{"id":22923,"date":"2023-07-11T13:52:41","date_gmt":"2023-07-11T12:52:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/?p=22923"},"modified":"2024-02-06T13:37:29","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T13:37:29","slug":"getting-to-grips-with-threads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/getting-to-grips-with-threads","title":{"rendered":"What is Meta Threads: Strategies for Brand Success on the New Social Platform"},"content":{"rendered":"

Threads went live on 6th July, and – thanks to the hassle-free account creation process (you just confirm which of your Instagram accounts you want to link it to and can copy over – or edit – your bio and followers from there) – it racked up 10 million sign-ups in seven hours!<\/p>\n

Well, I say it went live, but it\u2019s not available in the EU, which has much stricter privacy laws than the 100+ countries it has gone live in. The upside of this is when (\/if) the EU nations do get to experience Threads, thousands of marketers will have already learned the sometimes tough lessons that an early-stage app delivers.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the link to Instagram accounts, some brands have already got massive audiences to play with, such as Netflix<\/a>, which already has two million followers.<\/p>\n

Early tips and tricks<\/h2>\n

1. Entertaining and witty posts are getting the most engagement<\/h3>\n

One of the reasons people have flocked to Threads is they\u2019re desperate for some light relief. Things have been getting pretty heavy over at Twitter for a while now, with people keen to get invited to Bluesky to be somewhere, well, fun.<\/p>\n

Threads is delivering on that need for light-hearted banter – and brands are getting in on the action.<\/p>\n

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2. Threads is a place for conversations<\/h3>\n

Threads is designed to encourage conversations, and savvy brands are finding simple but entertaining ways to get people talking.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s Ben and Jerry\u2019s<\/a> asking, \u201cWhat\u2019s your favorite ice cream flavor?\u201d or Playstation asking about people\u2019s games of the year so far, brands are taking full advantage of people\u2019s hype about the new platform.<\/p>\n

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3. The best results will come from original content<\/h3>\n

I know, I know, how many platforms is a social media manager supposed to juggle, right? But we all know that cross-posting the same content on Twitter, Threads, and any of the myriad apps your brand is on is not a great look – and engagement will suffer.<\/p>\n

We have to be mindful of what people are finding funny right now, while also thinking about the overall purpose of the platform as it launches.<\/p>\n

Posts that are witty, have no references to products and feel that bit more spontaneous and gleeful (meaning social media managers have the freedom to flex tone of voice and be more agile with content) will get the most engagement.<\/p>\n

Brands don\u2019t usually rock up to a new social platform this early, and people haven\u2019t had a chance to settle in, so if your brand is going to take up valuable space on their feed without annoying people) it\u2019ll need to be able to embody the vibe.<\/p>\n

Known unknowns<\/h3>\n

Threads is brand new, and there are a lot of things we – and it – need to work out.<\/p>\n

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  1. Tool integration<\/strong> – how will it work, and how will we report on engagement?<\/li>\n
  2. Native access<\/strong> – there\u2019s no usable web version yet, so the app needs to be downloaded on someone\u2019s phone. Who should this be? (Keep in mind that there\u2019s no way to schedule posts right now either.)<\/li>\n
  3. Engagement<\/strong> – someone needs to monitor replies – and, well, reply to them. Until we have tool integration, this is going to be someone on a phone. Who is this going to be?<\/li>\n
  4. Channel mix<\/strong> – Threads will undoubtedly shake up brands\u2019 social media strategies. What long-term effects will this have?<\/li>\n
  5. App features<\/strong> – Meta launched Threads in a rush to capitalise on Twitter\u2019s recent struggles, so it\u2019s lacking \u2018essential\u2019 features like DMs, functional hashtags, and search (and, as of writing, it\u2019s a bit of a bother to use gifs – they have to be saved to your phone\u2019s gallery first). Brands will need to plan engaging and entertaining content around these limitations.<\/li>\n
  6. Proactive engagement<\/strong> – this is a bit difficult right now as we can\u2019t search and can\u2019t monitor hashtags or keywords. As we\u2019ve seen, some brands are doing this well, despite the limitations.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Possible issues<\/h3>\n

    Threads has a few issues that we\u2019re hoping will be addressed soon.<\/p>\n