With today’s dynamic and aggressive social media landscape, falling behind on any trend could cost brands significantly. Marketers must always look for emerging trends to connect with their target audience. For instance, we could learn a thing or two about brands jumping on Instagram’s new app, Threads.
Launched in July 2023, Threads is a text-based social media platform that continues to significantly impact millions of online users today. Many brands are maximizing this relatively new platform because of its incredible mix of familiar and new features.
Keep reading below to learn more about Instagram Threads. Discover why your brand must hop on the Threads bandwagon to reach online users.
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Understanding the Instagram Threads
Threads is a new social media platform launched by the team behind Meta’s Instagram. It’s a separate digital space where online users can start public conversations and real-time updates, allowing users to publish texts, photos, videos, and links. Like Instagram, this platform allows users to follow and connect with friends and creators who share their interests.
With millions of users in less than a week since its launch, Threads has become the fastest-growing social media platform in history. Most Instagram users quickly jumped in because you only need your Instagram account to sign up.
The platform boasts functions that feel familiar with existing apps, providing excellent accessibility to users. Navigating the interface is easy for Instagram users because most icons and functionalities are similar. Plus, users can share content from Instagram across Threads with no problem.
Moreover, Threads allows users to verify a person’s account through their Instagram profile. This convenience helps reduce interactions with fake or copycat accounts.
Threads vs. X (Formerly Twitter)
Threads and Twitter (now rebranded as X) are two social media platforms that are often compared with each other. Both apps center on hosting conversations among users that create and interact with text-based posts. While other materials, like images, videos, and links, are prominent on both platforms, text content is their defining feature.
Although there are various similarities between the two platforms, Threads offers certain unique features that X doesn’t. For instance, post lengths of Threads go up to 500 characters while X only has 280. Their video content can also go up to five minutes, while X only allows up to two and a half minutes. Plus, Threads doesn’t limit users on the number of content they can post a day, unlike X, with a 2,400 daily post limit.
Meanwhile, X’s added character limits, video durations, and account verifications are available if users subscribe to Twitter Blue, a paid subscription service available to X users. That means users will have to pay for some of the free flexibility that Threads offers. The only difference is that X’s paid features allow users to edit their content.
Brands Winning on Threads Early
Building a brand goes beyond launching money-making products and acquiring modern technologies, like point of sale or POS systems and CRM tools. Businesses must leverage various digital marketing platforms, like Instagram’s Threads, to stand out.
Since its launch in July, many brands have jumped onto the platform bandwagon. The following big names leverage Threads to connect with online users and promote their businesses uniquely.
Wendy’s
Wendy’s has long been one of the most dominant brands on social media, particularly on X. For years, they’ve been consistent with their self-awareness, humor, and unfiltered roasts of followers and competitors online.
It was no surprise that Wendy’s is one of the early adopters of Threads, keeping the same voice on the platform. The best thing about the brand is how it manages to go along with what online users are talking about, producing memes and other quick-witted content relevant to the current trends.
Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment is the platform’s most-followed account, with nearly five million followers on Threads. Over on X, the brand mostly republishes content from other pages that belong to their properties, like Spider-Man and The Avengers. However, with Threads, their approach is different.
On the platform, the brand takes a more human-centric approach to its content, publishing heartfelt artwork from the comics and candid interactions with Marvel fans. They also post behind-the-scenes moments of its many franchises, from comics to films.
Spotify
Spotify is among the many big brands that have mastered human-centric community engagement. They use the same approach across different social media platforms, including Threads.
Some of the many effective strategies Spotify uses on Threads and other platforms include sharing a playlist, asking questions about song lyrics, and publishing weekly charts. They also post two to three times a day and reply to their followers consistently, keeping them updated about their favorite artists and podcast channels. Today, Spotify has over one million followers.
CNN
CNN is also among the most-followed accounts on Threads, with nearly two million followers today. The news company relies on videos and other visual materials to make its content stand out on the platform. Through these content forms, CNN is able to tell relevant stories and breaking news to their followers. Often, they accompany their posts with articles that expound on the story, prolonging their engagements with users.
Starbucks
Like Spotify, Starbucks is making a significant impact on personalized community engagement on Threads. The brand is known for its minimalist aesthetic when showcasing its delicious coffee and yummy treats, which it also uses on its Threads account. However, their page stands out in their play of new terms and trends that online users currently engage with. They also aim their messages at the younger generation, likely Starbucks and social media enthusiasts.
Free People
When Free People joined Threads, they immediately gathered hundreds of followers. The company uses Threads to provide a glimpse of what goes on in the fashion industry but in a more human-centric way, publishing behind-the-scenes content. They also repost influencer content, witty one-liners, and interactions with other retail brands.
Join the Threads Community
Despite being a new player in the game, the Threads app significantly impacts today’s social media landscape. Many known brands are hopping on this emerging platform because of its familiar and innovative social media features. Their presence on this network should be enough to convince you to sign up for your own business account.
Image by Dave Adamson on Unsplash
