Twitter has announced it has acquired ZipDial, a Bangalore-based marketing platform that uses missed calls to promote companies, in a deal estimated to be worth around $30m (£19.7m).

ZipDial provides companies with special phone numbers which consumers can call then hang up before they are charged for the call, providing the company with a phone number they can then target with voice or text message campaigns.

The missed call method draws on a popular habit in India used to preserve voice minutes, with people often using it as a method of signalling friends and family. Last year, Facebook tested an ad unit that incorporated this tactic which saw high engagement in India.

“This is a huge achievement for the entire ZipDial team, and an opportunity to reflect on everything weve accomplished since our start in 2010,” said Valerie Wagoner, founder and CEO of ZipDial. “The company was founded on the insight that consumers and brands in emerging markets behave differently and have different needs. We build for them and their unique behaviours.

“Well continue building upon the existing ZipDial platform, and now, by coming together with Twitter, we have the tremendous opportunity to elevate everything weve built to a global scale. We could not be prouder to join the flock.”