With the advent of smartphones, SMS messages have been able to expand into MMS messaging. We have seen this trend in many channels of digital communication, notably Twitter which is very similar to texting. Twitter started out with 140 character messages, however now you can add images and videos to your tweets. In a similar fashion, MMS messages have taken the concept of SMS and given it color and sound. Although text-only messages are by no means extinct, the ability to send images and videos gives everyone an opportunity to see inside other people's lives. It keeps families closer who are living far apart, allows parents to be part of college students' lives and creates literal snapshots from moment to moment that can be saved for posterity's sake.

MMS for Business

MMS opens up a whole new world for businesses. It is already known that appealing to more than one sense will aid in memory retention. If you are planning a marketing strategy, then using a mixture of text, image and video can help both attract and keep your followers engaged. When you are in the process of growing your subscriber list for your messaging program, MMS messages can be excellent tools. Because they come with colorful imagery, MMS messages are more likely to be opened than standard text messages. And text messages already have a high open rate.

Tips for Increasing Subscribers

Coupons

MMS messages are ideal for sending coupons, because your customers are already trained to see colorful print coupons. Sending discount coupons to your followers and asking them to share or posting coupons on your other marketing channels such as TV, social media or email that require opting-in to activate are both sound methods of increasing your subscriber list.

Contests or Competitions

Any activity that requires a user response can do two jobs--engaging followers and getting new followers. Examples of these types of activities include:

• Photo competitions: Invite people to text a photo with a specific keyword to you to enter
• Video competitions: Have your audience submit a video answering why they should win your prize

Auto-Responders

One method of seeking new subscribers is using an auto-responder. Invite your target audience to join your subscriber list for a reward such as a coupon, gift card or other enticing benefit. You can set up your auto-responder to send a photo or video message to anyone who joins with the reward attached. This type of system is fun and exciting for your subscribers and they will share them to friends and family driving new subscribers.

Integrate Marketing Channels

Using MMS marketing in conjunction with other marketing channels is very successful in drawing in customers and keeping them engaged.

Starbucks is a champion at this type of marketing. They combine their mobile app, texting and social media channels to keep their customers interested.

One campaign started out with a text message with a trivia question. Once the customer responded, they sent another text telling customers to send in a code if they wanted to receive summer alerts. This interchange allowed Starbucks to learn what type of device the customer was using for the best user experience. They then directed their customers to send out pictures of themselves drinking a Frappuccino on social media. These messages are easily shared, increasing the number of respondents who opt-in to the subscriber list.

While this is just one example of how you can integrate MMS with other marketing channels, it points out that since mobile devices are used primarily for communication, it makes it easy for customers to spread the word from one channel to another. For instance, you can save an MMS image, then share it out on Instagram or Facebook right from your phone. Sharing on different channels puts the marketing image in front of different networks of contacts in a matter of minutes.

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