GoDaddy, best known for its internet domain registration service, is continuing its two-year old strategy of expanding into a broad array of digital marketing and cloud-based operations services for small business. On Wednesday, it announced the acquisition of the small business email marketing platform, Mad Mimi. During the past year, we’ve noted often that GoDaddy has altered its branding strategy away from its earlier intentionally controversial ads appearing on the Super Bowl into a marketing message designed to cast the company as a full-service digital platform for small businesses.
With 11.6 million customers using its internet domain name registration services, a significant portion of whom are small businesses, the company wants to leverage those relationships by creating a full suite of online services for small businesses. In June, the company announced plans for an initial public offering. (It pulled an earlier IPO in 2006.)
Heading into the IPO, the company also announced the exit from corporate or board leadership responsibilities of its colorful and controversial founder, the entrepreneur and philanthropist Bob Parsons.
In addition to Mad Mimi, during the past two years, GoDaddy has acquired the accounting platform Outright, a restaurant marketing platform, Locu, the web hosting company Media Temple. and Canary, a “smart calendar” service. During the same period, it has also forged marketing partnerships with several other small business-focused services.
According to the GoDaddy announcement, Mad Mimi will continue to be available as a standalone application. GoDaddy is working on a “next generation” platform for 2015 that will include Mad Mimi and its other newly acquired services.