Should my business be on Threads?

That made it one of the most rapidly downloaded apps ever, and saw it overtake ChatGPT in those stakes.

Even Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg said it was “way beyond” his team’s expectations.

What is Threads?

Launched by Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram), Threads is a text-led social media platform and was launched to rival Twitter.

According to Meta, Threads is designed to be a space:

“Where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow. Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favourite creators and others who love the same things — or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world.”

Should my business be on Threads?

First off, ask yourself: Do we have the resource to use Threads?

People’s time isn’t unlimited, and burnout is real, so you really need to consider your people first and the social media resource you have.

Also consider how Threads aligns with your goals.

Strategically, Threads is not a platform that will bring you success with a plan that features three posts a week – it’s an in-the-moment, post as-it-happens channel (like Twitter), where 10+ posts a day is the norm.

It’s also not a platform that will bring you success with sales and promotional posts.

Threads is a place to show the human side of your business, through conversation.

Perhaps you’re a digital marketing agency aiming to recruit digital marketeers – Threads would be a good place to build a community of digital marketing experts with relevant, relatable conversations.

For businesses that are already doing that elsewhere – perhaps on Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn – the adoption of Threads will be a lot smoother. For those that aren’t, now might be the time to start, by using Threads.

How should my business use Threads?

When Threads launched, I felt like a kid at Christmas. I was up at 6am, shattered by 11am, and had to force myself to put my phone down and get dressed.

And that’s how it should be.

Let your team test the newest social media platform; have fun, get to know it, how users are behaving, and the content they want to see.

Start new conversations – new threads – and see where they take you, using the insight for future strategy.

Some content ideas:

1. Incentivise following you from other platforms

An easy win for sports clubs or clothing retailers during the launch of Threads was posting new threads on Threads.

Northampton Saints Rugby Club did it well with the launch of their new training kit – posting teasers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and posting the first look on Threads, giving their fans a reason to follow them.

2. Repurposing content from other channels

Threads is the same format as Twitter so, if you have an extensive library of Twitter content, recycle it on Threads and see how it hits.

Do the same with your best performing Instagram content and LinkedIn content. Note what works well, and what doesn’t, and use that to inform future strategy.

Many brands, including Netflix, have done this on Threads.

But, and it’s a big but… this should only be an interim tactic.

As much as I love reusing old content, as a user you want to see original, new ideas that are exclusive to that channel. As above, with Saints.

3. Ask your audience what they want

I love this one: Ask your audience what they want to see from you on Threads.

It may work best for the bigger brands and businesses who already have an audience, but it’s simple and effective.

And it’s a new conversation starter.

The future of Threads

Threads was launched as a competitor to Twitter, and it has the same format as Twitter – but it currently has the niceness of Instagram, which is worth knowing as a business.

Only time will tell whether that niceness will stay but, with Threads, your account is linked to your Instagram so you’re less likely to encounter faceless trolls.

And the linking of Instagram – as part of Meta’s network – means it has a pool of 2.35 billion monthly active users to potentially convert over to Threads.

In terms of development, Threads still has a long way to go, with hashtags, a more organised feed, an explore page, and paid ads all being muted but yet to be introduced.

But one thing’s for sure: Threads is here to stay.

Unsure where to start with Threads? Make an enquiry with me to discuss your social media strategy and approach to Threads.