My latest column looked at the future of video in relation to search[1]. The piece inevitably turned to Facebook. I pointed to the trialling of new types of video content (360 and live streaming) on the service and the increasing importance of video in its own results pages as a way it can compete with Google and YouTube for viewer numbers.
A recent announcement from Facebook[2] goes into even more detail on how it is developing its search and video provision.
Brand Collabs
In an effort to help brands and businesses on Facebook connect, partner up, and make deals with creative content producers, the service is launching a tool called Brand Collabs.
The tool is currently only available in the US but is expected to roll out further very soon. It allows brands to search for creators on the service – even digging down to creatives who are already fans of the brand in question – and makes it really easy for them to reach out and connect.
Brands can narrow down suitability of potential creatives in terms of the audience that are already in their networks. This is handy, for instance, if a business wants to promote a piece of content to a particular demographic. They can also view other brands with which creators have already worked with.
From the perspective of the creator, Brand Collabs allows users to showcase work with insights and analytics to prove its value. Creatives can also construct their own portfolios, and make themselves known to brands by liking them and appearing on their search lists of potential creators.
New types of gamified and interactive video
Unsurprisingly, video looks like it is going to