Send text messages for your app.
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Twilio

Communication
Last updated on:
April 13, 2022

Twilio is the go to tool to use to send text messages. But the hidden secret that is not widely known, is using Twilio in combination with Zapier. 

Twilio by itself is not no-code friendly and has a high learning curve. In the case of my project and I’ve seen others, Twilio paired with other no-code tools drastically reduces the learning curve and actual need to learn how to implement Twilio. Think of Twilio like your email sender like Mailchimp, Sendgrid, ConvertKit. No imagine having to learn the development behind it and codify it to actually work. With Zapier, Parabola and others, it takes that part completely out and uses Twilio as a sender. Eliminating any of the hard part. That’s the beauty of no-code.
 
Below I have added a successful project launched on Product Hunt called Dream Vacay. Below are my stack notes and video tutorial of how I linked together this stack to create a product that automates saving money reminders for your dream vacation. The stack consists of Carrd>Typeform>Zapier>Twilio. 
What’s more is you will see outstanding Makers like Isaac Medeiros build a product and launch it for live streamers. He does a really informative concise breakdown of how he did it. 
Finally, make sure to check out Max Katz who also contributed to the resource section that help you automate sending text messages as notifications or other use cases. 

Take these, re-create them and then tweak them for your own idea.

I’ll be adding more of the best no code actual applications created by some insanely talented Makers who launched using Twilio as part of their side project stack.

How might this tool be a fit for you:

  • Twilio makes it easy enough to send text messages with extensive documentation and guided setup
  • The most helpful feature is the ease to which it integrates with Zapier. I'd recommend whether just starting out or creating a quick MVP, use Zapier to create customized Zaps that use Twilio as a sender. An analogy using email service like Mailchimp, using Zapier to create the copy and logic for the text message as a WYSIWYG for is for creating the email and Twilio like Mailchimp actually delivers the text/email.
  • If you are a developer you should have plenty of documentation to use and go
  • Pricing is fair and can buy small amounts to get started when creating an MVP without a big commitment

How might this tool not be a fit for you:

  • Twilio is not as intuitive to use if you are new to development or no-code.
  • Even if you are experienced product manager, twilio can be overwhelming as it core audience is developers. Twilio is not as user friendly as say Zapier. However it does not need to be. Just use Twilio as an means to an end.
  • Sending text messages is not cheap. It's not expensive. You really need to think through why you are needing to implement with Twilio. Are you trying to send a message that has a high urgency or need for response tied to the value of your product? If not I would not consider this tool. Text message has the highest open rate out of any medium. However, that comes at a cost.

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