We wrote about the first 24 hours of Meta’s Threads back in July, when the new platform boasted 30 million signups on its first day. As a B2B marketer, you’re undoubtedly aware that the fanfare of that first day has worn off, and usage on the app has declined. 

Social media continues to splinter in multiple directions one year after Elon Musk acquired Twitter, now known as X. Meta’s Threads was initially seen as a “Twitter killer” by some. 

Whether it is or not remains to be seen. In this follow-up blog post, we’ll chronicle what happened to Threads during its initial 90 days online and how it may—and may not—serve B2B marketers. 

Threads Rapidly Signed Up Millions Who No Longer Use The App 

Threads was born on July 5, 2023. It broke records as the fastest-growing app of all time as 100 million users created accounts in its first five days of existence. 

But many of those users didn’t stay. Initially, there was no desktop app, limiting the ease of use for many. Threads simply launched without the features most social media users have grown accustomed to having, like keyword searches, trending topics, and hashtags. 

Slowly and methodically Meta is adding features to the platform. There is now a desktop web app for the platform. And, while there isn’t official support for hashtags, keyword search is now in place, and many users are hashtagging their posts on Threads like it’s Instagram in 2015. 

Threads Still Has Major Shortcomings for B2B Social Media

There are still significant hurdles to Threads becoming a viable platform for B2B social media marketing. One of these is Europe. Meta must obey the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA). The Act looks to keep competition fair in European markets by identifying “gatekeepers” who are considered to be large digital platforms that provide core services. Meta, thanks to its Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram behemoths, is firmly ensconced in that “gatekeeper” category.

The DMA seeks to regulate search engines, app stores, messenger services, and more. 

Enforcement agencies are eyeing Meta’s social networking, Facebook Marketplace, WhatsApp Messenger, and Meta Ads as potentially running afoul of DMA regulations. These investigations are ongoing, so we’re not sure exactly when Threads could be permitted in the EU—a major problem for B2B marketers who want to implement a social strategy there. 

Threads Offers Its Own Culture & Trends, Just Like Any Other Social Media App 

Just as TikTok offers certain trends, so does Threads. While Threads’ trends are more B2C, savvy B2B brands can hop on and take advantage of them. (Only if they match your brand voice & style, of course). 

But the question remains—should your B2B brand hop on Threads? 

Since there is search functionality now within Threads, we did a little search to find out if B2B conversations are happening there. People are talking about: 

  • RevOps 
  • DevOps
  • Python
  • SQL 
  • Cloud computing 
  • DevSecOps
  • Customer Experience (CX)

While these conversations are happening, the amount of active users as of the time of this writing is still low. The platform is forecasted to be 23.7 monthly active users by the end of 2023. That’s low in comparison to Meta’s other platform, Facebook, which boasts 177.9 million monthly users. As for X, it’s forecasted to have 56.1 MAU by year’s end. 

The Future of Threads Is Tough To Determine

While Threads has attempted to appeal to users by adding a “follow feed” and a desktop app, where will it be in a year or five? Some say it could be headed toward Mastodon’s “fediverse” and, therefore, a decentralized future. 

But is such a thing really the future of social media? 

There is still much more to focus on per platform, like engagement, for one. If you’re getting good engagement on X, there probably isn’t a compelling reason to abandon it for something like Threads, which is still in its nascent stages. 

At Leadtail, we’re still prescribing a wait-and-see approach for Threads for most of our clients. However, it sure doesn’t hurt to at least park your brand handle there. This is especially true for brands that are already active on Instagram.

The Future of B2B Social Requires One Thing: Content 

Does the place where you put the content matter as much as the quality of the content itself? Quality content that properly reflects your brand is still what matters most. Quality content always finds an audience of eager buyers. 

Whether or not Threads has long-term staying power, or the potential to be a cultural juggernaut like Twitter/X, Facebook, or TikTok, there’s a bigger picture here about where B2B social media marketing could be headed. Content is and always will be the royalty that all other factors bow down before. The classic marketing answer of “it depends” is warranted here. 

Dive a little deeper into where Leadtail VP of Operations sees B2B social media marketing heading in 2024.

Do you need help navigating the ever-changing world of B2B social media? Get in touch with us today.

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