51 | Threads: What Is It? Is It Here to Stay? & How I’ve Been Using It in My Business
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The Low Down on Meta’s New App: Threads
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about Instagram’s new app, Threads, that has quite literally blown up the online space since it’s release just a few days ago.
I’m not by any means an expert on the app. Honestly, no one can be an expert at this point. It’s a brand new app, still in its infancy, and it is going to be constantly changing with new features and updates as they develop the app and listen to consumer feedback.
The point of this episode is not to “give you the strategy” on how to use Threads. My intention with this episode is simply to talk about the app with you. I’m going to share my first impressions of Threads and how I’ve been using it so far.
And then, we can talk about whether it’s worth investing your time into a new social media platform and how you might choose to use Threads for yourself.
In this episode, we discuss:
What Threads is
My initial thoughts on the app
Is Threads here for the long run?
3 ways I’m using Threads in my business
How to use Threads for your business
LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED:
What is Threads?
Threads is a text-based conversation app. It was released at the beginning of July by Meta and ties directly to your Instagram profile.
Meta describes the app as “a place where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow.”
Threads is a direct competitor with Twitter and functions pretty much the same with short, text-based posts that you can like, reply to and repost onto your own feed.
My initial thoughts on Threads.
When I first heard about Threads, I wasn’t really that excited about the app and I didn’t really think much of it. Instagram has put out a lot of new features lately that just seem to be there for the sake of it rather than giving any real value, and I thought that Threads would be the same.
But when I woke up to the notification saying that I could download Threads, I thought “Why not? Let’s see what this is all about.” And let me tell you… after my first few minutes on the app I was hooked! I hate to admit it, but I spent the whole of the first 2 days practically glued to my screen, as I think a lot of people were.
The first few days of Threads were absolutely chaotic with people discovering the app, exploring a new platform and there was definitely an immediate sense of community.
I think one of the best things about Threads is that it connects to your Instagram account, which makes setting up your profile such a seamless process, AND the fact that they have the option to ‘follow all’ the Instagram accounts you’re already following means that there’s extremely quick growth and it doesn’t necessarily feel like you’re starting from scratch because you already have an audience there.
Within 48 hours of downloading the app, I’d gained over 600 followers just from my existing Instagram followers signing up to Threads and hitting the ‘follow all’ button. In my opinion, this was a genius move from Meta because it made people want to stick around straight away and made the prospect of building a new profile on a brand new platform a lot less intimidating.
One of the worst things about starting out on a new platform is having to build an audience from scratch. Threads took that roadblock away and I think that’s a big reason that the app has already seen so much success.
Is Threads here for the long run?
No one can say for certain whether Threads is going to stick around. A lot of apps have had a great launch, received a lot of hype for the first few months, and then slowly drifted to the background… anyone remember Clubhouse?
But, in my personal opinion, I think that Threads could be the next big thing. Here’s why:
It’s connected to your Instagram account, which means it’s incredibly easy to create a profile, migrate your existing audience and start seeing results straight away. There’s no pressure of building an audience from scratch.
Threads allows you to create content easily. It’s quick, short-form content that doesn’t require you to get on video or spend hours creating Canva graphics.
There are no new behaviours to learn. Twitter already provided the concept - users are able to bring that knowledge and directly apply it to Threads.
How I’m using Threads in my business
A lot of people have already been asking about how they can use Threads within their own businesses. And honestly, there is no set answer. There’s no set strategy, and there’s no right or wrong way to use Threads.
Here’s how I’ve been using Threads in my own business…
USING THREADS TO SHARE YOUR PERSONALITY & BEHIND THE SCENES
The main way I’ve been using Threads within my own business is to share more of my personality, give more of an insight into my life and who I am as a person, not just a business owner.
As we discussed earlier, Threads makes it really easy to show up in an unfiltered, off-the-cuff way. As business owners, this provides a really great opportunity to share more of the real and the raw.
We already know the importance of sharing personal content to connect with our audience and build know, like and trust. Threads makes it easier than ever to do that because you’re able to take a quick thought, type it out and share it. There’s no need to create a graphic, or make yourself look presentable to show up on video, or worry about when the best time to post is. Sharing more of yourself becomes easy.
USING THREADS TO CONNECT & BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
The second way I’ve been using Threads is to connect with other business owners. The set-up of the app makes it really easy to build relationships and connect. The whole point of Threads is to have conversations. That’s why it’s called Threads.
Over the past few days, I have connected with more business owners than ever simply by replying to their posts and starting a conversation. It’s such a wholesome, authentic way to connect with others and build relationships.
USING THREADS TO PROVIDE VALUE
Sharing more of myself and connecting with others is my main goal for this app. However, I am also a business owner and while I do want the majority of my Threads posts to be about building my personal brand and creating that connection, I will also be using it to share business and marketing content.
I will, and have, been using Threads to provide value. Am I sharing value in the same way I would on Instagram or on this podcast? No. Because it’s a different app with a different format.
But I am sharing value that’s going to serve my business and encourage my audience on Threads to take that next step, whether it’s connecting with me on Instagram, or signing up to my email list, or purchasing a product.
How to use Threads for your business.
If you’re wondering how you should be using Threads for your business, the simple answer is: However you want! There’s no pressure and no rules to this app.
👉🏽 If you want to use it to connect with your audience and other business owners, use it to connect.
👉🏽 If you want to use it to share more of yourself and your personality, share away.
👉🏽 If you want to use it to give value, give value.
👉🏽 If you want to use it to sell, sell.
👉🏽 And if you want to use it to do all of the above (just like I’ll be doing), DO IT ALL.
This is a brand new app. A fresh slate. So much opportunity is waiting!
So, I’m curious… are you on Threads? And if so, what are your thoughts so far? How are you planning on using the app yourself - if you’re even planning to use it at all? Come and let me know over on the Threads app! You’ll find me @marketingwithtish, the same as my Instagram.
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Hey! I’m Tish!
I'm a marketing mentor for ambitious entrepreneurs who want to create more time, freedom & profit in their online business, in a way that feels good to them!
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