The TikTok Success Story of Clancy’s Auto Body

Table of Contents

220,000+ followers on TikTok with 8,000,000+ likes. Videos are going into millions of views, with the most popular topping 25,000,000.

Are you thinking of another dance influencer? Wrong. That is the TikTok profile of Clancy’s Auto Body, an “Auto Body Repair Shop in Fort Lauderdale.”

Their rapid growth was ignited by a simple TikTok from a social media manager who says that he does not know what he is doing and asks the community to support the video so he does not get fired.

The post caught on and got over 25 million views, 4.4 million likes, and 14.9k comments! Needless to say, the community was engaged and wanted more. 

But their viral videos did not stop there.  In this post, we’ll take a closer look at how Clancy’s managed to become so popular on TikTok.

Consistency & Authenticity

One key factor in Clancy’s success is its consistent and authentic approach to content creation. Let’s analyze some of the common denominators of their content in this category.

Delivering Entertainment

People come to TikTok to have a good time. To browse a couple (or more…) videos, have a laugh, and just relax. 

It is not enough to make the video just visually engaging, humorous, or crazy looking—you need to fuse everything together to make it “entertaining.”

Entertainment can have many different forms on TikTok, and Clancy’s sure nailed one of them. The combination of humor, memes, storylines, and weird-looking visuals make their videos stand out and fun to watch.

Establishing a unique brand image and voice

When it comes to creating content on social media, it’s important to have a clear brand voice and tone. Clancy’s Auto Body has done an excellent job of this on TikTok.

Their brand voice is humorous, self-deprecating, and relatable. They don’t take themselves too seriously, and this has resonated with their audience.

Screenshot of a Clancy's Auto Body TikTok post showing a hand touching a beard and the text: Told the body man that if I got a million views on the shop tiktok I get to touch his beard and he said "sure." Now 1.5 million views later he has to deal with this.

Clancy’s also created a whole narrative around several “characters” of their TikTok story universe. A staple of their account is Maxwell, the cat that started it all.

Screenshot of a Clancy's Auto Body TikTok post showing a photo of the shop and a giant poorly-photoshopped cat sitting on the roof with the text: Guys I lied on my resume and got a job doing the social media of this body shop, please blow this up so I don't get fired.

Big part of the community is there to get more content with Maxwell the cat! Another memorable character is “BossMan,” who is the actual boss of the company. 

Incorporating humor and self-deprecation

They frequently make fun of themselves and their mistakes, which not only endears them to their audience but also humanizes their brand.

By incorporating self-deprecation into their content, they have created a brand that is approachable and relatable.

Creating a content calendar

Consistency is vital when it comes to social media. Clancy’s Auto Body has a content calendar, and they stick to a regular posting schedule. 

Since February 20th, they have posted nearly every day—some days even multiple times! While their base level is one post a day, on some occasions, they are posting as frequently as 2-5 times per day.

By consistently providing engaging content, they have been able to keep their audience interested and coming back for more.

Highlighting the company culture

One of the unique aspects of Clancy’s Auto Body’s content is that they frequently showcase behind-the-scenes moments from their shop. 

By highlighting the personalities and quirks of their employees, they have been able to give their audience a glimpse into their company culture (in a humorous and engaging way).

Screenshot of a TikTok post of Clancy's Auto Body showing a photo of the boss sitting at his desk with the text: I love you too.

This has helped to humanize their brand and create a deeper connection with their audience.

Making Relatable Content

In the fast-paced world of social media, it can be challenging for brands to capture and maintain their audience’s attention. 

While some may take a route of professional-looking, polished content, it is a relatable and authentic production that usually captures the minds (and eyes) of the audience. 

Tapping into common pain points

For Clancy’s Auto Body, it meant creating content that addressed common issues that many of us were facing.

Screenshot of a TikTok post from Clancy's Auto Body showing a photo of the waiting room with the cat poorly photoshopped on a table and the text: When the customer comes in 3 hours early for pick and says "I'll wait."

The situation above may be quite familiar to anyone who is doing a customer-facing job. 

By acknowledging these pain points and offering solutions, they were able to build additional trust with their audience.

Showcasing their company

Clancy’s created many “memable” videos that are funny and worth sharing. They manage to balance that thin line between being fun and ridiculous very successfully. One of the common denominators in the vast majority of their videos is that they take every opportunity to show their employees and company space.

After a couple of videos, it just feels as if you know the company very well. 

Highlighting the personalities of the employees

By showcasing the people behind the brand and the unique personalities that make their shop stand out, they were able to create a sense of community and foster a deeper connection with their audience.

In the end, creating relatable content is all about understanding your audience and finding ways to connect with them on a deeper level. 

By identifying common pain points, showcasing real-life scenarios, and highlighting the personalities of their employees, Clancy’s Auto Body was able to create content that resonated with their target audience and helped them build a loyal following on TikTok.

The key to success on any social media platform lies in the ability to stay relevant, and TikTok is no exception.  This is why it’s so hard to drop into a social platform and begin to perform well right away—you have to hang around a little to understand the platform and what excites the people there.


Clancy’s Auto Body was able to keep up by focusing on the following points.

Not all trends are fitted for a car service company, so Clancy’s had to improvise. In some of their videos, you can see a base of a popular trend but with a unique spin on it. 

That makes it even more engaging for the audience because while they see something familiar, it is not the same as they’ve seen many times before.

Incorporating relevant hashtags and sounds

Hashtags are an important part of TikTok because they help your post appear in search categories. In addition to that, you can also tag with sounds to make your TikTok visible if somebody is browsing through the videos where that sound was used.

Engaging With Followers and The TikTok Community

TikTok is a platform that can be used to build relationships with your followers and the TikTok community. You should respond to all the comments on your videos, ask questions to start conversations, comment on other people’s content, and even join the challenges that are popular at the moment.

Apart from looking like a relatable brand with an actual person behind the screen, you are also helping the algo rank you higher.

TikTok does not care a lot about what kind of engagement it is. If the algo sees that there is a lot of activity under the videos, your chances of going viral improve a lot.

Utilizing TikTok’s Algorithm

To double down on the previous point: while trying to “play” the algo will not yield positive results, you definitely can improve your chances of better visibility by following tips that Clancy’s Auto Body implemented.

Experimenting with different types of content

While Clancy’s is mostly focused on humorous formats, they are also experimenting with its various forms.  Some videos are just to make fun of themselves, and some are more related to meme culture.

Expanding on the earlier point—TikTok allows you to tag the music you are using, and if you play your cards right, you might be suggested as a featured video for TikTok users.

But it gets a bit tricky. You have to pick songs that are not extremely popular (or you will get lost in thousands of videos being uploaded every minute) but at the same time have good traction (so people actually search by them).

Utilizing TikTok’s analytics

You can’t improve what you do not measure.  That’s why TikTok analytics is a great help for your content strategy.

Look for trends, spot the best performers, and try to replicate the success. While you might have various assumptions about what your audience wants, you may soon discover that it is something completely different.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Clancy’s Auto Body has achieved significant success on TikTok by consistently creating authentic, humorous, and relatable content.

By incorporating self-deprecation and highlighting their company culture, they have been able to humanize their brand and build a deeper connection with their audience.

They have also leveraged TikTok trends, engaged with their followers and the community, and utilized TikTok’s algorithm to boost their visibility.

Overall, Clancy’s Auto Body’s success on TikTok serves as an example of how any brand can use the platform to reach a wider audience and build a loyal fan base.

Image of a Screenshot on a smartphone of a TikTok post from Clancy's Auto Body Shop and the owner on a magenta background with the blog post title and Tailwind logo in white font.

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