To Thread Or Not To Thread?
In the ever-evolving world of social media, Instagram's ‘Threads App’ emerged as a game-changer. Within the first week of its launch, the app saw a whopping 100 million sign-ups. It is available on the Apple Store and Google Play. Threads experienced a great launch globally, not seen by any other social media app launch. But is the Threads journey going to be this exciting for long? Let’s find out what’s happening with Threads these days.
In this blog, we will explore the journey of Threads from its launch, discuss its benefits over other apps, and explore how Threads compares to other social media apps.
Threads App: A Step Towards More Personal Social Connections
From Inception to Innovation
Instagram’s ‘Threads’ app offers a unique approach to social networking by focusing on fostering intimate connections among users and encouraging them to share actively on Threads while building solid relationships. Threads was conceived to create an option and friendly public space for conversation, as stated by Zuckerberg, in a verified Threads post following the launch. The idea was to take what Instagram does best and create a new experience around text, ideas, and discussions.
Unlike the open and public nature of the main Instagram platform, Threads brought a new level of engagement to social media where users could follow friends and creators who share their interests – including the people they follow on Instagram. The main Threads mobile app was launched on July 6, 2023, and it is available on both iOS and Android platforms.
Benefits of Threads Over Other Apps
There seem to be several benefits of this app over the other existing social media platforms. Let’s discuss the major ones to know what’s in it for brands.
1. Focused Content Sharing
Unlike traditional social media apps, where posts reach a wide audience, Threads encourages users to share photos, videos, and status updates only with their inner circle. This approach promotes more genuine and meaningful connections, as content is tailored to resonate with a select group of friends.
2. Privacy and Control
Threads addresses the growing concerns over privacy in social media. Working on the same privacy policy as Instagram, Threads also focuses on maintaining user privacy. When individuals under the age of 16 (or under 18 in specific countries) sign up for Threads, they will automatically have a private profile. Since 2016, Meta claims to have invested more than $16 billion in building up the teams and technologies needed to protect the users and has extended that with Threads as the privacy of the community is of utmost importance to them.
3. Immediate Access to Instagram Users
As Threads is linked to Instagram, users have immediate access to the accounts they follow. The apps are easily interchangeable and you can also share your threads to Instagram Stories.
4. Engage in Friendly & Open Conversation
According to Adam Mosseri, Threads is an open and friendly space where creators can have a meaningful public conversation. Many good tools have been brought down from Instagram such as Hidden Words, Restrict, and Community Guidelines that will make creators feel a part of this community.
What Can You Post on Threads?
Posts can be up to 500 characters long and include links, photos, and videos up to 5 minutes in length. There is no specific sizing format to post on Threads and there is no Analytics/Insights tab to find out how your threads are performing. With such freedom to post, people were just posting their hearts out without worrying about algorithms and trends. But are people still as enthusiastic about this new platform as they were initially?
Who Can Interact With You?
When ‘Private Profile’ is enabled, only your followers can follow you, read your posts, interact with your posts, and see profiles you follow and are followed by. While a ‘Public Profile’ allows anyone on Threads to interact with your profile.
Threads and Brand Growth: Forging Deeper Connections
Threads definitely promised a great future for brand growth but the present shows something very different. The following features are working for brands but are users still excited about these features as they were in its first month of launch?
1. Exclusive Content for Loyal Followers
Brands can leverage Threads to share exclusive content, promotions, and behind-the-scenes glimpses with their most loyal customers. By offering such exclusive perks, brands can strengthen the bond with their followers and create a sense of belonging within a select community.
2. Personalised Communication
Threads facilitate one-on-one interactions between brands and customers, enabling personalised communication. Responding to customers' messages individually can significantly improve customer satisfaction and loyalty, fostering stronger brand-consumer relationships.
3. Real-Time Updates for Urgency and Exclusivity
Brands can utilise Threads' status feature to deliver real-time updates on events, sales, or limited-time offers. This creates a sense of urgency and exclusivity, encouraging customers to act quickly, and resulting in increased engagement and conversions.
Threads User Count Reduces To New Lows
According to Fortune, Threads’ daily active user count is down to 82% with only eight million users accessing the app each day. That is the lowest it has been since the day after the app’s release. when daily active users peaked at roughly 44 million
Threads Future Plans
According to Meta, they are working towards making Threads compatible with the ActivityPub protocol, and they will soon add several new features that will help users continue discovering threads and creators of interest, including improved recommendations in the feed and a more robust search function that makes it easier to follow topics and trends in real-time.
Another plan Meta shared is making Threads interoperable with other apps that also support the ActivityPub protocol, such as Mastodon and WordPress. The plan is that people using compatible apps will be able to communicate on Threads without having a Threads account, and vice versa. One of the key benefits of this compatibility is the potential for a unified social experience. Instead of being confined to a single app, users will have the freedom to connect and interact with their favorite communities, regardless of the platforms they use.
A user on Threads could effortlessly engage in discussions, follow updates, and even share content from users on Mastodon, or vice versa. This level of interconnectedness will enrich the social experience, foster collaboration, and facilitate the exchange of ideas across diverse online communities. Additionally, the adoption of ActivityPub will reinforce Meta’s commitment to promoting open standards and an inclusive internet ecosystem.
The app just recently added a follow feed, and they also shared the ability to verify a link with the user’s Mastodon profile.
Launching The Web Version
Meta is internally working on launching the Threads web version soon. Adam Mosseri informed on Threads last week that Meta had been testing “an early version internally for a week or two,” but that it “needs some work” before wide release.
In the dynamic world of social media, Threads emerged as a powerful tool to enhance intimacy and privacy in digital interactions. With its focus on close friends and exclusive content sharing, Threads promised benefits that could set it apart from other social media apps. For brands, Threads presented unique opportunities to connect on a more personal level, build engaged communities, and drive brand growth. By integrating Threads strategically into their social media strategies, digital marketers could forge deeper connections with their audience and thrive in the competitive landscape of social media marketing. But what is the reason behind its downward growth?
Remember, staying attuned to the evolving social media trends and adapting your strategies accordingly is crucial for continued success.
However, the future of Threads remains unclear as of now, experimenting with the platform and observing the results might help you in building your strategy in the future. The platform is aiming to launch new features to get the traffic back. Start your journey on Threads, and watch what the future holds for your brand.
If you are a brand who wants to know whether Threads is the right fit for you, let’s connect and we can help you build a Social Media Strategy for your brand.