How small businesses can leverage Threads to grow their community

It’s surpassed 100 million users in the first five days and small businesses are already bringing their personality to the new Threads app with witty conversation starters and catchy one-liners. 

Firstly: what even is Threads?

Mark Zuckerberg describes Meta’s latest platform as  “an app built by the Instagram team for sharing with text”. Threads is billed as “where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow”, according to its creators.

When you open the Threads app, your feed will include posts by people you already follow on Instagram, and recommended content from new creators for you to discover. The low-down is that you can share links, photos, and videos along with your threads, which can also be easily shared to your Instagram story. 

So, is it another bright and shiny social media app? 

The social media landscape is going to consistently evolve so for small businesses to stay ahead it’s about embracing trying new things. The winning bonus with the new Threads app is that it comes with a community from day one. 

With a number of new features on the way and a more robust search function that makes it easier to follow topics and trends in real time, this is one app you will want to jump on early to learn the ropes and keep your brand consistently ahead of the curve. 

How to best launch your brand on the Threads app

With any new social media app, early adopters always see the best results. To launch your brand on Threads, first think about how you can join the conversation. 

You wouldn’t walk into a party and awkwardly shout out your elevator pitch to the room. Instead, you’d warm up to the audience and interact in a way that feels aligned with your brand. 

Right now, the brands seeing the most success are those leading with compelling copy that’s witty, timely, and attention-grabbing. 

To get started, you must have an Instagram account to join Threads as it will require you to use your Instagram login to sign in. Once you’ve downloaded the new Threads app from the App Store, your Instagram username and bio will be ported over, along with the option to follow the accounts you’re already following on Instagram so that you don’t have to start from scratch.

Now it’s time to join the conversation with your first post to connect with the community you have already built around your brand on Instagram and the new creators yet to discover you. 

When drafting your first post, come back to your brand voice and the understanding you have of your audience. The current trending posts are ones using punchy captions, engaging gifs and relevant questions that get your attention amongst the feed of conversation. 

The Threads app isn’t going to be a ‘one post per day’ kind of social media platform, it’s going to be a thriving hub of activity and that’s why not taking your brand too seriously and jumping into the action will keep your business relevant and a part of the conversation.

Alicia Penhorwood is the founder and director of the digital marketing agency Harper Collective.