Declan Shepherd gives an initial reaction to Threads, the newest social media from Meta, and some tips on how to position your brand on the platform.
As well as promising a contest in the ring, Mark Zuckerberg is taking on Elon Musk in the digital world.
Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, has just launched Threads, a new social media platform to rival Twitter.
In simple terms it is a text based Instagram, with the intention of curating 'positive conversation' (more on this later).
According to Zuckerberg, the app already has over 10 million downloads at the time of writing, but whether it will remain on this trajectory once the novelty has worn off remains to be seen.
It’s early days (hours) for the platform, but here’s a look at how Threads can work for your brand.
Set up
The platform is app based, although you can view profiles and posts on desktop.
Its integration with Instagram means it is super easy to create a profile, using your Instagram details including handle, bio, profile image and accounts you follow, all at the tap of a button, for business and personal accounts.
This means you don’t need to jump on the bandwagon and lock-in your brand’s bespoke handle, it’ll be there waiting for you.
You'll notice an intuitive interface, with familiar icons from Instagram for likes & shares and your profile.
You can also share posts to other popular platforms, although there is no direct message feature.
There is also no way to search for content, only accounts, although this is in the works.
Content
Now I'm making some educated guesses here based on a few hours of scrolling:
There's a real focus on organic content so you'll need a strong organic content strategy to be noticed as a brand, and this can be an existing strategy for Instagram or LinkedIn that can be translated and adapted to Threads.
If it works on Twitter, it’ll most likely work here too.
As on any other platform, it's vital your posts are engaging either through an eye-catching creative or interesting topic to spark conversation.
Posts will need to be relevant and meaningful to audiences, mirroring a recent move from
LinkedIn in their algorithm.
That could be entertaining, informative, educational, advisory etc.
And it wouldn't come as a surprise to learn that the Threads algorithm is also set up to promote posts with the highest likes, shares, dwell time, clicks and comments.
At first glance there are very few posts (almost none) with links to websites, so avoid those for now, and you'll also notice lots of posts on your feed from accounts you don't follow, leaving you somewhat at the mercy of Meta's algorithm.
Positive conversation
While you can post photos, videos and gifs, the focus of Threads is text and conversations.
With 500 characters allowed in each post, and the option to create a 'thread' similar to Twitter (a coincidence I'm sure), there is clear intention for users to discuss as a community rather than merely respond.
Brands that are already active in thought leadership will thrive on Threads.
As will those that regularly engage with other users, contribute to the conversation and post engaging content.
Brands that use social media as a free channel to promote products will struggle to get any traction.
But those that rely on paid content will fare the worst, as there's no space for adverts on Threads for now.
Should my brand be on Threads?
It's important to consider who your target audience is and where they'll be; it's too early for any stats on demographics so you'll need to do a bit of guesswork there.
If you have an organic content strategy that is already successful then navigating Threads should be straight forward for you.
If not, then that might be the best place to start.
Associate Events is a Concept to Delivery Events and Marketing Agency. Reach out to optimise how your brand is seen.
