SMS and MMS. They sound so similar, so what’s the difference? It’s a great question, and one we get a lot. In this blog we will cover the differences between SMS and MMS and give you some tips on how to effectively use both of them to market or communicate to your audience more effectively.

What is SMS?

SMS just means text messaging. Text messaging is something you are definitely familiar with, as you probably text with your friends and family dozens of times a day. SMS Marketing is an effective way for businesses to reach their.potential customers because text messaging is the new king of communication. Through relevant and targeted text messages businesses can find and message their customers no matter where they are and drive more interest towards your business.

Benefits of SMS

• Text messages are responded to 7.5x more often and 60x quicker than emails.
• 89% of consumers say they want to text message to communicate with a business, but only 48% of businesses are equipped to do this.
• Over 60% of consumers would rather text than call when given the option for customer service.

What is MMS?

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) messages are just a fancy way of saying picture messages. This is a more engaging way to grab your audience's attention and get them interested in your important messages, products, or services. Whether it’s a new sale announcement with a coupon attached or an exciting picture of your new menu, MMS messages are a great way to deliver a  meaningful and engaging message that boosts your brand’s image.

Benefits of MMS

• Users are more likely to open colorful text messages because they stand out from plain-text messages.
• 96% of phones have the capacity to accept images and videos in the United States.
• MMS doesn’t require a smartphone or data plan to receive images.
• MMS has the same 98% read rate of SMS.
• MMS eliminates the use of paper and cuts the cost of expensive direct mailers.

SMS and MMS Marketing Tips and Tricks

Good Marketing Needs Attractive Pictures and Text

If you want customers to see your new products or learn about a sale, do it through colorful and fun picture messages. In order to increase your traffic both online and in-store, your marketing messages need to be inviting. If you include an offer like showing the MMS or mobile coupon at checkout, your customers will be more likely to redeem your offers. In addition, your SMS messages should be professional but also allow for a little fun in order to engage your audience more effectively and increase the likelihood they show up for sales.

Run Contests

Running a contest is another great way to use MMS marketing because picture messages are more engaging and fun to receive than simple text messages or emails. Even better, with texting you can run contests both ways, so you can also have customers send you pictures to. So if you are a restaurant, you can have customers text in pictures of your amazing food and give the best one a gift card or offer everyone who participated a mobile coupon.

Use SMS and MMS Marketing To Engage Customers

Once you have a subscriber, it’s crucial you keep them interested so they don't opt out. Customers who sign up to see your sales are often the most loyal and are more likely to redeem your offers, so it’s vital you send them deals that they will be excited to redeem. It’s also important that you send them updates on new products or services, which will increase your traffic both in-store and online. 

If you would like to incorporate SMS or MMS messaging into your business, click here to talk to one of our representatives today!