What's up with Threads?
Last week all across the planet pinged to life with a notification about Threads. No, I don't mean the apocalyptic British movie from the 80s, but Meta's new Twitter competitor, Threads.
Ever since Twitter was purchased by Elon Musk last year, the world has abandoned the platform in droves. In particular, we've seen follower numbers decline across multiple clients over the past six months.
So in this disillusionment for Twitter, Meta has done what they always do - see a gap in the market and either copy it or buy it. In this case, the former. Threads is like Twitter. But Twitter, in the very early years. Hashtags, a core innovation of Twitter, don't seem to work yet, and multimedia like photos and videos are clunky. But it looks good, and the user interface is fresh, clean and modern.
Oldschool Twitter was mostly about the power of written words. Comedy thrived. News thrived. And brands, as we know, can say a lot with brilliant copywriting. Twitter was the most Darwinian of all social platforms - it was the survival of the funniest, most interesting, and most relevant - and in many ways, I welcome that back.
Will it succeed?
Unlike other new social platforms, Threads has the core advantage of its Network Effect. Allow me to use a metaphor of the party.
Parties can have the best music, food, atmosphere, and confetti cannons (I put on a great party, ok?), but if your mates aren't there? It can suck. Conversely, a pretty bad party can be turned around completely with the addition of all your buddies.
Lots of new social networks are like the former. New and exciting but the most important thing is missing....the people you care about. Threads is so exciting because it transposes your existing Instagram connections, so your mates are already there. Its a genius move that we think will make Threads swim where other new platforms have sunk.
So how do I use it?
Like any social platform, Threads needs a content strategy and, like Twitter before it, a more informal and witty tone of voice.
Don't just jump straight in. Ensure you have secured your Threads account, feel free to post a "Hello World" type greeting, but don't run before you can walk.
If you can't wait, we'd recommend you overlay your existing Twitter approach to Threads and try it out. It's new and exciting, and we can't blame you. Test, learn and have fun.
Curious, but don’t want to dive straight into Threads?
In this Insider article, a Gen Z social media writer takes a look around on Threads so you don’t have to.
The author, Charissa Cheong says “My Threads homepage was initially saturated with a bunch of random companies trying to post "relatable" and "funny" content promoting their brands. I wasn't too fond of this…”
It would be worth bearing this in mind when considering what to post, as touting products or services right off the bat may be off-putting to some users.
That said, the opportunity to bring your brand to life on a new platform right from the start is a rare opportunity. While Threads has already amassed more than 70 million users, compared to other platforms there is currently a brief period where the competition is not so great.
MSL’s advice? Have a go, test and learn.
If you want to learn more about Threads or have any other questions about social channels, please get in touch with us at sayhello@mslgroup.com.