Off-Channel Commenting Breaks Through The Social Clutter
Many brands focus on building relationships with their target audiences on their owned digital channels, like Instagram or TikTok. However, many brands have not considered an increasingly powerful strategy: off-channel community management. This approach drives engagement, creates a new pipeline for building awareness, and can put brands at the center of trending conversations.
Buzzy Gen Z and Millennial brands have been engaging in off-channel community management for a while now by commenting on posts mentioning their brand and viral posts that have nothing to do with the brand’s category or products. Contributing to the comment section of these viral posts that center around what the internet deems entertaining has effectively broken through the algorithms and gained visibility for brands who participate. Specifically on TikTok, because the algorithm pushes videos that generate a lot of comment activity out to more of its audience, a brand commenting on a post gaining momentum has a high probability of appearing on the For You feed of a broader audience. Here are a few brands that have been successful at using this strategy:
Duolingo’s Zeitgiesty Comments
Duolingo, a master at being at the center of the zeitgeist, was one of the first brands to fully embrace an off-channel community strategy. It’s well-known among its young audience that Duo, the brand’s green owl mascot, will comment on viral videos through his “aggressive and unhinged personality, which the brand’s Gen Z audience loves and looks forward to. The brand has used this strategy to cultivate a distinct brand voice that its target audience resonates with, drive brand familiarity, and connect the brand to multiple internet subcultures, which they aren’t able to do through traditional marketing.
E.l.f. Beauty’s Bronzing Drops
Instead of commenting on viral videos, the brand looked at its own comments to inspire an Instagram campaign to launch its highly anticipated bronzing drops. It used several of its audience’s comments begging for its product to create animated content to tease the launch. E.l.f.’s Chief Marketing Officer Kory Marchisotto said “And what I love about what we're doing in this case is we’ve taken the comments of our community, the ones that crack us up ... and are bringing them to life.” Elevating the words of their brand advocates gained the brand high awareness for the product and thousands of engagements on their Instagram channel.
Oatly’s Mission Driven Comments
Commenting at Oatly is focused on “creating unexpected, highly intentional interactions in the comments section.” The brand sees it as a way to build a strong community across digital channels. In an interview, Paula Perez, Social Engagement & Community Growth Specialist mentioned the brand has “really stepped up our outbound comment game this year, especially by showing up in places where we weren't tagged but it ~just made sense~ for us to contribute.” She aims to ensure Oatly is always included in relevant social conversations to reach more people who align with their values and mission.
In our next newsletter, we’ll discuss how brands can cultivate a community and an off-channel strategy through comments.
In The News: Qulture in MSN
Quynh Mai, CEO of Qulture, was interviewed for MSN’s “Is the Dollar Store Dying”. "Moving forward, dollar stores can maintain their relevance by innovating their business models and enhancing their offerings to meet the evolving needs and preferences of their customers. The coming decade will undoubtedly bring changes, but with strategic adjustments, dollar stores have the possibility of playing a vital role in the communities they serve."
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