In less than a week, new social media app aimed at rivalling Twitter, Threads, has already had more than 100 million sign ups.
Steven Bartlett, Entrepreneur, BBC Dragon, and the host of the podcast, ‘The Diary of a CEO’, said “Twitter is in transition. Its advertising products have never been able to compete with Meta’s, Elon is limiting the amount of tweets you can read and the site is feeling less ‘safe’ for more and more people than ever,” so some individuals and businesses are taking this new launch as an opportunity to shift away from Twitter’s controversy. But should you be doing the same?
Some key differences between the two apps are that Threads allows 500 characters per post, instead of Twitter’s 280, and video uploads of up to five minutes, compared to Twitter’s two minutes 20 seconds. However, the new platform does not allow direct messaging or hashtags, nor does it include trending stories. There is no way to search for content on the app, and while this might sound like a “limitation, it’s also going to create less cancel-culture, less of a mob mentality and less bandwagoning,” Steven Bartlett commented.
So, what does this all mean for businesses? Should you be franticly downloading the new app in order to keep up with the ever-changing world of social media? Or should you just sit back and wait to see how it continues to perform?
It might be a good idea to start experimenting on Threads now, as early adopters of Meta apps are typically ‘rewarded’, meaning your Instagram and Facebook accounts could experience growth as well. As it’s a new app, there are fewer complex algorithms to try and adhere to, and no tried-and-tested strategy to implement, so it’s perfect for authenticity. If you’re feeling burnt out from constantly trying to keep up with other platforms’ changes, a fresh start on a new app may spark some much needed creativity.
However, you must already have an Instagram account in order to sign up to Threads and if you then decide it’s not for you or your business, you cannot delete your Threads profile without deleting the associated Instagram profile, however it can be temporarily deactivated.
The app has also already raised privacy concerns about how it may collect information about a user’s digital activity, including health and fitness, financial, employment and other sensitive information.
LinkedIn continues to be an excellent platform for connecting with other businesses and individuals in a professional setting, so it may not be necessary to also be on this ‘new version of Twitter’, especially as it is not yet approved for use in the EU.
There is a tendency for some to approach social media marketing with a quantity over quality mindset, but it may be best to focus your attention on just one business facing platform and one general public facing platform and do them really well.
In short, the jury is still out when it comes to Threads. Many are really enjoying it, others are completely avoiding it, and we cannot yet say what is the best course of action. It’s currently down to personal preference, but there are definitely a few things to consider before adding another platform to your roster.
No matter your goal, we are here to help with your social media marketing. If the trends and algorithms changes are confusing you, if you don’t have the time or personnel to focus on content creation or copy writing, then Jennie Holland PR should be your first point of call. Get in touch today on 0115 998 3048 or email us at hello@jenniehollandpr.com.