Unraveling “Threads”: A look into the world’s fastest-growing social media platform

THREADS 🧵 

If you’ve been on the internet in the past week, then you’ve probably seen this word – and news stories about the latest social media platform – absolutely everywhere. 

Threads is the new Twitter! In fact, it’s better than Twitter! No, it’s worse than Twitter! It’s going to change the social media landscape completely! No, it’s just a flash in the pan!

No matter what you’ve read, there’s one thing everyone can agree on: Threads is, at least for now, popular.

Threads hit more than 100 million users just five days after launch, making it the fastest-growing social media platform in history. You read that right!

So with all this buzz and hubbub surrounding it…what exactly is Threads, anyway? 

According to Meta, “Threads is a new app, built by the Instagram team, for sharing text updates and joining public conversations. You log in using your Instagram account and posts can be up to 500 characters long and include links, photos, and videos up to 5 minutes in length.”

Sound familiar? Much of the chatter surrounding this new platform is focused on its similarity to Twitter, a social media staple for over a decade, but which has faced its fair share of controversy and struggles in recent months. So will Threads dethrone the 14-year-old social networking service? Only time will tell. 

In the meantime, brands and business owners across the globe are asking themselves if they should add a new platform to their social media strategy, at least for now – and nearly all of them are saying YES. 

To help you decide, we’re sharing what we love, what’s not so great, and our recommendations for taking advantage of this new opportunity in the social media sphere:

What’s To Love

Currently, the only way to create a Threads account is through a preexisting Instagram account. When you sign in to your Threads account, you’re immediately given the option to follow all of the same accounts you already follow on Instagram. If those individuals or businesses haven’t claimed their Threads account, your “follow” request will remain pending until they do. 

Why do we love this? Because as a result, your brand or business can go from zero followers to hundreds or even thousands overnight, as everyone with a Threads account who already follows you on Instagram will likely choose to automatically follow you on Threads, too. 

So if you already have a few hundred or thousand Instagram followers, there’s little downside to exploring the new social platform, because unlike when you first created your Instagram or Facebook accounts, for example, you’ll probably start your Threads profile with a significant following. 

Something else we love? It’s new! As a microblogging site, Threads is different from Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn – and although similar to Twitter, it’s important to remember that Threads is its own platform. This is a great opportunity to experiment with different types of content to see what you can achieve. 

Maybe you’ll meet some cool collaborators or partners, sign up a client from your first post, or get noticed quickly in your industry. Threads is a chance to revitalize your brand in a new way.

The Downsides

One important thing for businesses who decide to implement Threads into their social media marketing strategy is that right now, there are few if any analytics or other engagement tools to measure your performance and activity.

While we’re fully confident that Meta will eventually implement similar measurement tools to what’s currently available on Instagram and Facebook, that could be weeks or months down the line. 

Also worth remembering is that while Threads is generating a lot of hype and interest, we’ve seen many social media platforms wax and wane over the last decade – like Google+, Clubhouse, and Periscope. Only time will tell if Threads has the staying power of platforms like Facebook or Instagram.

Good or bad? You decide!

Because Threads is so new, there are two elements of the platform currently that some businesses may find to be either a frustration or a relief. The first is that Threads is currently app-based only – there is no desktop version yet available, and no scheduling tools yet available. 

That means that whatever you post will be posted live, as opposed to pre-scheduled. While it may require more effort to remember to post “on the fly”, we love the idea that this offers brands and businesses the opportunity to be more authentic and genuine, and less rehearsed. 

Second, Threads doesn’t currently offer any kind of advertising opportunities. For businesses looking to grow organically, this can be a major game changer (until, at least, ads are introduced!). For businesses that use digital advertising as a cornerstone of their marketing, you may find your growth or reach on Threads to be slower than other platforms. 

Our recommendations

• Claim your Threads account: From your business’s Instagram account, visit your profile, click the three lines on the top right-hand corner, and tap the new Threads header. From there, you’ll be walked through the steps to download the Threads app and claim your account.
• Follow accounts: To start, be sure that you follow everyone on Threads that your business currently follows on Instagram. It’s also worth checking out any businesses or brands actively using Threads that you don’t currently follow on Instagram – be sure to follow them on both platforms for maximum connectivity! 
• Go all in: If you’re going to join Threads, we recommend that you commit fully for a predetermined amount of time (we suggest 6-12 weeks). Establish a consistent pattern of posting, and regularly engage and interact with your followers and other businesses. Just like going to a networking event, there’s more to it than simply showing up – you have to be an active presence in order to see success, growth, or opportunities arise. 

Need some help putting together a marketing strategy for your Threads account? We can help! Follow the link to set up a free 30-minute call with our team to talk through what your business should be doing on Threads, and where to start. And be sure to follow mConnexions on Threads (and Instagram) when you sign up!