Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Flipboard 0 Co-marketing can connect your brand with new audiences you may never otherwise reach, for a fraction of what you might invest in traditional marketing tactics executed with the same intent, especially when you piggyback on brands who open their mobile app APIs (application programming interfaces) to third parties for mutually beneficial co-marketing relationships. Here are just a few of the advantages co-marketing by way of APIs can offer your brand. Cut Through the Oversaturated App Market It has become fairly simple and cost-effective to design a proprietary app for your brand, but with such access comes high competition and market saturation. There are currently more than a million apps available for download from the iTunes app store and Google Play, making it increasingly difficult to get your app noticed, regardless of how well you’ve optimized keywords, descriptions and screenshots, or publicized it on your website and social media channels. Even if you do succeed at appearing in the top relevant search results in app stores, keeping mobile app users engaged to the degree that you realize a return on investment is no small feat. (It’s estimated that as many as 90 percent of app users abandon an app within six months of downloading.) When you piggyback on a proven leader in the app market through co-marketing, such mobile marketing challenges are inherently easier to overcome. Be a Part of Something Great Though recent digital media usage data indicates mobile users spend at least half of their time on digital media engaged with apps, evidence suggests that consumers may not be willing to try new apps like they once were, when the market was in its infancy. In fact, recent comScore data indicates that about 65 percent of mobile users no longer download new apps regularly, opting instead for the “household name apps” that have proven to be multi-faceted and highly functional, like those issued by brands like Facebook (the no. 1 app), Google, Yahoo, eBay and Instagram. When your co-marketing partnerships include brands that have such clout among consumers, you increase the likelihood that new audiences will give your brand a chance, without having to convince them of your worth. This past spring, the ride-provider service Uber strategically piggybacked on Google’s credibility to accomplish that very goal. By integrating Uber’s ride request services with Google Maps, it was able to associate its name with their established credibility to reduce some of the skepticism users may have had about the idea of the service itself, as well as the brand, to deliver a seamless customer experience. Uber accomplished two goals through this: reach existing Google Maps app users, and eliminate the need to convince audiences of the credibility of its brand and the service it provides. Diversify Your Brand Know that you have a product or service that a variety of customer segments really do need, but struggling to understand how to communicate that message to a vast audience in way you can realistically execute? Strategically co-marketing apps with third-party APIs can effectively handle that task for you, by placing your brand in front of a range of potential audiences, at the exact time they need your product or service (even if they don’t know it yet). Consider the diversity that exists in some of Uber’s initial third-party API launch partners: Expensify (an expense reports app), Hinge (a social network based on making new friends from the friends one has), Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Momento (a journaling app) and OpenTable (a reservations app), in addition to Starbucks, TripAdvisor and United Airlines. All of the partner apps fulfill different purposes for the consumers, and all position Uber’s product readily available to serve various consumer needs, whether it’s a ride to the airport, a lift to meet a new friend at a bar, a ride home after dining out or to arrange for transportation while sightseeing. Thanks to such strategic partnerships, Uber is positioned to become part of the app user’s “mobile moment,” in a way that is functional and appropriate. Apps are everywhere — but app users who will download your app and use it repeatedly are much harder to obtain. By co-marketing strategically with mobile apps and third-party APIs, you can build exposure and ideally capture new customers for your brand, by leveraging the basic notion that two heads are better than one. Twitter Tweet Facebook Share Email This article originally appeared on eZanga and has been republished with permission.Find out how to syndicate your content with B2C Author: Kane Pepi Kane Pepi is an experienced financial and cryptocurrency writer with over 2,000+ published articles, guides, and market insights in the public domain. Expert niche subjects include asset valuation and analysis, portfolio management, and the prevention of financial crime. Kane is particularly skilled in explaining complex financial topics in a user-friendly … View full profile ›More by this author:VoIP Basics: Everything Beginners Should Know!Bitcoin Investment, Trading & Mining: The Ultimate Guide for BeginnersIs This a Better Way to Set Your 2020 Goals and Resolutions?