Wouldn’t it be great if someone could micro-target your brand for you? Take their own time to bring the best parts of your brand to a specific group in the way that was most convenient for them?

Welcome to the push marketing side of APIs. Short for Application Programming Interface, APIs are like a technological switchboard: allowing a programmer to plug into a certain subset of your data, and re-present it in a way that makes the most sense for their audience.

There’s no loss of control

This is the first objection that pops-up: people will mangle the brand and do unholy things to it. Luckily, this is safeguarded by the API key, which programmers apply for, and the brand administrates. In this case, think of the API key as a rental car with GPS. You’re allowing a fleet of your cars to be driven around by developers. You can see every turn they make, and who is riding in the car. Don’t like what they’re doing? Turn the car off.

The brand as network hub

Display ad networks are a kind of model for this. You provide the content, they distribute it among their network of sites via similar API technology. That’s how they’re able to bring metrics from their partner site installations back to you. But the barriers to entry here have lowered significantly. So why limit your brand to only a few distribution avenues?

Brand as a non-linear narrative

When you allow developers to make their own applications out of your content, you are allowing new interpretations on your brand narrative. What this leads to is deeper brand affinity by showing a new side of the brand character. Every time a potential consumer bumps into your content, it’s through a new context that adds perspective and meaning.

But does it lead to revenue?

In the simple push sense that I describe here, what you get back is tremendous return on investment. For the cost of administering the program, you are creating many different ad networks using your brand.

What may be even more valuable are the insights that come back: getting a deeper snapshot of who the consumers are that want your content, and where they congregate: geographically, around interests, around platforms. Start an API and listen to the ways your content is being consumed. You will be quickly finding out just what your audience wants, and can provide your product in that context as a service instead of a commodity.

Related posts:

1. FTW 2009: Small, Closed Social Networks
2. Kicking off Poetry Month 2009: Langston Hughes
3. APIs: Start Slant-Drilling the Social Web
4. FTW 2009: Digital Television