Jacob Morrow
2024-11-19 15:28:26
A huge majority of people all over the world use text messaging for communication. As a result, brands also incorporate Short Message Service (SMS) marketing in their multichannel marketing strategies to reach as many people as possible. Platforms like EngageLab make automated SMS campaigns even quicker and easier to run.
Just like SMS, many people also send Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) without even realizing it. Therefore, the goal of this article is to thoroughly discuss the differences between SMS and MMS so that you can choose the right type of messaging for both personal and professional reasons.
SMS vs MMS - SMS Notifications Explained
As the name suggests, SMS are short messages. They are limited to a maximum of 160 characters and must be in plain text. In other words, any type of media file, like a picture or video, cannot be a part of an SMS.
The massive popularity of the SMS is because it is the simplest way of sending a text message. Cellular networks used to be the primary way of sending messages, but VoIP phones allow users to benefit from SMS communication through the internet connection.
Basic Working of an SMS
Here are the key stages involved in the transmission of an SMS from a sender to a recipient:
- A triggering event, such as placing an order.
- Analysis and processing of the event.
- Sending the request to the SMS getaway API.
- Processing the request.
- Sending the message and delivery confirmation.
If you are interested in learning more about the detailed workings of an SMS, you can check out our detailed article about SMS notifications.
Source:https://www.nwcphp.org/
What Are MMS Messages?
MMS is completely different from SMS. It stands for multimedia messaging service. You can attach different types of media files, including audio, video, emojis, and graphics, to MMS, along with text characters.
Marketers often rely on MMS to craft engaging messages with captivating media files instead of just relying on the characters in SMS.
An important thing to remember about MMS is that they travel over the same network as SMS. Moreover, they arrive in the same inbox as the recipients. Most people open MMS quite quickly, and statistics also indicate that the number of open MMSs is as high as 98%.
FAQs about MMS
Here are a few common FAQs and their answers about MMS:
Q: What type of files does an MMS support?
A: You can send many different types of files with MMS, including GIF, PNG, JPG, MP3, and MP4.
Q: Can you send MMS messages internationally?
A: Yes, you can send MMS messages internationally, but it can have higher charges, so you must consider the charges.
Q: Does it cost more to send MMS than SMS?
A: Yes! MMS involves more encoding due to the presence of a media file, so its cost is also higher than a simple SMS message.
Key Differences between SMS and MMS
Now that you are familiar with the basics of SMS and MMS, you are probably wondering what are the differences between these two types of messaging.
Source: SMS vs MMS
Let's evaluate SMS vs MMS in detail in the light of their key features:
1.Content type
The most important difference between SMS and MMS is related to their versatility. MMS supports different types of images, videos, audio files, and GIFs. Such versatility is not possible in an SMS that is limited to 160 characters.
The versatile nature of MMS becomes even more important when you consider the fact that most networks don't even support sending emojis in SMS.
2.Characters limit
An SMS can have a maximum of 160 characters, but an MMS can have up to 1600 characters. Hence, you can utilize this ten times higher characters limit to craft more engaging and informative messages.
3.Pricing
Pricing is a huge factor to consider, especially for businesses who are planning to run a messaging marketing campaign. The cost of sending an SMS is much lower than an MMS. Sending multimedia messages needs more data and will cost you more.
Moreover, it is much easier to run an affordable and automated SMS marketing campaign with a powerful customer engagement platform like EngageLab than to send MMS in bulk.
4.Deliverability
Even though SMS is not as versatile as MMS, it is certainly a much better choice when it comes to reliability and ensuring a high delivery rate. All types of mobile phones and cellular networks support sending and receiving SMS, which significantly boosts SMS marketing efforts.
On the other hand, not every type of cell phone supports MMS. As a result, if a brand is solely relying on MMS for marketing purposes, there is a high chance that its message might not go through the entire target audience.
In personal group chats, MMS has a better delivery experience than traditional messages because the entire group can converse around the same message. On the other hand, if you are sending an SMS to multiple people, you will have to use the BCC function like on emails, and the message will be sent individually.
Source:https://textgrid.com/
Pros and Cons: SMS vs MMS
Both SMS and MMS messages are important in building a strong connection with the recipients, such as the target audience of your business. However, both SMS and MMS have their own sets of pros and cons that you should know about to ensure you are using the right kind of messaging:
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SMS is short and simple, so the recipient can quickly read and
understand it within seconds.
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SMS is a common and well-trusted form of communication.
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You don't need to spend a lot of money on sending SMS.
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Automating an SMS campaign is quick and easy.
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SMS can be sent immediately without any delay.
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SMS have a high deliverability and open rate, which means they are
likely to be received by the target audience and also open by
them.
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SMS is dependent on text-only content, so you have very limited room
for creativity and for engaging the audience.
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You can only write up to 160 characters in an SMS, so you
cannot expect to write detailed or lengthy messages.
Now let's discuss the pros and cons of MMS:
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MMS are more captivating in nature as they can include engaging video,
image, audio, or GIF.
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Businesses get a unique opportunity to stand out from their competitors by sending MMSs with unique media files instead of traditional SMSs.
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MMS supports up to 1600 characters, which means you have a lot of space to write persuasive content.
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You will have to allocate a significant portion of the marketing budget toward sending MMS in bulk.
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MMS has a high open rate, but there is still a high chance that your target audience might not have it enabled in on their smartphone.
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MMS has a lower deliverability rate than SMS.
SMS vs MMS Messages: Which One Should I Use?
Being familiar with the SMS vs MMS messages in detail will now help you use the right form of communication for marketing purposes.
Let's discuss the different scenarios and use cases of both SMS and MMS:
Use Cases of SMS:
- Confirming a placed order or letting the customer know that their order has been shipped. Hence, e-commerce businesses and online stores can benefit from SMS marketing.
- Sending appointment reminders via SMS can be useful for salons, hospitals, clinics, and any other type of business in which appointment confirmation is involved.
- Password reset details, one-time passwords (OTP), and authentications.
- Emergency alerts from government agencies.
- Providing discounts and voucher codes to the customers.
- Promoting products and services.
- All types of businesses, whether small-scale or multinational enterprises, can use SMS for marketing purposes and to reach their target audience.
Overall, in any situation in which you want to send short and direct information to the target recipient, you can use SMS.
Use Cases of MMS:
- Detailed greetings, such as Christmas wishes with engaging images and messages.
- Sending invitations.
- Promoting a certain product or service with images.
- Onboarding video or a personalized welcome video.
Overall, you can use MMS to attach engaging images or any other media file for marketing purposes.
Since sending MMS in bulk is expensive, typically medium or large-sized businesses use MMS for marketing purposes. On the other hand, SMS is affordable for all types and sizes for companies.
EngagLab - Your Perfect Assistant
Even after learning all the differences between SMS and MMS, you might still face difficulty in choosing the right form of messaging for your business. The best choice in this situation is to use the all-in-one customer engagement platform EngageLab.
It is important to note that EngageLab does not support MMS because of all the cons discussed in this article. Instead, you can use EngageLab to run automated and successful marketing campaigns through multiple channels, including SMS.
Most importantly, EngageLab is capable of sending SMS directly to over 200 countries. So, you can expect global coverage with this platform. Moreover, it ensures high deliverability by sending SMS messages within a few seconds. All of such benefits are available for businesses and marketers at a cost-effective price.
The dashboard of EngageLab also provides real-time details about the messages and other marketing campaigns, such as e-mail, to ensure you get complete information in real time. Surreal-time information ultimately equips you to make smart marketing decisions and optimize your strategy.
Get Started For FreeHow to Configure SMS Campaign with EngageLab?
Here's how you can set up a successful SMS campaign in EngageLab:
Choose the SMS option in EngageLab to access the dashboard.
Create a suitable template for your SMS. EngageLab supports sending three major types of messages: verification codes, industry notices, and marketing. Access the Template section to create a template, such as:
Setup the account by using the SMS_USER in sending settings.
Make sure you include a sign within SMS because ISP organizations require verification of the identity of the sender to ensure quick and high deliverability.
Once you have set up SMS_USER and SMS_KEY, along with the template, you can start sending your SMS by first testing it and then accessing your SMS API for bulk sending. To understand the status of your SMS, you should know the following codes:
EngageLab uses the SMSHook channel to process your request and send the information transmitted to the target users. If there's an error, EngageLab will try at most 7 times to deliver the message at suitable intervals.
Overall, setting up an SMS campaign in EngageLab is a quick and easy process. You can fully rely on the platform to reach a maximum number of people not only through SMS marketing campaigns but also through other channels, such as app notifications, web notifications, emails, and WhatsApp business messages.
Pricing of EngageLab's SMS Marketing Features
EngageLab provides an efficient and affordable way of sending SMS to a large customer base. The entire pricing structure of EngageLab is quite transparent, and you can easily calculate the cost from the pricing section , such as shown in the following image:
Conclusion
Both SMS and MMS are important and popular forms of messaging. They can elevate both formal and informal communication. For businesses, especially, knowing the difference between SMS and MMS can be the key to reaching their target audience most efficiently and reliably.
Overall, SMS has a high deliverability rate and a cheaper cost than MMS, so it is recommended that you run an automated SMS campaign with EngageLab, an all-in-one customer engagement platform.
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