If you are reading this, you might already have a fair bit of idea about the SMS marketing industry and how it has panned out over the years, with Zipwhip holding the central command in the SMS Marketing industry.
But as we all know, Twilio has acquired Zipwhip, and they are stopping their operation by the end of this year. So, we would pay our tribute to the legend by sharing their story from our perspective. Also, we will tell you the lesser-known facts about Zipwhip, which made it such a big deal, and how that shaped the industry.
How did Zipwhip start?
In the early 2000s, text messaging started getting traction, with people sending more than 250 billion messages by 2002. When Apple launched its first iPhone in 2007, it revolutionized the whole industry by including a virtual keypad in smartphones.
Marketers took advantage of this opportunity and started leveraging SMS marketing as their primary tool to communicate with their customers. This gave leeway for the intermediaries like Zipwhip to enter the market and exploit this opportunity.
Zipwhip was founded in 2008 by John Lauer, John Larson, and Anthony Riemma. They started with a motive to become the “Facebook of Text Messaging” but later pivoted to provide Text-Enabled Landline and VOIP services.
Two things helped Zipwhip in gaining clout within the industry. First, they were the first company to provide such services, which allowed them to build loyalty among its customers by being the first in the market. The second is that they were at the right place at the right time. Text messaging was booming in the USA when Zipwhip started its operations which helped them even further in acquiring customers.
Zipwhip also played a significant role in educating customers about the need to use text messaging to communicate and engage with customers. Hence, they created a need in the market and developed the product around that to fulfill those needs.
How do they overcome challenges?
The road to building this legacy was not without any obstacles. The major obstacle that they faced was in creating a seamless customer experience. Zipwhip focused on adopting the latest technologies, which inadvertently helped them provide the best experience to its customers.
As they grew over the years, they needed to stay updated in terms of the technologies and infrastructure that they were using. So, they started using the cloud infrastructure of Amazon Web Services along with the MGNIX controller and F5 cloud services. This helped them stay at the top of their competitors and create a name in the industry.
What was Zipwhip's vision for the future?
Their primary goal was to create a community of clients who focused on building a brand through improved communication.
Zipwhip aimed to create solutions that made its platform the best communication channel in the SMS industry. This gave them an edge over their competitors in the text marketing space.
The future of Text Marketing
Since marketing has shifted towards digital nowadays, more and more marketers are finding ways to sell their products and services through a digital medium. Text marketing is one such medium that is booming and has a lot of potential for businesses to build their brands through better communication.
Businesses have trusted Zipwhip for a long time if they need such services in the past. But with Zipwhip stopping its operations, these businesses are looking for alternatives that can take the place of Zipwhip.
If you are one such business and would like to build your brand through such platforms, then Falkon SMS is the best place. It has all the necessary text marketing features that are needed to make strong communication within the organization and with the customers, and that too at the most affordable price.
We are at the forefront of understanding what is needed to build a strong communication network. We have created solutions that will help your businesses grow faster and achieve your marketing and communication goals in no time.
If you want your business to be at the forefront of your industry, then book a meeting with our team here and start moving forward with us.