The makers of the Yo messaging app, having recently raised $1.5 million, added a raft of new features to the iOS version that suggest it is being pitched as a marketing tool.

Until now, the app has simply allowed users to send the word ‘Yo’ to other users, but it seems that the company is looking to build on this simple premise to provide a slew of other services that could potentially be monetised.

Yo users can now include links within a message, which are flagged with an asterisk, with recipients clicking the notification to follow the link. This means publications and brands can use Yo to drive users to their websites and services.

The company has also created the Yo Index which shows users which brands and publications are using the technology to distribute content.

In addition, hashtags can now be sent within a message, with the ability to see how many times a hashtag has been sent via the app.

“This version shows the real power of the Yo platform which is, at its most basic, a two-way communication platform between people, websites, brands, businesses and virtually anything that can connect to the internet,” the company said in a blog post.

The new version of Yo also includes user profiles, which show the real names and pictures of users, meaning they can more easily identify each other.

Yo’s funding round was announced in July, with the company saying the money would be used to “continue its efforts to partner with leading tech companies while refining and enhancing its remarkably simple messaging platform”.

The company said it had been focusing on user acquisition and developing an API for “businesses, brands and other apps”.