It came out of nowhere. It looked like Twitter. It behaved like Twitter. It promised to be friendlier than Twitter. It was Threads, Meta’s abruptly unveiled competitor to Twitter, linked with Meta’s Instagram and designed to win the hearts, minds and engagement of Twitter users dismayed by Elon Musk’s disruption of the long-established town square of the Internet. Threads raced to 100 million members, however recent reports have shown a sharp decline in active users and time spent on the app.
So what does Threads mean for marketers? It’s not open for advertising yet, though given Meta’s ad capabilities it will be soon. Brands and influencers did, however, rush to stake a claim in the new social territory. Website Planet conducted a comparison of 30 top brands on both Twitter and Threads, looking at interactions like followers, likes and replies. 87% of the brands analyzed generated more likes on Threads than on Twitter (an average of 8x as many). Threads also generated more replies, with only five of the brands getting more comments on Twitter.
How should brands and organizations not yet using Threads approach the new platform? Captiv8’s co-founder Krishna Subramanian suggests brands build content that works specifically for Threads, as the audience expects different things. Brands get a head start on Threads as their existing Instagram audience is easily ported across. SponsorUnited’s Bob Lynch looks at Threads as a lighter version of Twitter, more entertaining, fresh and engaging.
The close relationship between Instagram and Threads may have helped the latter to launch like a rocket, however they offer very different experiences. Instagram is primarily visual, while Threads is text-based. It’s easy to import accounts from Instagram to Threads, however there’s often not a good reason for doing so.
Sprout Social’s CMO Jamie Gilpin advises brands to experiment with Threads and other new platforms and features, differentiate their content types and analyse what is resonating with their individual audiences. Consumers are looking for a blend of content when it comes to their social platforms, and Threads could be a great opportunity for brands and influencers to reach their audience.
Originally reported by Martech: https://martech.org/competing-with-twitter-x-com-and-instagram-tying-the-threads-together/
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