Playful brand engagement is not new on the social scene. For example, we all know Wendy’s has crushed it on Twitter since 2017. Their flexible brand guidelines (or lack thereof) have allowed them to poke fun in ways other brands would never dare. Wendy’s savage strategy has earned them close to 4 million followers and hundreds of published articles about their humorous tweets. Denny’s, MoonPie and Chipotle are others with similar winning Twitter strategies.
But what about new platforms like TikTok? Being video first, how can brands insert themselves into the conversation with the same level of ease? You guessed it… straight to the comments!
Commenting strategies and “tone of voice” are as varied as brands, but there’s an easy way to know when to add your two cents to the conversation.
Embrace the Viral Moments
Have you ever seen a video on TikTok with millions of engagements and thought to yourself “Who cares?!” The answer is: your brand should. Viral content tells us what is top of mind for people of the internet. When brands insert themselves in the conversation, they have an opportunity to become top of mind as well!
Many brands might struggle to fit into a viral conversation because there is no direct link between the trend and the brand’s product or service. But that’s the beauty of TikTok. Brands are given a space to appear just like consumers by sharing personable and humorous commentary.
Take #BamaRush as an example. Do the Pittsburgh Pirates or Sonic inherently align with hundreds of girls rushing sororities in Alabama? No. But they didn’t let that stop them!
@peytonfredericks this is what it looks like when you aren’t a dancer in #rushtok #alabama #bamarush #bamarush2022 #tut #tutmovein #dz #deltazeta #rush2022 #rushtok #rolltide
Not only did Sonic’s comment earn 5X’s more likes than the average video shared from their brand page, they also saw a spike in page followers just days after sharing the comment.
Stand Out in Your Category
If stepping outside your immediate category isn’t a fit for your brand, that doesn’t mean you have to forego the benefits of a commenting strategy on TikTok. With over a million videos being shared each day, brands have an opportunity to filter niche keywords and engage with videos that are highly relevant to the products they sell.
Best in Class
Urban Decay leans into the popularity of the beauty category. They utilize a humorous tone to jump in on conversations around beauty products, techniques, trends and more.
When a TikTok user showed followers how she used an eyeshadow pallet to get out of work, the brand “checked in” with the creator to make sure playing hooky didn’t get her fired. The comment earned over 131K likes, which is almost 1,000X’s more engagement than the brand receives on videos posted to their page.
https://www.tiktok.com/@itsrileygracie/video/7127421452382522667?lang=en&is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=7132051066011567658
Panera Bread looks for indirect mentions of their brand and/or the products they sell. The creator in this video walks viewers through her dupe recipe for Panera’s famous “everything but the kitchen sink” cookie. The creator is making the cookies for her dad, an emergency doctor who had worked 8 days in a row. To show support for the creator and her father, Panera reached out via the comments and sent the family a gift card.
Panera typically earns between 100-300 likes on videos posted on their page—which is significantly less engagement than the 45K likes they received on this comment alone.
@mynameisemmahall Paying my dad back for nonstop grinding to pay for my education with a batch of cookies 🫶🏼.. but they r for real the best cookies of all time so he kinda blessed #ReTokforNature #PostitAffirmations #cookies #levain #kitchensink
Collaborate with Other Brands
Videos that highlight the office culture and what it’s like to work in a brand’s headquarters are popular on TikTok. This type of content can garner strong B2B engagement.
One of Celsius’ top performing videos to date features their office culture and how much fun employees have working for the brand. Not only did the video earn above-average views and likes, but there were also a handful of brands that jumped in to share their appreciation for a fun-filled office environment. Microsoft365, Something Navy, No Good, Saks, Chobani and more appeared in the comment section and earned more engagement than any of the consumer comments.
@celsiusofficial So is CELSIUS a fun place to work at? #CELSIUS #CELSIUSLiveFit #officelife #managersbelike ♬ hotel r a s p u t i n service – veggibeats
Qdoba uses the TikTok platform to roast and/or call out competitive brands. In this video the brands lets McDonald’s know their “specials” are not that special…
@mcdonaldsdid u get all that? download the app in the bio so you do♬ original sound – McDonald’s
Many brands aim to piggyback off the success of popular brand accounts like Scrub Daddy, praised for being one of the most engaging brands on the platform. Brands like Jamba Juice, NASCAR, Burger King, Slim Jim, and many others comment on popular Scrub Daddy videos in attempt to lead potential fans to their individual brand pages.
Yes, It’s for You
TikTok is relatively new, but it won’t be for long. Your brand can still seize this unique opportunity for relevance—translating consumer attention into sales. If you’re ready to engage, just reach out to our CultureTap team to find out how we can help your brand slide into the comment section.
