Unravelling Threads: Is Instagram's New App A Useful Tool For Tasmanian Businesses?

Meta, the company behind the likes of the apps you know and love in Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has recently launched a new application called Threads.

What is Threads?

Threads is more of a text-based app and is already being touted as a potential rival to Twitter, with its primary function being to share text updates as well as enable participation in public conversations.

How do you create an account on Threads?

Threads is tied to the Instagram account of a user, allowing for a seamless transition between the two platforms.

Users sign up through their Instagram accounts and keep the same username, password, and account name, however they can edit their bio to be unique to their Threads account.

To make things simple, users can also import the list of accounts they follow directly from Instagram making it easy to get started.

It's already been flagged as problematic however as users currently can't fully delete their Threads account without deleting their Instagram (Source: sbs.com.au).

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How do you use Threads?

Using Threads is similar to Twitter, offering users the ability to create text and multimedia based posts (as opposed to Instagram which is more visual, or photo/video focussed).

The app currently has a 500-character limit for posts and users can interact through reply to, repost, and quote others’ Threads posts.

Threads also tries to incorporate Instagram’s aesthetic and navigation system, primarily through offering the ability to share posts from Threads directly to Instagram Stories.

Despite being another new app for individuals and businesses to manage - the launch of Threads has been popular with over 10 million signups within hours of launch and after 24 hours, it passed 30 million signups.

This growth suggests the app has potential to become a major player in the social media landscape.

Although Threads has similarities to Twitter, it has some unique features - for example at the time of this article, there are no paid tiers and ads on the app.

For the popular people out there, verified Instagram accounts are automatically verified on Threads and users can take advantage of their Instagram network to find people to follow.

Some initial limitations of Threads however include that it does not yet support features such as long video, as well as direct messages and the increasingly popular live audio channels. You also currently can't edit posts on Threads.

A Threads post supports up to 10 media items. Also, while you can view Thread posts and profiles on the web through a link, you can’t log in through your own account and make posts.

How can businesses in Tasmania leverage Threads?

At Wakeford Digital, we feel that although it's another application to post to - Threads presents some opportunities for Tasmanian businesses including:

• increasing brand awareness and engagement
• used as a customer service hub
• a tool for market research
• good for networking
• promotion of products or services

Increase brand awareness and engagement:

Given its real-time text-based conversations, Threads provides a bit of a fresh platform for businesses in Tasmania to both increase their brand awareness and engage with their audience in a more personal way.

Through the application, businesses can share updates, insights, and behind-the-scenes content about their business, processes and customers that can keep their audience informed and engaged.

Customer service:

Threads also has the potential to be used as a platform for customer service.

Tasmanian businesses can quickly respond to customer inquiries or concerns in a public, transparent manner that not only helps the individual customer but also shows other users that the business is both responsive and cares about satisfaction.

A tool for market research:‍

By following relevant conversations and threads (no pun intended), businesses can gain insights into customer preferences, trending topics and industry news.

This can inform various aspects of business and marketing including content strategies, product development and more.

Threads can be good for networking:

Threads is shaping up to be a great place for businesses to connect with influencers, industry leaders and other relevant businesses.

Particularly in close-knit (another threads reference...) community like Tasmania, by engaging in conversations with these individuals or entities, businesses can build valuable relationships and partnerships.

Promotion of products or services:

While Threads currently does not have ads, businesses can still promote their products or services organically through their posts - however it should be noted that this isn't its primary focus.

That said, Threads looks like a tool that businesses can use to share a post about a new product launch, a sale or a special event.

Remember as with any social media platform however, it's important for businesses in Tasmania to remain authentic and provide value to their audience on Threads; with overly promotional or spammy behaviour having the potential to turn users away.

How do I get Threads?

Threads is currently available on iOS and Android in more than 100 countries. To download Threads visit threads.net and follow the link or QR code, or you can  download it from your respective device's App Store.

Conclusion

While Threads is off to a strong start, we feel that the challenge for new social media platforms often is not getting users to sign up but rather keeping them engaged over long term.

As Threads continues to evolve and grow, it will be interesting to see how it navigates these challenges and carves out its own unique space in the social media landscape.

Will you be using Threads for your Tasmanian business? If you're already on the platform, follow Wakeford Digital on Threads and keep up with our journey.