Adopting a New Social Network

One constant in social media is change-nothing ever stays the same when it comes to social networks. One major change that happened in 2023 that had a major impact on many companies’ social media marketing was the change of ownership of Twitter, now called "X."

While Twitter was not the biggest or most-used social network prior to the takeover, it was a key part of many social media marketing plans, particularly to reach a wider, global audience and to offer more near-real-time customer service. With new ownership came new rules and the loosening of established rules and procedures that helped minimize spam, scams, and harassment. Many companies left the service rather than endure the most chaotic online environment.

Since then, several companies have launched social networks to "replace" Twitter, aka X, in their social media marketing portfolio. Here’s a basic comparison of the most promising ones: Threads and Bluesky.

Threads

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, launched Threads soon after the Twitter takeover. Threads is a real-time social platform that is integrated with Instagram. In order to sign up for it, you must first have an Instagram account. Threads functionality works similarly to Twitter and features include:

1. Posting text, images, and videos
2. Reply, repost, and like other user content
3. Access via the web and in iOS and Android devices

While you can follow other users or be followed, Threads does not offer a direct messaging feature and until recently, did not utilize hashtags. The platform still does not show the hashtag symbol but using it can create a clickable link on a keyword.

You can customize your desktop view by pinning the feeds you’d like to see when you access Threads through a web browser such as different feeds, mentions, activity, and searches.

One advantage Threads has over other newer social networks is the connection to Instagram. If you have already built a following on Instagram, they will be able to see some of your Threads in your Instagram feed which will in turn help prompt them to click over and follow you. Once you join Threads, your Threads handle appears underneath your Instagram username on your Instagram profile page, another way for people to access your Threads account.

While Threads broke records for the fastest growing new social network on launch, the userbase has become stagnant over time. The platform seems warmer and more personal than X, harkening back to the early Twitter days, but this means it may be more challenging as a company to make an impact unless you can adopt a more personal approach. Still, having a presence on Threads or at least claiming your account is a smart move, particularly if you are regularly using Instagram.

Bluesky

Bluesky started as an initiative at Twitter by Twitter’s co-founder, Jack Dorsey, and later became a separate legal entity. Bluesky is described as a "decentralized microblogging social platform" meaning that it is open source and runs on decentralized computing and has some benefits such as, content ownership remains with the creators, stronger user privacy and security, and more transparency.

The Bluesky interface feels very similar to Twitter. One useful feature of Bluesky is the ability for anyone to create a custom feed and have followers to that feed. This is similar to Twitter’s Lists feature and is a way to curate content from other sources on the platform and share it with others. The platform also has some basic moderation features which can be helpful when managing your Bluesky account.

The initial focus of Bluesky seems to be on the individual user and not larger organizations or brands. At this early stage of Bluesky, media outlets seem to be using the platform more than brands. This can be helpful to any business looking to establish relationships with journalists. The adoption rate and userbase is not as impressive as Threads, but like Threads, a company looking to use Bluesky should take a less commercial and more personal approach to posting and interacting on the platform.

Before You Choose a New Social Network

When adopting a new social media platform, consider the following:

1. Are there good reasons for you to leave an established social network for a new one?
2. Is your audience adopting or migrating to the new social network?
3. Does the new social network integrate well with other platforms or tools that you use? In many cases, this may be pending so consider how long you might have to wait for key integrations.
4. Does the new platform offer business-oriented tools such as detailed metrics and advertising opportunities?

Also, keep in mind the learning curve of learning how to use a new social network, the ways you may need to modify your messaging or communication style, and the inevitable bugs and fixes that will take place during a beta phase. Adopting a new social network takes patience, creativity, and agility but could eventually reap some viable rewards.