In a world of infinite streaming options, and enough ads on your screen to rival Times Square, grabbing your audience’s attention is harder—and more essential—than ever. While SMS has long been praised for its simplicity and effectiveness, MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) takes your marketing up a notch.
By incorporating rich media like images, videos, and audio, MMS transforms text campaigns into immersive experiences, fostering deeper connections with customers. But the marketing benefits of MMS go far beyond just captivating visuals. From driving heightened engagement to reinforcing brand identity through multimedia, and even unlocking higher character limits for more detailed storytelling, MMS equips marketers with the tools to create lasting impressions.
MMS Marketing Compared to SMS
MMS Marketing Can Take Many Forms
Unlike SMS, which is limited to plain text, MMS allows for rich, multimedia-driven messages that capture attention in a crowded inbox, including:
- Still image files – Perfect for showcasing high-quality product images or branded graphics.
- Animated GIFs – A playful and eye-catching way to share quick, looping visuals.
- Audio and/or video files – Up to 30 seconds long and maxing out at 500MB, these formats allow for storytelling and deeper brand engagement.
MMS’s Character Limits Far Exceed SMS
One of the standout advantages of MMS marketing is its expanded character limit. While SMS is capped at 160 characters, MMS gives marketers the freedom to share up to 1,600 characters in a single message. This opens the door for more detailed storytelling, comprehensive product descriptions, and creative copywriting.
MMS Will Cost More than SMS But Can Boost Engagement
Not every marketing platform will price MMS messaging the same way, but one universal truth is that MMS will always cost more than SMS. While the difference in the initial cost-per-outbound-text will often be a fraction of a cent, the added cost can compound when sending MMS messages to larger contact lists.
For many, the elevated engagement that can come from MMS marketing is well worth the added expense. To help you determine this for your own promotional campaigns, read our article about measuring text marketing ROI.
When to Use MMS Within Your Marketing
MMS is ideal for campaigns that rely on visual impact or demand extra creativity. Consider using MMS for:
- Promoting highly visual products such as merchandise, food, or travel experiences.
- Big announcements like Black Friday sales, product launches, or special events.
- Underscoring your brand’s personality by sharing unique, branded content that helps tell your story.
Marketing Scenarios in Which SMS May Be Your Best Option
While MMS offers powerful advantages, SMS still reigns supreme in certain scenarios, particularly when simplicity and efficiency are key. Use SMS for:
- Follow-up or reminder texts, such as appointment confirmations.
- Routine discount codes that don’t require elaborate visuals.
- Shipping updates that are short and to the point.
- Highly personalized interactions, While MMS can be segmented by audience, text-based SMS allows for easier tailoring of messages to individual recipients.
- Two-way interactions, such as conversational messaging or customer service queries.
Remember—Not Everyone Has Their Phone Enabled to Receive MMS
Not all phones or carriers support MMS, which can limit your audience reach. If a recipient has MMS disabled, the media (e.g., an image or video) will be dropped, and only the text portion of your message will be delivered. For this reason, it’s crucial to ensure your message stands on its own without depending solely on the visuals to make sense. Always craft your copy with this fallback in mind.
MMS Examples to Inspire Your Marketing
Images or GIFs Without Text
Sometimes, less is more. By using images or GIFs free from text, you allow the visual itself to take center stage, creating an impactful and distraction-free message. This MMS marketing approach is ideal for building excitement around new products or reinforcing brand perception without pushing for immediate action, as the imagery can potentially distract from any accompany text.
MMS Marketing Example: Athleta’s Collection Highlights
Take this MMS example from Athleta, where the focus is entirely on showcasing the collection within a single, visually striking shot. Adding text beyond their logo would have created unnecessary clutter, diluting the image’s impact.
MMS Marketing Example: Lonely Ghost’s Vibe-Centric Imagery
Lonely Ghost uses imagery not just to display their merchandise but to evoke a specific mood or “vibe.” Adding text would have undermined the emotional connection created by the image itself.
MMS Marketing Examples: Welcome Messages That Pop
Brands like Ultraluxe Skincare, Hue, and Art Snacks use visually appealing images to make their welcome messages stand out, captivating recipients from the very first interaction.
Marketing Tip: Always accompany these media-rich messages with a follow-up text that includes a clear call-to-action (CTA).
Images or GIFs That Combine Photos With Text
Striking a balance between visuals and text allows you to inform and inspire recipients at a glance. This MMS marketing strategy ensures that the visual elements capture attention while the text communicates essential details.
MMS Marketing Example: NYDJ’s Balanced Graphics
NYDJ showcases a perfect blend of imagery and text, delivering a visually appealing message that’s both eye-catching and informative. The graphic includes enough detail to spark interest while leaving room for the CTA to prompt action.
MMS Marketing Example: Luno’s Actionable Approach
Luno enhances its graphics with attention-grabbing headlines and a link, ensuring recipients can take immediate action. Pairing visuals with actionable text makes the message more effective and results-driven.
MMS Marketing Example: Doggie Style Pets
Doggie Style Pets gives us a graphic that tells a full story. While it doesn’t include all the key details like the previous two MMS examples, it combines different visual elements to accomplish its primary goal which is to intrigue and spur additional reading.
Images or GIFs Where the Message is the Star
MMS Marketing Examples: UNIQLO and NYDJ’s Bold GIFs
Animated GIFs, like those used by UNIQLO and NYDJ, are a dynamic way to highlight announcements or promotions that you want to scream from the rooftops. They’re especially effective for creating excitement around limited-time offers or seasonal campaigns.
Marketing Tip: Use this MMS tactic sparingly. Overusing text-heavy visuals can come across as overwhelming—similar to an all-caps email no one wants to read. Ensure that your media tells a complete story and adds value to avoid seeming unnecessary.
Additionally, if your media is going to be almost entirely text-focused, make sure it tells a complete story—otherwise it will feel superfluous, as is the case with the real-world MMS example below.
Images or GIFs to Convey Personality or Brand Content
Using GIFs or images to reflect your brand’s personality is a growing trend, especially when the goal is to connect with your audience on a deeper level rather than to promote a specific product.
Luno’s Humor and Education
Luno excels at this approach, frequently sharing GIFs and images to showcase humor or promote educational content. Rather than pushing their products directly, they focus on fostering a relationship with their audience by providing value and entertainment.
This approach is great for humanizing your brand and building a loyal following. Use it to establish your brand identity in a way that feels authentic and relatable.
MMS Marketing Best Practices
To ensure your MMS marketing campaigns deliver maximum impact and ROI, it’s essential to follow best practices that balance creativity, quality, and strategic execution. Here’s how to get the most out of your multimedia messages:
Use MMS Conservatively for Greater ROI
MMS messages are powerful but also come at a higher cost compared to SMS. To make the most of your marketing budget, use MMS sparingly and strategically. Mixing MMS with SMS not only helps you stay cost-efficient but also ensures that your multimedia messages stand out, making them more memorable and impactful. Overusing MMS can lead to audience fatigue and diminishing returns, so save it for campaigns where the visuals truly enhance the message.
Prioritize Quality Media
The success of MMS campaigns hinges on the quality of the media you send. Poor visuals can undermine your message and erode trust in your brand.
- Invest in Quality Production: Avoid relying on stock images or basic graphics that fail to grab attention. Instead, focus on professionally created visuals that align with your brand and resonate with your audience.
- Test and Optimize: Continuously test different types of media—images, GIFs, videos—to discover what your subscribers engage with most. Use these insights to refine your future campaigns.
Establish and Follow Brand Guidelines
Consistency is key in MMS marketing, especially when creating and using multimedia assets. A strong set of brand guidelines ensures that every piece of media aligns with your company’s voice, aesthetic, and values.
Brand guidelines are also a powerful tool for reinforcing clear boundaries. Your campaigns should be diverse and fresh, but your team needs to understand what’s acceptable. Take, for example, this MMS example from Luno; while they ultimately deemed the inclusion of a political figure to be aligned with their brand, not every company would make the same call.
Optimize Media Sizes
Large media files can result in delivery failures or slow loading times, which can frustrate your audience. Compress images and videos to meet MMS size limits (up to 500MB) while maintaining high-quality resolution. Optimized media ensures a seamless experience for recipients.
Keep Messaging Concise
Just because MMS allows for up to 1,600 characters doesn’t mean you should take full advantage of this option; effective marketing messages remain short and focused. Stick to clear, concise texts that complement the media and encourage action.
Flex Your Creativity
MMS marketing provides the perfect opportunity to showcase your brand’s creativity and personality. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box.
Blend media for maximum impact. Combine stunning visuals, engaging audio, and bold text to create a memorable experience.
In a creative rut? Check out Creative SMS Marketing Campaign Ideas to spark inspiration.
Finding the Right MMS Platform - Your Checklist
The MMS platform you choose should not only enable you to send engaging marketing messages but also offer advanced features that maximize efficiency, maintain compliance, and drive results. Here’s a checklist of must-have capabilities—along with how Voxie delivers on each one:
1. Fallback Text for Non-MMS Users
Even though most modern mobile devices support MMS, a small percentage of users cannot receive these messages. A top-tier platform should include fallback text capabilities to ensure that your message still reaches these users in a meaningful way.
How Voxie Helps: Voxie automatically handles fallback messaging, ensuring that if a subscriber’s device doesn’t support MMS, a text-only version of your message will be delivered seamlessly. This guarantees 100% message delivery without compromising the customer experience.
2. Strategic Automation for Audience Segmentation
Sending MMS to your entire subscriber list can be wasteful and ineffective. The best platforms allow for automated audience segmentation, helping you send relevant, personalized messages to targeted groups. This approach improves engagement while keeping unnecessary costs down.
How Voxie Helps: Voxie’s intelligent automation tools make audience segmentation simple. You can easily create hyper-targeted campaigns by filtering subscribers based on demographics, past behaviors, or preferences. By ensuring the right message goes to the right audience, Voxie maximizes your ROI on every campaign.
3. Drip Campaign Crafting Capabilities
Drip campaigns are essential for nurturing leads and guiding customers through the buyer’s journey. A strong MMS platform should allow you to integrate multimedia messages into these campaigns to create deeper, more personalized interactions.
How Voxie Helps: Voxie supports sophisticated drip campaigns, combining SMS and MMS in strategic sequences. Whether you’re launching a new product, running a holiday promotion, or re-engaging lapsed customers, Voxie enables you to craft automated journeys that keep your subscribers engaged over time.
4. Two-Way Texting Capabilities with Conversational Intelligence
Two-way texting is one of the most powerful tools in modern marketing. It allows businesses to engage in real-time conversations, answer customer questions, and deliver personalized experiences. However, managing these interactions manually can be time-consuming.
How Voxie Helps: Voxie’s conversational intelligence automates two-way texting, allowing you to scale personalized conversations without losing the human touch. For franchises, this is particularly impactful, as Voxie streamlines communication across multiple locations while maintaining a consistent brand voice. From answering questions about promotions to booking appointments, Voxie ensures smooth and efficient interactions.
5. Easy Digital Asset Creation
Growing your subscriber base requires tools that make capturing new leads simple and effective. Your MMS platform should include features like QR code generation, landing page creation, and site pop-ups to help drive sign-ups.
How Voxie Helps: Voxie offers built-in tools to create digital assets that grow your subscriber base effortlessly. With customizable landing pages, QR codes, and pop-ups, Voxie makes it easy to convert website visitors, in-store customers, and event attendees into loyal subscribers. These tools integrate seamlessly into your MMS marketing campaigns, helping you grow your audience and deliver value at scale.
6. Airtight Opt-In and Opt-Out Support
Compliance with SMS and MMS regulations is critical to protecting your business from legal issues and maintaining trust with your audience. The right platform should ensure opt-in and opt-out processes are seamless and fully compliant.
How Voxie Helps: Voxie prioritizes compliance by automating opt-in and opt-out workflows. Whether it’s through clear consent forms or easy opt-out keywords, Voxie ensures you meet all regulatory requirements, including TCPA and GDPR guidelines. With these safeguards in place, you can confidently scale your MMS marketing while protecting your brand reputation.
Galvanizing Your MMS Marketing With Voxie
Voxie isn’t just a text message marketing platform; it’s the only texting platform built for franchises, offering unparalleled tools to help multi-location businesses thrive. With features like advanced conversational intelligence, seamless automation, and built-in compliance, Voxie empowers brands to create meaningful, high-impact MMS campaigns.
By choosing Voxie, you gain access to a platform designed to help you leverage the power of MMS while staying efficient, strategic, and customer-focused. Ready to take your MMS marketing to the next level? Request a demo below.