Threads is the new kid on the social media block. Reaching 100 million users in under a week, the app replaced ChatGPT as the fastest to reach the milestone, ever. If you’ve been on Threads, you might have seen some of your favorite brands dropping memes, hot takes, and jumping in on wider discussions.
With the platform surpassing the 100 million user mark in under a week, Threads’ initial boom would prove hard to maintain, and the platform has since seen a significant drop in engagement.
How does Threads fare as a marketing tool? While the platform is still in its proverbial toddler years, brands have been quick to adopt a Threads strategy. So, what are the marketing opportunities?
Let’s find out.
Contents
What Brands Need to Know About Threads Marketing
Threads Marketing Opportunities For Brands
The Benefits of Threads Marketing For Brands
Can Brands Use the Same Marketing Strategies on Threads as they do on Twitter?
How are Brands Already Using Threads Marketing?
Tips For Getting Started on Threads
Introducing Threads
Welcomed to the social landscape in early July, Threads became the fastest growing app to reach one million, ten million and 100 million users – achieving each of these milestones within a week of its launch.
Developed by Meta, Threads is a text-based (though you can share images and videos too) social media platform, built as an add-on to Instagram. Unlike most of social media’s major players, Threads was quickly adopted by prominent names like Kim Kardashian and MrBeast. Brands were quick to start up their channels, too. But why? What is the meaning of this new app, and what opportunities are now available to brands?
Why did Meta introduce Threads?
“For those of you trying to think about what to post here on Threads vs Instagram, my take is it’s less about text versus photos and more about what public conversations you want to have. Do you want to engage in more of a back and forth, Threads makes sense. If not, great, probably Instagram.” wrote head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri via Threads.
Threads has been introduced to flourish in areas where Instagram can’t. But it goes beyond that. The app should be considered more than just a place for sharing thoughts and experiences; it’s a space for meaningful conversations and connections.
Initial reactions to Threads
You just had to be there. I don’t think any reception has been as tumultuous as that of Threads. 10 million users in seven hours, 100 million users in seven days… What more is there to say?
And in that first week, it was fun to see brands, celebs and everyday people clamoring to establish a foothold in the Threads narrative. Memes seemed to be the initial conversation driver, and what better way to consummate the platform than with that guy from Come Dine With Me, mouth encumbered by a whisk.
What Brands Need to Know About Threads Marketing
Apprehension among brands towards new social media platforms is a familiar tale (some brands are still hesitant to explore TikTok). However, Threads didn’t seem to suffer from this and shortly after the app’s launch (we’re talking minutes), some big name brands were already jumping on the platform, sharing their first iterations of Threads.
Threads introduced a fresh route for creating content, opening doors to potential forms of paid advertising. While brands might need to wait for the arrival of paid advertisements on Threads – potentially coinciding with the platform reaching a user base of one billion – the current pace of growth hints that this milestone could approach earlier than anticipated.
With any new social app comes the potential for a new variation of content creator. Threads possesses the potential to nurture its own version of creator, further bolstering the arsenal of brands well-versed in influencer marketing.
Threads caters to spontaneous and fast-paced content, designed to spark conversation. This implies that brands can foster interactive engagements between themselves and consumers, potentially heralding a brand-new approach for enhancing outreach and interaction.
As Threads is still evolving, its definitive narrative remains to be seen. What is clear, is that brands are eagerly embracing the platform, striving to uncover the content that most effectively resonates with the Threads audience.
Threads Marketing Opportunities For Brands
Though Threads is yet to gain its wings as a platform for paid ads, there are still plenty of potential marketing opportunities available to brands.
- Exploring Influencer Partnerships
Threads offered a unique opportunity for brands to approach influencer marketing. As we speak, Threads is building its own breadth of influencers, and thought leaders. Teaming up with influencers to endorse branded products or services can help brands familiarize with the platform, and the audience that lives there.
Threads offers brands a chance to collaborate with influencers around topics that generate discussion, which seems like a golden opportunity for brands looking to hear consumer thoughts, and to use those learnings to personalize future marketing efforts.
- Utilizing Close Friends List for Targeted Engagement
Like Instagram, Threads uses a close friends list functionality, enabling users to connect with selected people in more “personal and intimate” ways. This list provides a dedicated space for private 1:1 or group conversations on Threads, acting as the platform’s direct messaging functionality.
Marketers take note, this feature has a lot of potential for targeted engagement, and creating exclusive relationships with devoted fans. Brands can add selected users to their list of Close Friends, which with the incentive of exclusive benefits would encourage more quality consumer engagement.
Close Friends content could consist of exclusive promotions, behind-the-scenes content, nods to future developments, and much more. By giving the most devoted followers access to exclusive information, brands not only reward them but also foster a sense of urgency, and exclusivity.
- Brand Engagement
Think of Threads as a virtual town square, rife with all types of townsfolk and reverberating chatter.
Threads specializes in highly interactive posts, powered by comments and further conversation, which is perfect for brands looking to increase engagement.
Brands can develop a strong presence within the Threads community by participating in active discussions. Interacting with people in-app is a great way to build a platform persona, improve brand visibility, and to resonate with potential followers.
- User-Generated Content
They say there’s strength in numbers, and it’s hard to disagree when you see user-generated content (UGC) done right.
On Threads, brands may encourage users to produce and distribute content relating to branded material. The UGC distribution can act as endorsements, critiques, or artistic expressions that seek to promote a brand message.
Through UGC, brands can amplify their voice encouraging their audience to relay the message. Channel the voice of the masses, encourage them to share content, foster brand loyalty and create a buzz. UGC is always a win.
The Benefits of Threads Marketing For Brands
- Streamlined communication: Threads is focused on streamlined messaging, allowing brands to connect with their audience more efficiently. Brands can set up a dedicated Business Network list, which ensures that Important information reaches the right people.
- Integration with Instagram: Threads is an add-on to Instagram. Meaning brands have a convenient platform to share visual content, and a means for generating discussion with a text-based narrative. The integration also means that your profile carries over. Those who’ve cultivated a following on Instagram won’t need to worry about building an entirely new audience.
- Instant customer feedback: Customer support is an integral part of any brand’s reputation. Threads offers instant and personalized options to address concerns, or to provide feedback on a specific query. The app’s quick messaging capabilities allow brands to resolve timely issues, strengthening customer loyalty.
Can Brands Use the Same Marketing Strategies on Threads as they do on Twitter?
A study conducted by Website Planet, a web development service for individuals and businesses, points to the same marketing strategies finding success on both Threads and Twitter.
The research analyzed 30 brands that had accounts on both Twitter and Threads. Of the 30 brands, 20 posted the same post to both platforms.
Threads and Twitter function quite similarly, in that they are text-led platforms that support image and video sharing, and are primed to generate discussion. The study found that Threads generated an average 7 times more engagement than on Twitter. Threads showed a higher average number of replies, with only 5 brands (Universal Pictures, NY Post, Elle Magazine US, McDonald’s, and Reuters) receiving more comments on Twitter versus Threads. So, in principle, the same marketing strategies that have found success on Twitter are the same, or incredibly similar to, the marketing strategies that will find success on Threads.
How are Brands Already Using Threads Marketing?
Brands have adopted a casual and unfiltered approach to Threads thus far. Rather than boasting the latest product developments, brands have been sharing memes, talking about cultural moments, and generally just having a chat with one another.
Brands following this approach have done so to appease the millions of users that have already joined the platform. When any new platform emerges, social media managers have to scramble to fit within the narrative, and with Threads that appears to be the same as the day it launched, unfiltered, off-the-cuff, but engaging nonetheless.
Of course, there’s time for the narrative to change, but at present brands seem to be enjoying the back and forth engagement between consumers, driven by memes, cultural moments, and uncovering more unique ways to garner attention. Brands like Netflix, Wendy’s, and NYX Cosmetics have been there from the beginning, kicking things off with captions like “going crazy til my boss finds me.”
Tips For Getting Started on Threads
Play around, explore and experiment
Threads is very much in its infancy, which is the perfect opportunity for brands to play around with new ideas, experiment, and play around to find out what type of content resonates best with this new audience.
Keep your brand image and messaging consistent
While Threads is new, and brands have strayed from their typical social strategy on Threads, it is still vital to remain consistent across all brand channels. Threads may begin to command a new variation of content, but brands must ensure that the messaging, and brand identity is kept the same on Threads as it is on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube for example.
Build a community
Brands should capitalize on Threads’ capacity for generating conversation, using popular topics to engage audiences in discussion and to build a community. Threads has been designed primarily to engage audiences with text-led content, which enables brands to create their own debates and ultimately draw more users into their circle.
Concluding thoughts
Threads’ rapid growth has made it impossible to ignore. Brands were already using the platform within minutes of its launch, which spells potential for a new marketing tool. Though the platform is yet to see any paid advertising integration, there are still a number of ways for brands to grow using Threads, such as:
- Exploring influencer partnerships
- Building a community using targeted engagement
- Appeal to new audiences by generating hot topic discussions
- Encourage user-generated content
It’ll be interesting to see how Meta evolves the platform to compete with other social media platforms, and strengthen its appeal to brands. That’s all for this one, but don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the digital trends you didn’t see in your social feed!
FAQs
Why did Meta introduce Threads?
“For those of you trying to think about what to post here on Threads vs Instagram, my take is it’s less about text versus photos and more about what public conversations you want to have. Do you want to engage in more of a back and forth, Threads makes sense. If not, great, probably Instagram.” wrote head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri via Threads.
Threads has been introduced to flourish in areas where Instagram can’t. But it goes beyond that. The app should be considered more than just a place for sharing thoughts and experiences; it’s a space for meaningful conversations and connections.
Can Brands Use the Same Marketing Strategies on Threads as they do on Twitter?
A study conducted by Website Planet, a web development service for individuals and businesses, points to the same marketing strategies finding success on both Threads and Twitter.
The research analyzed 30 brands that had accounts on both Twitter and Threads. Of the 30 brands, 20 posted the same post to both platforms.
Threads and Twitter function quite similarly, in that they are text-led platforms that support image and video sharing, and are primed to generate discussion. The study found that Threads generated an average 7 times more engagement than on Twitter. Threads showed a higher average number of replies, with only 5 brands (Universal Pictures, NY Post, Elle Magazine US, McDonald’s, and Reuters) receiving more comments on Twitter versus Threads. So, in principle, the same marketing strategies that have found success on Twitter are the same, or incredibly similar to, the marketing strategies that will find success on Threads.
How are Brands Already Using Threads Marketing?
Brands have adopted a casual and unfiltered approach to Threads thus far. Rather than boasting the latest product developments, brands have been sharing memes, talking about cultural moments, and generally just having a chat with one another.
