When I first snagged my Threads account, I never envisioned the stats I’m about to share with you.  Threads was pushed out with very little fanfare by the Meta team less than a year ago in July of 2023. 

The goal was a streamlined, connection-focused platform that may have been plugged as the “Twitter/X killer.” If you’ve followed me around on social media for any length of time, you know I create a significant amount of content for TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. 

What I talk about less is how exhausting that is. I know, I know, “content is king,” but your queen is tired, and a reprieve from the noise was in order.

If you would rather “watch me talk about this” rather than read about it, then click below to check out this YouTube Video.

In December of last year, 2023, I took the leap to go ALL IN on Threads and spent most of my time scrolling and posting on the new platform instead of other channels. I didn’t abandon the others but poured more of my energy and creativity into this new direction. 

Here’s what I discovered:

• There are NO ADS on Threads (I know, the ads expert couldn’t possibly say that!)
• The community feels more connected (It’s giving more “authenticity” than “hustle.”)
• I saw more people on threads (I even bought something from a follower!)

I want to walk you through how I leveraged the new platform, what the results were, and my Threads vision for 2024.

Breaking Down The Numbers

Threads got most of my creative attention from December up to now, in early 2024. I wanted to strike a balance between posting too much and too little and landed on 4-5 times a day.

This content was brief, a mix of business and personal with a little pop culture sprinkled in. But nothing was investment-heavy or revolutionary. It wasn’t fully “stream of consciousness” content, but it was close. It felt easier. It felt more organic and less forced. I actually enjoyed it! 

And I can’t argue with the numbers. 

My Threads audience has grown by approximately 400 new followers in the past 2 weeks, which isn’t unheard of but certainly significant. But the real win is the amount of traffic I’m seeing to my website compared to traffic generated by Instagram.

This graph from my Google Analytics dashboard shows where the most website traffic came from in December 2023. For me, this is usually Instagram, but not anymore. Threads has single-handedly beat out Instagram for new users to the LM website this month.😳 

Read that again!! 

The true value of any social media presence is the ability to generate OFF-PLATFORM activity. The apps are great for increasing brand awareness, but they don’t always translate to business-impacting metrics like traffic and sales.

The numbers also revealed that the engagement rate of Threads users on my website is 37% higher than that of those who clicked over from Instagram. Those that come from the new micro-content platform are reading more content, browsing other pages, and sticking around. 

This tells me that traffic is warmer and potentially more qualified than users who navigate from Instagram. Mind blown. 

Additionally, other links I posted on Threads (like YouTube videos and the like) actually got traffic and engagement. So often, these links die on Instagram within days, but I didn’t find that to be true here. 

Why I Love Threads

Completely unexpected traffic results aside, there’s so much to love about the clean and simple Threads, but here are my top green flags for the platform. 

Low-Lift Marketing Effort

Low-lift marketing is having a moment in the online marketing world, but I experienced it IRL on Threads. For me to be successful on Threads and gain traction, I didn’t need to…

• Be in front of a camera
• Film b-roll content
• Edit talking videos
• Track all the silly trends
• Create graphics in Canva
• Write long-form posts

I love TikTok, but content for this platform requires me to be on camera, filming, editing, etc., and this is not aligned with the CEO lifestyle I envision for myself. 

On Threads, I simply posted my thoughts, gave valuable insight where possible, engaged with others, and shared funny, relatable memes. I was “social,” and it worked. 

New Connections

I met so many new and interesting people on Threads. Some I was already following but never saw their content, many were entirely new to me, some were connected to my audience or were attracted to the LM world organically.

I found them in my Explore feed, some were other accounts my followers were engaging with, and others just found me. It was like the early days of social media again, how it was always supposed to be. 

There Are NO ADS

Did you gasp? LOL. I know – I’m an advertising specialist and CEO of an ad agency, but I won’t lie, it’s a nice break from the constant bombardment of ads, sponsored, and suggested posts on the other platforms.

Social media for business used to be far less chaotic. Consumerism wasn’t pushed so hard (I’m talking to you, TikTok Shop), and it was enjoyable – before the “Doom Scroll” era. 

Thanks to the unique algorithm, Threads has proven to be a better way to connect with other like-minded people and content creators. I believe the absence of ads plays a significant role in that reality, offering completely organic growth and connection.

A Massive Opportunity For Market Research

Market research can be more organic and conversational. Too often, it comes across as slimy or like a “gotcha.” On one of my scrolls, I commented on a thread that was talking about predictions for 2024. 

The OP mentioned her prediction was that we’d see a rise in paid, premium subscriptions. I expressed off-hand how I’m considering a new offer in 2024 to support people with their online advertising. A few people were ready with some great insights:

It was the easiest, most genuine conversation about this topic I’ve ever had. Just creator supporting creator and talking about things we value and share. 

This interaction alone made it clear to me that I need to redirect more of my focus to Threads in terms of time spent on social media.

So, Is Threads Dead In 2024? Hardly.

I’m not going to tell you that you’re “sleeping on” Threads. If you’re crushing it elsewhere, I’m not suggesting you make the switch. But I will tell you that this new platform really works for me, and, bonus, I enjoy the experience of using it.

For Litchfield Media, here’s what my marketing stack will look like in 2024:

1. Threads: I plan to focus more of my time on creating content specifically for this platform and brainstorming ways to continue developing this as a traffic and connection generator.
2. YouTube: I started in June of 2023, posting 1 video every week, and I will continue to do that, supported by sharing on Threads. 
3. Email Marketing: This channel has some cobwebs I need to dust off, but I’m committed to revitalizing my list. Thanks to an idea sparked on Threads, I will be putting out a new lead magnate resource for a unique problem I want to solve.
4. Instagram:  Of course, IG isn’t going anywhere, but this will not be my main focus in terms of content and outreach.
5. TikTok: Way down here at #5 is the short-form video content platform. I’ll keep up with 1 video a week, but I can easily recycle Threads topics for these. 
6. Blogging/Pinterest: In 2024, I want to prioritize more evergreen content channels rather than the typical “flash in the pan” platforms. 

If you’re on Threads, come follow along with me and let me know where you’ll be focusing your marketing efforts in 2024.