Integrating Threads into your social media strategy

If you’re wondering whether Threads should be central to your business’s social media strategy, let me save you some deliberation: I have yet to run across a business where a “Threads-first” approach makes sense. But that doesn’t mean Threads doesn’t have value! If your goal is to make it easier for people to find and engage with you online, Threads can be a great addition to your overall strategy.

I even made a quick video, A Business Guide to Threads for 2024, where I joked that no business needs to be on Threads. (Spoiler alert: It’s only one minute long, so it’s worth a watch for a laugh.) But jokes aside, Threads offers some opportunity for businesses to repurpose existing content, expand their reach, and support their broader digital strategy.

Here’s how you can make Threads work for your brand.

Why Threads may deserve a place in your digital marketing strategy

Threads isn’t about reinventing your entire social media plan; it’s about complementing what you’re already doing.

Support, Not Spotlight: Threads works best as an add-on platform rather than the centerpiece of your social strategy. Its design is perfect for quick updates and conversational content.

Extend Your Reach: Since Threads integrates directly with Instagram, it’s easy to connect with audiences already familiar with your brand.

Simplify Content Sharing: Threads thrives on bite-sized, text-first content, making it a natural extension of blogs, newsletters, or even tweets (or whatever they’re called now).

Content optimization for Threads

If you’re already creating content for other platforms, you’re halfway there. Threads is ideal for repurposing and tweaking what you’ve got.

Blog Snippets: Share quick takeaways or stats from your blog posts to spark interest and drive clicks.

Visual Pairings: Combine short-form text with an image or video for more impact. Instagram visuals can be repurposed seamlessly.

Stay Conversational: Threads isn’t the place for overly polished sales pitches—keep it light, approachable, and human.

Reuse Content: It’s okay to make no tweaks at all, and just re-use content that you’re already posting on other social platforms, especially Instagram and the social network formerly known as Twitter.

Scheduling and tools that support Threads

If managing yet another social platform sounds daunting, good news: some social media schedulers like HootSuite and SocialPilot now support Threads.

Here are a couple of quick scheduling tips:

• Align your Threads posts with your broader social calendar to maintain consistency.
• Test different post formats—quick tips, questions, or conversational updates—to see what engages your audience.
• If you’re simply reusing content, just check that Threads box when scheduling. Bam! You’re good to go.

Building SEO and engagement synergy

Threads might not directly boost SEO, but it can still help your digital strategy in meaningful ways.

Content Amplification: Use Threads to drive traffic to your blog or website by linking to valuable resources.

Engagement as a Signal: While Threads activity won’t directly impact search rankings, increased engagement can enhance your visibility and online presence.

Keyword Integration: Craft posts around themes and keywords your audience is searching for, adding indirect value to your SEO efforts.

Integrating Threads with your other platforms

Threads works best when it’s part of a larger ecosystem. It’s not about starting from scratch—it’s about amplifying your existing content.

Cross-Promotion: Use Instagram to draw attention to your Threads account and vice versa. Encourage followers to engage on both platforms.

Consistent Messaging: Adapt your content for Threads without losing your brand voice.

Testing and Experimentation: Threads can serve as a sandbox for testing new ideas or content formats before rolling them out elsewhere.

Connect With Others: Threads can import your Instagram contacts so you can see who is already on Threads. Then you simply follow them, and they may follow you back!

Why Threads is worth considering

While Threads likely does not make sense as the cornerstone of your strategy, being present on the platform is a smart move. Think of it as planting a flag in another corner of the digital landscape, making it easier for people to find and engage with you.

So, while I haven’t seen a “Threads-first” strategy that makes sense yet, I can confidently say Threads has its place in a thoughtful, well-rounded social media strategy. Even Backslash Creative is on there!