Meta, owners of Instagram, is firmly taking on Twitter with its new text-based social networking app: Threads, available for iOS and Android, enables Instagram users to login with their existing accounts and post short, Tweet-like updates, including text up to 500 characters, links, photos, and videos up to 5 minutes long.
But is this just another Twitter clone, doomed to fail? A temporary distraction for social media marketers, managers and departments? Or is this the biggest thing to be introduced into social media marketing since a little, mostly ignored app called Musically, relaunched as TikTok?
Threads is on a roll
In less than 5 days from launch, Threads has achieved 100 Million signups! This success has been achieved organically with a low-key launch. To put that in some context;
- Instagram reached 100 million users in two and a half years
- TikTok reached 100 million users in 9 months
- ChatGPT reached 100 million users in two months
- Threads achieved 100 million users in just 5 days!
To put this another way, Threads has achieved nearly one third of Twitters active user base in just 5 days. With that level of interest, where could Threads be in the coming weeks? Keep in mind that there are over 1.6 billion active users on Instagram, each one with a Thread account ready to be activated.
From our experience using the Threads, it’s a pretty fantastic, friendly, engaged user base. It’s a million miles away from the negative space Twitter has found itself in recent years and exactly what business and users have been looking for.
It’s really compelling.
But here at BIG, we cut through the social space and seek the commercial value, albeit at a social level, for business.
We ask, is Threads a place for your business? Should you be investing effort in developing a strategy and allocating time to Threads? How on earth should you even begin to approach it.
Well, we’ve got you. Let’s get into this …
The fabric of social
Threads isn’t just a Twitter competitor (or alternative). Don’t just think of it as another social network, think of it as a powerful addition to your comms strategy, especially if you are already on Instagram.
Threads bills itself as the social network around conversations, that’s why it’s called Threads; posts and replies connect together as conversational threads. Cute.
With Instagram being a very visual platform, it can be difficult to really post and engage in depth about a topic or create conversations in the comments. Threads is designed to enable conversation for users and businesses.
Although Threads is a separate app, Threads is very much connected to Instagram. You login with your Instagram account, you can share Threads as Instagram Stories or Posts and you can take your Instagram post links to Threads.
This is where we see the immediate opportunity – connecting your Instagram Posts and Threads together for deeper, meaningful insight and conversation. Post the visual stories to Instagram and share to Threads to build on that topic and conversation.
We’re not saying you must abandon Twitter or create an entirely new content strategy. Instead, consider integrating Threads as an activation channel within your existing content plan. Explore ways to share your content on Threads, fostering conversations, which is the ultimate goal and value of the platform.
Conversational Threads
Instagram’s Head of Social, Adam Mosseri said it best when he shared “… it’s less about text versus photos and videos and more about what public conversation you want to have. Do you want to engage in more of a back and forth, Threads makes sense. If not, great, probably Instagram…“.
This speaks to the thinking behind Threads and the separation of intent when compared to Instagram, or any other social channel for that matter. It also presents the most logical and powerful path for your business to approach Threads (and Instagram) with our favourite form of social intent – purpose!
To simplify that thought even further, think: Instagram is about visual storytelling; presenting your business in various ways across the Instagram Grid, Stories and Reels. Threads is about the conversation around your businesses; about sharing deeper insight, knowledge, opinion, and conversation!
Connect Instagram and Threads together in your strategy and activities, and you are on to a real winner!
What about paid ads on Threads
At this time, there’s no option to run any paid ads or to boost posts on Threads. This has been discussed, but the team at Threads have noted that their current objective is to build Threads out responsibly, bring new features quickly, and create a healthy place for conversations.
Reading between those lines – it is coming. It may not be any time soon but let there be no doubt that Threads ad targeting will come to Meta Ads Manager, and if everything continues on its current trajectory, it will be another hugely powerful activation for you and your business.
Do we need to say it?
If you haven’t already, we highly recommend you go grab Threads now and start making it part of your strategy without delay! At the very least, it is better being early and wrong with a platform growing at such a huge pace where there is an outsized return for your effort, than late and left behind, again.
iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/threads-an-instagram-app/id6446901002
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.instagram.barcelona&hl=en_US
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Looking for some additional support or insight on how your business can bring Threads into your social and comm’s strategy, then talk with us.
If you liked this, check our article on unleashing your Instagram Grid, Stories and Reel here.
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