Threads by Meta: Revolutionizing Higher Education Marketing

September 8, 2022

Threads burst onto the social media scene on July 5, 2023, courtesy of Meta. It made a splash with over 30 million downloads on its launch day and skyrocketed to over 100 million within a week. This new platform was set to revolutionize the social media landscape, backed by a billionaire showdown. With Twitter (now X) facing its own challenges under new ownership, marketers had to carefully consider where to invest their time and resources for both organic and paid endeavors.

In the realm of higher education, the Threads app holds immense potential for fostering deep connections among students, faculty members, and even alumni. Its unique focus on text and image-based snippets of content provides a platform for admissions teams to cultivate relationships by sharing academic achievements, campus event updates, and opportunities for collaboration.

If you're contemplating the integration of the Threads app into your higher education marketing strategy, strategic planning and innovative utilization for community building can yield promising outcomes – provided that the app gains popularity among student audiences and enhances its capabilities. So, let's begin by exploring the fundamentals and delving deeper into this exciting opportunity.

What is Threads – and is it Relevant to Higher Education?

Threads, a standalone app developed by Instagram under Meta, was specifically designed for sharing text updates and engaging in public conversations. It offers users the convenience of posting photos, videos, and messages to specific individuals or groups, making it an ideal platform for targeted marketing campaigns.

However, it is important to note that Threads currently lacks certain features that are available on other social media platforms. These include hashtags, an edit button, simple account switching, post scheduling, and paid advertising. As with any new app, it is still a work in progress and requires further observation to determine if it is worth investing your time and resources.

Instagram Threads and Social Media Marketing for Education

Social media marketing has proven to be an effective tool for higher education institutions to boost brand awareness, engage with potential students, and showcase their unique offerings. With the introduction of Threads, these marketing efforts can be further enhanced by facilitating personalized and targeted communication with the desired audience. However, it's crucial to determine if your ideal prospective students are using Threads, especially considering that Gen Z is the current generation entering college. Let's delve deeper into this demographic and explore its relevance to Threads.

Will Gen Z adopt Threads?

Threads shattered records by amassing an astounding 1 million users within an hour of its launch, surpassing the growth of any other platform in history.
According to the latest statistics from July 2023, Gen Z dominates the user base of Threads, with the highest number of users hailing from this generation.

Daily users average over 40M.

It’s a new tool, so the stats change all the time, but the numbers look promising.

Threads, developed by Instagram's parent company Meta, is specifically designed to facilitate focused conversations among close friends and groups. This targeted approach not only leads to higher conversion rates and engagement levels but also fosters deeper connections compared to more generic approaches. Meta recognizes the power of Threads in enabling meaningful interactions and believes that it has immense potential for enhancing user experiences in social media conversations.

Do You Need to Kickstart Your Threads Strategy?

If your admissions or communications department is already active on Instagram, it's a breeze to create a Threads account since the data is already connected. By opening an account now, you can experiment and learn on the platform while it continues to grow.

To maximize the benefits of Threads in higher education marketing, it's crucial to adhere to best practices. Just like with any social platform, focus on creating captivating and visually appealing content that resonates with your target audience, highlighting the unique aspects of your college or institution. If you're already producing social content for other platforms, consider cross-posting to begin observing engagement.

Here are some exciting ways to leverage Threads in your higher education marketing strategy:

Utilize Threads as a powerful tool to captivate prospective students. Share exclusive glimpses into campus life, facilitate connections with current students, and provide a platform for them to inquire about the university. This personalized interaction cultivates a sense of exclusivity and fosters a stronger bond with prospective students, ultimately boosting their likelihood of enrolling.

Offer a glimpse into the inner workings of campus events, like a captivating student-led theater production or a groundbreaking research conference. By granting exclusive access to these extraordinary experiences, your university has the power to ignite excitement and create a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) among your target audience, ultimately motivating them to engage with your institution and submit their applications.

Develop a dedicated Thread catered specifically for students who have a keen interest in a particular academic program. This Thread will serve as a platform to share inspiring success stories of current students enrolled in the program, highlight exciting research opportunities, and provide regular updates on faculty achievements. By adopting this targeted approach, prospective students will feel acknowledged and understood, ultimately increasing their likelihood of selecting your institution as their preferred choice for higher education.

For instance, Stanford University has effectively utilized the power of Threads to showcase an array of student projects, research initiatives, and collaborative community efforts. As a result, they have experienced a significant boost in engagement and have garnered an impressive following of over 100,000 followers.

In reality, Threads may not be the next best thing in social marketing, but there’s a low barrier of entry right now to start engaging without adding too much time and resources. But remember, it’s still a work in progress.

Best Practices for Threads in Higher Education

Showcase Campus Life and Student Experiences

Threads offers a unique opportunity to authentically showcase campus life by highlighting student experiences, events, and activities that set your university apart. By sharing compelling student stories and testimonials, you can foster a strong sense of community and belonging, ultimately attracting prospective students who can connect with these shared experiences.

Engage with Prospective Students to Reveal Unique Offerings

Colleges and universities have the opportunity to utilize Threads as a powerful tool for engaging with prospective students. By actively answering their questions, addressing concerns, and providing personalized guidance throughout the admissions process, institutions can create a strong connection with potential students. When combined with other focused channels like email automation, Threads becomes even more effective in attracting students who are specifically interested in the unique offerings of the institution, such as academic programs, facilities, and campus culture.

Challenges and Limitations of Threads for Higher Education Marketing

One potential obstacle to consider is the ongoing need for consistent and high-quality content creation on Threads. Regular updates are necessary to maintain audience interest and engagement. However, this challenge can be approached proactively by integrating Threads as a supplementary source for student interaction, alongside other communication channels.

By directing students to campus resources and using landing pages to gather their information, you can enroll them in email automation and keep them updated on the admissions process. It's essential to strike a balance between engaging with the audience and respecting their privacy, so colleges and institutions should be mindful of privacy concerns and ensure that all content shared through Threads aligns with their policies and guidelines.

In Conclusion

Incorporating Threads into your higher education marketing strategy is worthwhile for engaging with your audience. However, it's important not to allocate all your resources to just one social channel. Make sure to connect Threads with your most effective channels, such as email, to gather information from prospective students and keep them well-informed about your institution.

In general, experts in higher education marketing recommend creating a content calendar and establishing a consistent posting schedule to maintain audience engagement and loyalty.

The platform is still early in its evolution, and it lacks capabilities for full campaign launches, like management tools and paid advertising options. For now, it can be a helpful organic channel to engage with your prospective and current students, alumni, and partners where they may already be spending time.