What Is MMS?
Multimedia messaging service (MMS) allows you to send multimedia content seamlessly through your mobile device. While MMS is most commonly used to send photos, it can also handle audio files, videos, documents, phone contacts, GIFs and more.
MMS also provides mass messaging capabilities. Bulk MMS is a simple, cost-efficient marketing tactic to help your business's promotional messages reach a wealth of customers. You can even encourage your customers to sign up for your messaging service by offering an incentive. For instance, maybe you've seen an in-person or online promo that says something like, "Sign up for text alerts to receive 15% off your next order!"
With the average person spending over three hours on their phone daily, mobile devices are an effective way to reach your consumers. Although the 98% open rate often attributed to SMS is no longer true , SMS open rates are still higher than email. According to recent data from the same company that did the original research, 55% of text messages are opened and read. A Statista survey found that U.S. internet users opened and read 42% of commercial/promotional text messages, versus 32% sent via email. Click through rates for SMS range from 20 to 35% , compared to about 6 to 7% for email.
What Is the Difference Between SMS and MMS?
You've likely heard the term "SMS" at some point. Essentially, it's a more formal phrase for texting. SMS stands for "short message service."
SMS and MMS enable seamless communication for mobile phone users and were developed from similar technologies. Both message types are sent over a cellular network, requiring a wireless plan from a cellular carrier. Additionally, both platforms enable bulk texting, letting you send a thousand messages as easily as one.
Despite these similarities, MMS and SMS have a few key differences.
1. Character limits
Traditional SMS messages limit the user to 160 characters per message. A message exceeding this boundary is broken up into separate segments of 160 characters each, depending on its length. Cellular carriers typically chain these messages together, ensuring the recipient gets them in the correct order.
