Facebook is making a strong bid for your brand with its latest releases, an app and website built specifically for creators. It's part of the social media giant's continuing push into video: Earlier this year, Facebook launched Watch, a place to discover and stream original shows.
The creator app, which is rolling out today on iOS and on Android in coming weeks, includes tools for learning about your audience and building more engaging content. A "Live Creative Kit", offers ways to add intros, outros, and custom live stickers to your live broadcast. On the business side, an insights tab provides in-depth analytics about your page's reach and overall performance.
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However, the most exciting tool is the Community Tab, which seems to address a common challenge facing creators in 2017: Reaching audiences on every social platform. If you want max influence, you need to build material for YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and, ever since Watch was launched, Facebook. Facebook owns Instagram, but until now, it's largely kept what you do on one platform separate from the other. Community Tab is one of the first real integrations of the two: Comments from Facebook and Instagram, as well as messages from Messenger, will all be centralised in one unified inbox. It sounds like a much easier way to keep track of your responses. Plus, it promises to decrease the amount of toggling you need to do between apps.
Currently, the link to the creator app takes you to Facebook Mentions, an app only available to those verified with the little blue check. However, Facebook, says the App Store should be updating shortly.
The new website for creators, Facebook for Creators, sounds similar to the sorts of resources YouTube has long offered its creative community. In a blog post announcing the news, video product manager Chris Hatfield describes the site as "a new portal where creators can find resources and tips on how to create great videos, connect with fans, and grow on Facebook." Joining that online community also gives you access to new features before they launch to the public.
If you have a Facebook profile, you count as a creator. However, if you want to expand your reach beyond your immediate group of friends, Facebook says there are two ways to do so. First, make sure your videos are labeled "Public." Second, create a Page by going here, selecting "Artist, Band, or Public Figure," and choosing "video creator" from the dropdown menu.
And for those who are content to sit back and watch all the #content fill their feeds, get ready for a lot of it.