Calder’s key message? Dive in, be bold and discover what resonates with your audience.
He emphasizes the importance of committing to a specific social channel and consistently sharing the brand’s story. For TikTok, Calder advises brands to strategically choose the right influencer or persona to represent them, focusing on engagement and view rates rather than just follower count.
“So a lot of people have millions of followers, hundreds of thousands of followers,” Calder said. “The thing you can’t fake—because you can buy followers, there’s tricks–but you can’t buy the views.
“But if you’re looking to identify the right influencer, look at their view rate percentage or their engagement percentage. See how frequently, based on how many followers they have—do people engage, and do they engage back? Is that influencer someone that talks to their community and doesn’t just throw products at them?”
Calder also recommended creating a social media framework with defined pillars and posting cadence to build a consistent presence across platforms.
He highlighted the importance of creating a comprehensive social media strategy for brands, including content pillars, a content calendar and a clear plan for who will manage posting across different channels. He advises brands to fully commit to their chosen platform, experiment with creative content like videos and memes and find what works best for them–even if that means embracing something atypical.
“Try the weirdest things,” Calder said. “Don’t be afraid to experiment with types of videos, animations, GIFs, memes, because when you find it, you’ll know, and then you just stick to that.
“I have committed to cows. Now I share cow photos in a lot of my own personal TikToks, in my Instagram. I just throw baby cows because people love cows. They are cute. And I love cows, so it works.”
