There is no denying that we do more with our mobile phones than ever, yet there is still much that is better with a monitor and full-sized QWERTY keyboard and mouse. Though shopping, browsing and otherwise interacting with a business is fine via a handheld device, the actual content creation is still better from a desktop/laptop.
That could explain why Instagram’s Threads may struggle to attract true business users. Threads, which launched earlier this month and promises to have the potential to take on Twitter in the social media broadcast space, is a mobile-only platform. Users can only make posts, write comments and follow others via a mobile app, unlike Twitter, which allows users to engage from a website.
According to a new report from B2B Reviews, which surveyed more than 400 business owners, 15% of respondents already had a Threads account, while nearly half (47%) said they had plans to make one in the future. However, almost the same number (45%) said that the platform being mobile-only was its biggest disadvantage.
The lack of direct messages, no hashtags, no search capability and no pinned posts have also been seen as Threads’ other drawbacks. Even with these downsides, it could still find a place among business users.
“Navigating the landscape of new social media platforms can be both challenging and rewarding for businesses. Our study shows that while 13 percent of business owners are fully embracing Threads and intend to use it exclusively for their business, 31 percent are a bit more hesitant and plan to integrate both Threads and Twitter into their marketing strategies,” explained Madeline Weirman of the creative team at B2B Reviews.
“As Meta continues to develop the platform and roll out new features, businesses should carefully analyze these updates to effectively harness Threads’ potential for audience growth and engagement,” she added.
Business As Usual?
Even as other platforms have been touted to be a “Twitter-killer,” one has yet to be a serious challenger. Threads could be different, even if it is still a mobile-only platform and lacks some of the features users have come to take for granted.
“While the Thread app is not yet fully featured it clearly has potential as a Twitter alternative — given that within five days more than 100 million users signed up to use the app,” said technology industry analyst Susan Schreiner of C4 Trends.
However, she added that Threads’ value for business will take time. It launched as a mobile-only app, but Schreiner noted the reports that Meta will soon let users post and browse from the desktop. Yet, it could still take more than just a move to a web browser for it to truly dethrone Twitter.
“Since its launch, more functionality has been added including a follows tab on the activity feed — but in order to break Twitter’s stranglehold on power users it needs to add other functionality similar to Twitter’s hashtag, which allows users to group together related posts into a single feed, and so on,” suggested Schreiner.
In addition, Threads’ potential for the business world could still be tied to reassuring users that it offers community moderation and better verification processes.
“To succeed, it will need to work hard to attract and reassure businesses and brands that it is a safe space in which to operate and advertise, but it starts from an advantageous position, given its ability to enable brands to make use of connections they already have on their Instagram platform or Facebook,” Schreiner continued. “This will enable companies to easily and seamlessly scale their campaigns in Meta’s network. As Threads increases its functionality, reach and shareability, it has the potential for becoming a one-stop information and promo shop.”
Users have already touted its user-friendly interface, high character limit (up to 500) and the fact there is no limit on content consumption as its biggest advantages. Threads also arrived just as many, including some business users, have expressed frustration with the direction Twitter is taking.
“There’s clearly a demand for a Twitter alternative,” said Schreiner. “Now the question is can Thread go the distance?”