Why a Philly real estate company wants to be a TikTok influencer

If you're on Philly TikTok, chances are you've run into Naked Philly — the content arm of real estate company OCF Realty — over the last few weeks, as their viral videos have racked up tens of thousands of views.

Why it matters: Even on a hyperlocal level, brands want to use engaging content as a way to break through the noise and make a connection — and ideally, get your business — while you endlessly scroll.

• With #phillytiktok racking up 1.4 billion views on the platform, that's a massive pool of potential local customers.

State of play: If you've seen any of Naked Philly's TikToks, chances are they're from the "Time Traveling Philadelphia" series, which compares developed corners around the city — like 2nd and Germantown in Northern Liberties — with how they looked back in the late 2000s.

• OCF's creative director Patrick Fahy told Axios that the idea for the series came after someone tipped him off to Google Street View's time travel feature. "It amazed me, and I figured if it amazed me, then other people would find it pretty interesting," he said.

Between the lines: Fahy thinks there are two main reasons why the series has gotten so much traction. The "simple" one is that people, especially new transplants, don't know how much the city has changed in 15 years. The other is that the format organically sparks discussion.

• "When something is such a blank slate, it leads a lot of people to comment and engage without being guided one way or another," he said.

The big picture: TikTok is just one part of Naked Philly's content strategy. Fahy hopes that by building audiences there and on Instagram, readers can get lured to the Naked Philly blog and ultimately become clients.

• "Eventually, you'll get to the point where you can merge [the Naked Philly brand] with OCF and make them synonymous," he said.

The bottom line: Brands of all sizes are angling for your attention. If their content is good enough, you might just give it to them, along with your money.