As any marketing whizz will be able to tell you, the best way to grow your audience is to advertise your services on as many channels as possible. Moreover, with ad prices constantly increasing, many businesses are using owned channels for marketing themselves.
This is where text marketing comes in. It is relatively new on the marketing scene, but it’s already proving popular.
However, that begs the question: which is better for marketing—SMS or MMS services? Many prefer the MMS format since it allows a greater degree of personalization. In this article, we will tackle the subject of MMS marketing in more detail, explaining what it is, how it should be employed, and its benefits.
What Is MMS Marketing?
MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) marketing is a type of text-based mobile marketing that allows marketers to attach images, videos, and audio clips to their messages. Marketers can make their texts more appealing and engaging by interspersing them with fun emojis, attention-grabbing GIFs, and colorful graphics.
Even though it is only recently beginning to see wider use, MMS has already proven itself to be a powerful marketing tool. Most people respond more strongly to visuals than to text. MMS messages usually leave a longer-lasting impression than SMS texts. This leads to higher conversion rates.
What Is the Difference Between MMS and SMS Marketing?
We’ve explained what MMS marketing is. But what is SMS marketing? And in what ways does it differ from MMS?
Unlike MMS messages, rich media cannot be included in SMS (Short Message Service) messages. SMS messages can only include plain text, making SMS marketing far less eye-catching and memorable than the MMS equivalent.
This is the main difference between MMS and SMS messages, but it is not the only one. The other big difference between these two forms of texting is that SMS messages are limited to just 160 characters, including spaces. The character limit on MMS messages is ten times as much. What’s more, MMS messages can carry as much as 3.75 GB of data depending on the carrier you use.
What Are the Advantages of MMS Marketing?
MMS may be more expensive than SMS, but the sheer number of benefits you can enjoy using it make this investment more than worth it.
To learn all about the pros of MMS marketing, read on and see how this advertising method can help boost audience engagement.
Create Engaging and Shareable Texts
Where SMS texts are dull and dry, MMS messages have the potential to be far more engaging. You can use GIFs, images, videos, and more to give your texts a real sense of personality, helping to convey something about your brand.
Not only will your multimedia messages grab the recipient’s attention and attract them to your company, but they also have the potential to be shared with even more people. Customers are unlikely to share a plain old text with their friends—but if you embellish your message with an amusing GIF or an enticing picture of a new product, they might pass it on.
To further establish your brand, you could acquire a new vanity number for your business—a number where the final seven digits spell out a word. This will make your phone number far more memorable to your customers. Instead of struggling to remember your number, they’ll be able to recognize it at a glance.
Cost-Effective Marketing
MMS messaging may cost slightly more than SMS, but it is still much more affordable and effective than other marketing strategies used by online brands today. With the press of a button, you can reach out to a vast audience, all for just a few cents at a time.
Not only does MMS marketing cost less, but it also takes less of a toll on the environment. The cost to our planet is too often overlooked; sending MMS messages means you can forego the need for printed posters or pamphlets.
Reach Customers Instantly
When using MMS, you can reach customers instantly, no matter where they are. Some devices don’t even need mobile data to allow their users to receive MMS messages.
An MMS message usually takes between 3-5 seconds to reach its recipient. You can immediately reach customers even when they’re out and about. You don’t have to rely on them coming across an ad on their social media feed or checking their email inbox for your latest newsletter. Instead, you can get their attention immediately, whenever you like.
Personalize Your Text Messages
One of the best things about MMS marketing is the potential for personalization. Receiving a message on your mobile phone is already quite personal. How much more so when attached to that message is a picture of products you’ve been interested in?
Personalizing your marketing messages to your audience shows them that you really care about them. This can help foster a sense of brand loyalty and make your customers more likely to return to your business.
Higher Character Limit
When compared to SMS messages, MMS texts have a larger character limit. This means you can fit more information into your marketing messages. Generally speaking, it’s still a good idea to keep your messages relatively short—that way, it’s easier to hold your audience’s attention. However, if you’re promoting the release of a new product and want to give some information about it, an MMS text will allow you to do so.
Best Practices for MMS Marketing
So, we’ve established that MMS texts are an excellent tool for marketers. But how can you make sure that you utilize MMS marketing properly? What practices should you implement to ensure you’re making the most of this fantastic tool?
That’s precisely the topic we’re going to cover here! Read on to find out our top five best practices for MMS marketing.
Get Your Audience’s Permission
The most important thing to remember when it comes to MMS marketing is that you must have informed consent from a customer to send them promotional material. This regulation, put in place by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, applies to MMS and SMS marketing.
Not only is consent a legal requirement, but obtaining permission from your customers first will also make them more inclined to trust you. Unsolicited messages are rarely welcome and are likely to cause outrage and upset. On the other hand, when people willingly sign up for marketing material, you’re likely to have a higher engagement rate with them.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with providing some incentive to encourage people to sign up for your promotional material. Discount codes, first access to new products, and exclusive content are just some exciting incentives you can offer your customers.
Create Clear Designs
Another critical best practice is to create clear, attractive designs. Here are a few things you should keep in mind to ensure that your texts are not only striking and attractive but are also accessible to your audience:
- Use large, clear text in your graphics. If someone has to squint at your design to make out what it says, then you’ve not done a satisfactory job! Using a bold font will ensure that your message is easily legible, even to those who struggle with their eyesight.
- Consider designs that are friendly to color blindness. When choosing the color palette for your marketing material, consider accessibility and branding. Try to stick to colors that are clear for people with color blindness. Also, avoid bad color combinations, such as yellow text on a white background.
- Don’t clutter your texts. Remember, the goal is to make your messages engaging, not overwhelming. While putting together your design, keep in mind the fact that phone screens are usually relatively small. You don’t want to cram too much into one text.
Optimize Your MMS
Optimizing your MMS messages is an essential step in MMS marketing. Some of the people in your audience may not use smartphones or cannot access mobile data. To accommodate these people, you should resize and optimize your MMS messages before hitting send.
Not only will resizing your MMS make it easier for customers to download and view your files, but it also means you won’t have to send as much data. This, in turn, keeps you within the data limits of your plan, helping you save money.
Send Your Texts at the Right Time
As mentioned above, with MMS marketing, you can send out promotional material to your audience whenever you like. While this is true, your marketing will only be effective if you send your material out at the optimal time.
Figuring out the best time to message your customers can take a little bit of trial and error. Generally speaking, the weekend is an excellent time to send out promotional material since people are more relaxed at this time. But we advise experimenting with different days and times to see what works for you.
Remember, to make the most out of any marketing campaign, you must come up with a solid marketing strategy. You will likely see results in time if you consistently apply this strategy.
Keep Your Messages Relevant
Finally, when drafting MMS messages, be sure to keep them relevant to the needs of your audience. This means sticking to subjects related to your company and your goods and services.
One thing to keep in mind is that you aren’t limited to sending promotional material only. To mix things up, you might send helpful tips about your industry. This type of high-quality content clearly demonstrates the value of remaining subscribed to your marketing material. It also keeps your messages from feeling monotonous and “spammy.”
When writing up your MMS messages, be sure to include important buzzwords. These words help draw in the reader and quickly capture your audience’s attention. You might also consider including a call-to-action in your messages to encourage your customers to engage directly with your texts.
Experience the Benefits of MMS Marketing Yourself
In this article, we’ve taken an in-depth look at MMS marketing. As we’ve shown, the many benefits of MMS messaging are not to be scoffed at. Within seconds, you can send carefully-crafted promos straight to the hands of your customers, ensuring that you can stay at the forefront of their minds and keep their interest.
When employed correctly, this promotional tool can boost your customer engagement levels, leading to higher conversion rates and boosting your revenue. Not only that, but when used in accordance with these best practices, MMS marketing can even help you to build a trusting, loyal relationship with your audience.
The best way to understand the benefits of MMS marketing is to try it out for yourself. So, why not give it a shot today? We’re sure that you will begin to notice the benefits in no time at all.
