Advertising Threads as an Alternative to Twitter: Observations and Suggestions

Just recently, Elon Musk informed users that Tweets will be rate limited, such that verified users can only view 6,000 Tweets per day, and unverified users only 600 Tweets per day. So many users have objected to this, and it has also become a perfect spot for other alternative microblogging platforms to advertise their product.

ADVERTISING HIVE

Just like other social media platform, Hive and its community have been consistent in advertising Hive products during this time. However, whereas many other social media platforms get huge traffic and more users, Hive has not enjoyed such privilege yet.

This is not to say that Hive marketing has been unsuccessful, No! But it is a call for us to identify the weaknesses in our advertising strategy, change them if necessary and strive to do better.

Advertising Threads, the Microblogging alternative for Twitter on Hive, hasn’t been an easy task amidst the enormous benefits of jumping into it instead of Twitter and others. Yet, it seems like people are paying blind eyes to our adverts.

For me, I think one of the things I’ve observed which I believe can help us as we seek to advertise Threads more is the problem of Terminology.

THE PROBLEM OF TERMINOLOGY AND ADVERTISING HIVE/THREADS

Most times, whenever we go out to advertise Hive or Threads as an alternative to Twitter, we fill our bags with loads of sweet words about Threads by Leofinance. We advertise it as a perfect Microblogging platform, a Web 3 social media that is better than Web 2 media like Twitter, Facebook or Tiktok. We say it is Censorship resistant, built on a blockchain world that is fast, scalable, decentralized and so much more. Oh yes, we give it the best names, although we aren’t lying because that is what it truly is.

But...

Do you know how or where we make mistake?

Let me tell you this:

Before I joined Hive, I was a regular user of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter, among others, but I didn’t know what “Web 2” was all about. In fact, it was the same when I joined Hive, I only saw Hive as a platform where I share my content and earn, that’s all. But, when I listened to various episodes of the Community Token Talk (ctt) podcast by Theycallmedan and Starkez, as well as their call-to-action initiative in early 2022, I became enlightened and knowledgeable about the difference between Web 2 and Web 3; Centralization and Decentralization; Censorship Resistance; Scalability, and many other concepts.

So, whenever I hear those words as adverts, I can easily understand them, because I have already been educated.

BUT...

Most times, we go ahead to use these terminologies for the average social media user out there who knows nothing about these terminologies.

How will they understand the terms?

We tell them not to use web 2, and that web 3 is better than web 2. We tell them to jump into web 3... But they don’t even know what web 3 or web 2 is.

This is why most times, when we make such advertisements, we are already limiting our audience to only those who are educated or have knowledge of such terminologies.

In other words, we are already shooting ourselves before advertising.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR AUDIENCE

It is okay to use such terms when we speak or debate with people knowledgeable about them. At this time, we can use all the sweet vocabularies and terminologies that characterize our adorable platform. But, when we plan to advertise Hive or Threads as an alternative to Twitter, then I think we need to tone down our language.

USING WEB2 AND WEB3 TERMS

For instance, rather than using the “web3” or “web2” slangs for an average or a dumb user of social media, just tell them: “this is a social media with so and so features.” Bringing in the terminologies of web2 and web3 may confuse them the more.

CENSORSHIP RESISTANCE

Many of these users seek for a platform where their account can neither be suspended or terminated. Yes, we have that in Hive and we advertise it as “censorship resistance.” I believe that using this term alone, the average social media user does not understand what it implies in social media world. It is important that we tone down and explain to them in the language they really understand, to effectively communicate and pass across our message.

CENTRALIZATION AND DECENTRALIZATION

In all honestly, the average social media user does not bother if he or she is on a platform being run by the ghosts. He or she just needs a social media that can give them what they want. Hence, whether it is owned by Khal, Taskmaster or Ksam, in so far as it can serve its purpose, then they will jump into it. In other words, in the advertisement scale of preference, advertising a good and workable social media product is more effective than preaching decentralization and centralization. The average social media user is less bothered.

In all, I believe that there is need for us to tone down our language, or use certain terms that certain audience will understand. This will increase the chance of passing across our message or advertising effectively.

However, the obvious truth is that such simpler words may not fully explain all there is to the technical terms. But, for the sake of communication, understanding and advertising to understand, I think it is apt.

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I AM KSAM

_{I may not be your favourite author, but you can journey with me to help me develop my writing skills. I am always open to criticism, correction and learning 🥰.}