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Funnel & Marketing

What is MMS? How it differs from SMS, what it costs, and when to use it

In this article: ► The same underlying technology, but with key differences ► Words and pictures together give recipients a better experience ► How retail uses MMS to drive spending ► Using MMS more intelligently

What is MMS?

MMS stands for Multimedia Messaging Service, one of the most widely used communication technologies of the present era. Think of it as SMS with more range: as well as text, MMS can carry images, audio and short video. The point of those files is to make the message richer, strengthen the visual impact, and leave a deeper impression on the recipient.

How MMS differs from SMS

MMS and SMS are very similar and built on the same underlying technology, but a few key differences separate them.

  1. An SMS carries only 160 characters; MMS has no such limit. At the cost of a little more data than SMS, MMS gives the sender almost unlimited room — as well as text, all kinds of multimedia file can be placed directly into the message to enrich the content.

  2. Because multimedia files such as short video and GIFs embed directly in the MMS, the recipient does not need to click any web link to see the image or video. The information reaches them faster and more conveniently.

What MMS is used for

MMS has a wide range of uses, helping businesses, retailers and travel companies stay closely connected with customers.

Common uses include:

  • Sending target customers marketing information: discount codes, coupons, new product images or video, event invitations.

  • Sending animated greeting cards at festivals. Compared with an unremarkable advertising email, recipients find these warmer and are more inclined to read the content.

  • Sending customers product tutorial videos, strengthening after-sales service.

  • Sending prospects images of the products left in an abandoned cart, encouraging them back to the site to complete the purchase and lifting sales.

  • Sending prospective travellers striking scenery photographs, encouraging them to buy a travel package and go on holiday.

  • Sending travellers e-tickets, so that with a phone in hand they can move through transport without obstruction.

Requirements for multimedia files

Want to give recipients the best experience? Keep these golden rules in mind:

  • Images in JPEG format, animations in GIF, designed vertically to match the portrait display of most phones and tablets.

  • Image and animation files must not exceed 250 KB, and the whole message must not exceed 600 KB.

  • The optimal image dimensions are 327 pixels high and 400 pixels wide.

  • Image resolution should be 72 pixels.

  • For readability, keep the text under 500 characters and the subject under 64.

Using MMS more intelligently

If the information you need to send is detailed and the content is long, then with SMS’s character limit you may well need three or more SMS per send, multiplying your costs and blowing the budget. This is where MMS, with no character limit, becomes the best answer.

Recently, with the pandemic still severe, one of our brand clients had to contact all their customers by message to notify them of the brand’s latest commercial arrangements. The notice was fairly detailed, and had the brand insisted on SMS each send would have taken as many as eight messages. We immediately suggested switching to MMS. Beyond removing the length limit, the message also carried multimedia files, which made it far easier for the brand’s customers to retain the new arrangements.