​Brands should look at Facebook Home as the solution to their cross-channel marketing woes.

​Facebook’s critics blasted the company after it released Facebook Home – the software overlay for Android Phones. Many people said the program offered no real benefit to users, nor was it a necessary evolution for the social media site. Well, Facebook recently unveiled an update to its Home feature, and the software has been installed on more than 1 million devices.

Brands might not see Facebook Home as a valuable marketing ally, but they should. If anything, the software brings social media content front and center. Businesses looking to increase the reach of their branded content first have to earn trust of consumers and get them to connect with corporate Pages, and second, they must develop content worth viewing. Facebook Home will surface pertinent information and increase the likelihood of media being seen by the right audiences.

eMarketer estimates the number of smartphone video viewers in 2014 will hit 87 million consumers – more than 25 percent of the U.S. population.

Facebook Home’s introduction to the American public comes at a time when mobile marketing has become the nexus of brands and consumers. Social media, video and mobile are all in-demand channels that companies must learn to harness for marketing purposes moving forward. eMarketer estimates the number of smartphone video viewers in 2014 will hit 87 million consumers – more than 25 percent of the U.S. population. At the same time, the source expects U.S. ad spend on mobile video marketing to reach $2.1 billion in 2016 – up from 2013’s $518 million budget.

Mobile video budgets will also outpace visual media growth across other related channels – television and desktops. Because video content attracts on-the-go mobile consumers’ attention, brands must see the connection between their video marketing strategies and mobile social efforts. Perhaps Facebook Home is the ideal avenue for delivering promotional media to mobile consumers.

Marketers looking to advance their content marketing strategies to include a variety of media should first consider how each piece will connect with another. Content works best when it tells a brand’s story in chunks, guiding readers across the web, and providing prospects new snippets of context to earn their business. Facebook Home may seem like a strange ploy for the network, but content marketers must see it as a way to bridge the gap between desktop and mobile lead generation and nurturing.

Ted Karczewski is an Executive Communications Associate at Brafton. He works to develop his own voice and apply his passions to the evolving world of SEO and content marketing, but he doesn't shy away from writing for fun. After graduating from Suffolk University, Ted used his Communications degree to test out Sports Journalism before Marketing at Brafton.