Tying Together Threads And Social Media Marketing: All You Need To Know

On July 6th 2023, Meta announced the official launch of Threads. Arriving seemingly out of the blue, it was the latest in a long line of new social media platforms launched in the last few years. But what does this mean for your small business?

Social media should be a core part of your marketing strategy. So, when a new social media platform launches, you need to get on top of things right away. Should you immediately create a Threads account and start posting, or is it smarter to hold off and wait?

It’s a tricky decision - but we’ll help you make it by showing some of the pros and cons of either option. Before we do that, there’s an important question lingering: What is Threads and why does it even exist?

The Birth Of Threads

Threads is a Meta platform that effectively acts as an extension to Instagram. All Instagram users can make a Threads account but, whilst it is a separate platform, you can’t make a Threads account without having an Instagram profile.

If you’ve already had a quick look at Threads you will likely have noticed some similarities to Twitter/X. It wouldn’t be a huge jump to assume that the birth of Threads is likely linked to the slow decline of Twitter/X under Elon Musk. Since the eccentric billionaire took over the site, he’s made it his mission to change just about everything. Alterations to the iconic Blue Checkmark system kicked things off, with a range of other features annoying masses of Twitter users. People were unhappy, so it was a good opportunity for Meta to attempt to fill a Twitter-shaped hole with a new social media app.

You can do everything on Threads that you can on Twitter/X, including posting messages, liking other people’s posts, sharing them, and so on. It begs the question, with two very similar social media platforms, do you need to focus on both for marketing?

Let’s find out!

The Advantages Of Joining Threads For Your Small Business

Signing up for an account on Threads is completely free, so you may be inclined to do it. At the same time, there are some potential benefits that you’ll see if your business gets on this platform right away, as opposed to waiting:

• ‍Excellent integration with Instagram - Threads integrates seamlessly with Instagram and makes it really easy for you to port your followers over to this platform. In fact, everyone that follows you on Instagram can follow you on Threads. If you have a strong Instagram following but never managed to translate it to Twitter, this can be a brilliant solution.
• ‍Direct communication with your target audience - You see the same benefits from Twitter/X on Threads. The platform lets you have direct communication with your target audience, so you can speak to them, release news updates, launch products, etc.
• ‍Tap into a massive audience already - When it was released, Threads passed 30 million sign-ups in under 24 hours. There’s already a huge audience here for you to tap into, opening up plenty of new digital marketing opportunities.
• ‍Establish your brand early on - Whenever a new social media platform comes around, it’s good to establish your brand early on. If you can get in there now and build a following before your rivals move to Threads, then you’ve got the upper hand.

The Disadvantages Of Joining Threads For Your Small Business

At the same time, signing up for Threads right now might not be a good idea. It’s new and fresh, but this isn’t always a good thing…

• ‍Half the users have stopped using Threads already - Despite massive interest when it launched, Threads has seen over half of its users disappear already. People bought into the hype, but they’re rarely using the app.
• ‍No social media ads - At the moment, Threads doesn’t have a social media advertising platform. We assume it’ll integrate with the Facebook/Instagram one at some point, but right now there is nothing. If you see a lot of lead generation through paid social media marketing, it’s probably not worth signing up for this platform just yet.
• ‍A lot of uncertainty - Most significantly, there’s so much uncertainty surrounding Threads right now. It almost feels like the success of this platform relies on the failure of X. If that platform falls through, people may migrate to Threads and use it properly. For now, it’s a risky investment to spend money on a Threads social media marketing strategy when it might not be around for long.

Overall, it’s highly confusing trying to decide if Threads is worth joining. A lot of small businesses are getting worried because X looks to be in disarray. You worry that you’ll lose one of your biggest marketing platforms and want to get started on the possible replacement.

It can all be a bit too much to handle, but For The Win Digital is here to help you make sense of everything. We can support your business with navigating the new changes implemented at Twitter/X while also developing a plan to migrate your following to Threads - if necessary. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our social marketing services and how we will help you find the ideal social strategy for success!