What is MMS messaging?


MMS messaging, or multimedia messaging service, is a form of messaging that combines text with multimedia content. You can use it in mobile marketing to send images, GIFs, and virtual contact cards to your target audience.

MMS is an extension of traditional SMS (short message service) messaging, which only includes text-based messages.

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Characteristics of MMS messages

To understand why you might want to include MMS messages in your marketing strategy, take a look at their characteristics:

CharacteristicDescription
Multimedia supportImages: JPEG, PNG, GIF
Character limit1,600 characters or more, depending on the carrier
ReachAll U.S. numbers, Canadian toll-free numbers, and Australian long codes
CostVaries by carrier and plan, but more expensive than SMS

How to add MMS to your marketing strategy

Here’s how to add MMS messaging to your marketing program:

  1. Choose a reliable marketing automation platform: Look for features like MMS templates, segmentation, and comprehensive analytics to optimize your campaigns.
  2. Define your message objective: Decide what you want to achieve with your MMS message, whether it’s to promote a product or announce a sale.
  3. Segment your subscriber list: Research the demographics, interests, and behaviors of your target audience and segment them according to specific criteria. This will make it easier to create personalized MMS messages relevant to your audience.
  4. Craft engaging content: Use visually appealing images, write concise and impactful copy, and add a strong CTA to entice your audience to take action.
  5. Test, optimize, and send your messages: Check your MMS messages on different devices to make sure they look good and display correctly. Use A/B testing to try out different MMS versions and optimize them for better results.

After sending out your MMS messages, track click rates, open rates, and unsubscribe rates. Analyze this data to improve future campaigns.

Use cases for MMS messaging

Here are 5 common situations when you might use MMS messaging:

  1. Product launches: Send images showcasing your new product to capture attention and get people excited about what’s coming.
  2. Sale announcement: Liven up your announcements with images of products on offer, enticing customers to take advantage of the sale.
  3. Coupons and promotions: Use visuals in your promotional messages to highlight discounts, offers, or limited-time deals.
  4. Event reminders: Send a creative MMS with event details, location, and a map to boost attendance.
  5. Holiday greetings: Use colorful visuals, graphics, and animations to wish your customers happy holidays or send seasonal offers.

Advantages of MMS messaging

Using MMS messaging in your marketing strategy provides benefits like:

  • Higher ROI: MMS has a slightly higher revenue per recipient than SMS, increasing your success rate.
  • Product features: MMS is a great way to show off any great product images that highlight benefits.
  • Brand consistency: MMS can include your brand logo, colors, and product images in your messages, reinforcing brand identity.

Send impactful MMS messages with Klaviyo. Use Klaviyo AI to send engaging and personalized automated MMS flows, get advanced reports, and discover the best send times. Sign up for Klaviyo to improve your MMS marketing efforts and achieve your marketing goals.

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