creators that are applicable and aligned to your mission and message. So don’t just give a jumper to anyone and pay them to share it. No, that doesn't work. You need to narrow down who has a similar belief and who is promoting the same sort of stuff. I've sent off products to people with a million followers, I've sent off to people with 5000 followers and it's gotten more feedback and results from the creator with 5000 followers.
I also would say from the beginning, post daily to see what works. So just keep doing trial and error, trial and error, because that's the only way you find out - storytelling works, user-generated content works, this creator works. Leave the 'Keep up with the Joneses' behind you and don't worry about what people are chasing because a lot of people might see what you’ve uploaded and love it! The algorithm has that domino effect, and it will push it out to more people who are similar to the people who are interacting, and that's how you build your community.
Q: Are there any other Irish businesses on your For You page that you want to give a shout-out to that you like seeing?
A: The greatest of all time, @helen.drumm from Sound Quality Gifts. Her content is absolute gold. @theheadplan is a diary and journal company in Ireland I bought a journal from them last year and they’re doing great. Also, @burkesbus comes up a lot.
To read more about HUH Clothing's participation in the TikTok ADvanced Programme, please see here.
*The TikTok ADvance programme launched as a pilot in Summer of 2023 The goal of the programme, which ran from August-December 2023, was to learn more about, and support the SMB TikTok community in Ireland.
For more information on how to get started with TikTok Advertising, please visit TikTok For Business
