As a marketer, there’s no shortage of new platforms launching promising to revolutionise how you interact with your audience, build a community around your brand and generate sales.
Threads is a bit different.
Launched on 05 July 2023, it is already confirmed as the fastest growing social network, ever. With lots of momentum behind it and users clamouring to sign up, it could be a great way to generate more engagement with your business. But what do you really need to know about it before you dive in?
It’s owned by Facebook
Threads is a Meta creation, meaning it belongs to the same stable of apps as Facebook and Meta. It’s an alternative to Twitter – which is an important point given the volatility of that platform following its takeover by Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk last summer. His changes to Twitter have resulted in ad spend declining by almost 60% as users abandon the platform. So, if you’ve seen your Twitter performance compromised, moving over to Threads could be a smart move.
Like Twitter, Threads posts have a character limit. You can use up to 500 characters of text per post.
It’s closely linked to Instagram
According to Meta, Threads is “Instagram’s text-based conversation app.” Despite the use of the word text in the description, you can also post images and videos alongside your text. You can also like, repost and comment on posts shared by other users.
Mark Zuckerberg says one of the key attributes of Threads is that it’s intended to be a ‘friendly’ space with users encouraged to treat each other with kindness.
You’ll need to have an Instagram account to open a Threads account. Meta explains “Our vision with Threads is to take what Instagram does best and expand that to text, creating a positive and creative space to express your ideas. Threads is Meta’s first app envisioned to be compatible with an open social networking protocol – we hope that by joining this fast-growing ecosystem of interoperable services, Threads will help people find their community, no matter what app they use.”
It has an enormous user base
What makes Threads instantly attractive to marketers is that it has an enormous user base already. It achieved 100 million active users within five days of its launch. The user base includes consumers and brands such as Nike, Calvin Klein and Walmart.
There’s no sponsored content option … yet
Threads hasn’t yet revealed what its sponsored content and ad options will be. But, they are said to be in the works. In the meantime, you should focus on building your organic user base, then strategically add sponsored and ad content into the mix once available, dependent on your goals.
Because it’s a new network and everyone is still finding their feet on Threads, as a brand you can experiment and get creative. Taking the time now to try different things and find what works for your demographic will be invaluable as the platform matures and more opportunities emerge.
You can’t search for hashtags or topics
Unlike Instagram, which offers a number of search options, you can’t search for hashtag or topic on Threads. Currently, it’s only possible to search for users. With that said, you’ll need to promote your Threads profile across your other social channels. Many brands and famous faces have taken to snapshotting their Threads posts and sharing in Instagram Stories to spread the word.
