Reviewed by: Selah Vetter
How Oneonta Mayor impressively gained 117.5K followers on TikTok
TikTok has become the number one social media for many young people and the mayor of Oneonta has hopped on the fyp (for you page) for many users. The account @CityofOneonta, a small town north of Birmingham, has garnered over 117.5K followers with 1.9M likes. Read more to find out how they managed this.
The first viral hit
Back on March 29, 2021, the City of Oneonta hit millions of views with their post captioned “Mayor shenanigans.” In this hilarious video, Mayor Richard Phillips brings humorous energy by pranking some of the departments. My personal fave is Charles’s —Chef of Police—reaction when asked “do we have a tank I can drive?” The chef simply asked in a softly concerned voice:
“a tank?”
Since then, the City of Oneonta has had hit after hit where the mayor continues to prank the office. You’d be surprised how many of his coworkers still fall for the jokes.
How did they do it?
Mayor Richard Phillips wanted to create a social media platform that was fun and engaging, so decided to simply have fun with it. They mainly focus on positivity and stay with the trends by using popular sounds. The TikTok page doesn’t cost anything and doesn’t spend any taxpayer money.
Most importantly, the mayor wants to engage with folks of all ages, races and genders. The sky is the limit!
BONUS: 9 spots to see stunning fall foliage in Alabama
More than jokes
The TikTok page is more than just silly goofy posts. There are also sentimental posts about small-town living and info on voting for Midterm elections. This is a great way to engender a passion for voting in young voters who now have easy access to understanding how the government works.
The city’s popularity has increased the foot traffic as well. People come from all over to visit. They’ve even had city clerks in Oklahoma and Texas reach out to gain tips on how to create their own page.
“You know, we’ve had people just show up at City Hall, and they’ve driven from other states just to see Oneonta and meet me because they saw our TikToks.”
Richard Phillips, Mayor, City of Oneonta according to Route Fifty
We’re proud to see this little town of 7,000 reach so many people with through creativity and humor.
One last thing:
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