SMS and MMS are crucial not only to text message marketing but text messaging in general. Every text message is either an SMS message or an MMS message. Knowing and understanding the difference will help to explain when to use one over the other.  In America alone, people check their phones an average of 52 times a day, and text messaging has a 97% open-rate across the world. This has made text messaging is too lucrative a form of communication to not understand. It’s crucial for businesses to learn everything about text messages and its forms to leverage it in their marketing toolkit.   

But wait, what is SMS and MMS? We’ll cover the main differences for you in this article.

Short message service, or SMS, is a system of sending and receiving text messages between mobile phones, smartphones, and the internet. SMS messaging only supports the sending of letter and number messages and only up to 160 total characters. This can keep marketing messages under control and helps to avoid sending poorly worded messages that carry too much information. 

SMS is not as visual as MMS messaging. Instead, it is supported by all cell phone devices, not just smartphones. That can be useful for reaching as many people as possible. 15% of US adults report that they own a cellphone, but not a smartphone.

Communication between a business and its audience can be distant and fractured, SMS changes that. SMS messaging for business needs to be different from a text conversation you may have with your friends and family. Business messages should still be personalized and sound like they’re being sent by a person and not a robot. When crafted properly, these messages are help a company grow by connecting to your best customers quickly and authentically. Text messages are personal means of communication, and people will not respond to messages that do not represent that.

Multimedia messaging service, or MMS, is simply described as an SMS message that includes pictures, audio clips, and videos. These visual aids catch your users’ attention quicker than text alone, but they also allow for more than 160 characters. MMS is unlimited in the number of characters that can be used. This means there’s no limit to control the message you craft. On Mobiniti’s application, we have a cap of 1500 characters. 

We live in a visual world, and when your customer opens up a photo of a product they viewed on your website or an adorable cat GIF, they are sure to respond. This kind of embedded media strikes a chord with us immediately, no reading necessary, making it an instant win among businesses trying to influence their customers quickly.

That being said, the lack of restraints on MMS when compared SMS means that it’s easier to over-stuff and poorly pace an MMS message than SMS.

Businesses should commonly use both SMS and MMS messaging to send out discounts and promotions, birthday and anniversary messages, billing and appointment reminders, event notifications, and so much more.  

For most small to medium business owners, the choice always comes down to cost. SMS tends to run cheaper and reaches more devices. When trying to reach as many as possible at a low cost, SMS is the way to go.

MMS marketing tends to be pricier but has the benefit of making an instant emotional connection with your customer and potentially influencing a younger demographic. When you have a demographic that you are trying to hit, you have the freedom to send poignant graphics that will hit harder than any SMS message.

Lucky for your business, Mobiniti offers both and we offer the most competitive pricing on both options. With our robust interface, a pay as you go plan with no credit card required, and customer support available to you whenever you need it, Mobiniti is your perfect choice for either your SMS or MMS marketing needs. 

Click here to get started with SMS or MMS marketing from Mobiniti and see how it can grow your business! And be sure to leave us a comment to let us know when you prefer to use SMS and when you would opt for MMS messaging!