Understand the difference between SMS and MMS.

Mobile messaging has completely changed how we communicate today. It was primarily used for P2P messaging but lately, businesses have unveiled the benefits of mobile messaging. Therefore it now has wide B2P usage. There are so many different ways to send text messages today. Businesses widely use B2P and A2P messages to engage with their customers. They often choose to send either SMS or an MMS. It’s important to understand what SMS & MMS are? And how they are different?  Understanding the difference between two will give you an ability to choose which messaging form is best to connect with your customers.  

 What is SMS?

SMS stands for “Short Message Service.” It was first presented by the global mobile communication system in the early 1980’s. The idea was to mainly send a rapid short message from one cell phone to another. SMS is significantly a service provided by cell phone network provider and it is mostly part of a user’s text package and is very much able to work with any cell phone that exists globally.

SMS is commonly referred to as text message. It supports alphanumeric messages and is limited to 160 characters. It does not support any form of media files (photos or videos). 

Pro’s of SMS:-

* Simple alphanumberic message. Easy to compose and conveys clear message to end user.

* Cheaper alternative for businesses that want to leverage SMS for their marketing and communication needs.

* Often no cost attached for the subscriber as texting is a feature most cellphone carriers offer without any added cost.

 Con’s of SMS:-

* Does not support any kind of media file like photos, video etc.

* Due the character length limit it is difficult to send longer messages if needed by your business. 

What is MMS?

MMS stands for “Multimedia Messaging Service.” MMS enables mobile users to send and receive multimedia files like photos, videos, audio clips, GIF’s and more. MMS supports sending messages of upto 1600 characters. You can send MMS messages that contain both text and multimedia files.   

Pro’s of MMS:-

* MMS messages definitely have better chances of catching user attention as they have ability to send media files.

* Allows to send longer messages of upto 1600 characters. 

Con’s of SMS:-

* Costs more when compared to SMS.

* MMS media files can only be received on smart phones.  

Which is better choice SMS or MMS?

 When it comes to deciding between SMS and MMS, its very important to understand the key difference between the two.

Message length: One of the key differences between SMS & MMS is the length of the message. While SMS is limited to 160 characters, MMS can be used to send longer message

Media file Support: SMS messages are strictly text only, whereas MMS messages support media files such as audio files, video files and GIF’s

 Pricing:– When comparing pricing of the two services MMS tends to be more expensive than SMS. This difference is mainly because when sending MMS message there is usually more data that needs to be transmitted. 

Choosing between the two depends on case to case basis. One may choose SMS as they can communicate their message to the customer through simple text message and call to action link. They don’t feel the need for sending media files. Whereas to another business MMS is more valuable as to catch their users attention they need fancy image to go with text and call to action link. 

DIDforSale SIP Trunking Receives Certification for NEC SV9300 Communication Platform.

DIDforSale, a trusted name in the business communication segment, has just earned the NEC SV9300 communication platform certification. With this certification, NEC reseller channel partners will be able to offer a comprehensive bundled solution comprising of NEC hardware and DIDforSale SIP Trunking. 

TUSTIN, Calif., Oct. 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — DIDforSale today announced that its SIP trunking has earned certification to work with the NEC SV9300 series communication platforms. This certification signifies that DIDforSale’s SIP trunking is now compatible with NEC SV9300 series PBX systems. Also, this certification will now allow the NEC reseller channel partners to provide reliable bundled solutions by combining the capabilities of NEC hardware and DIDforSale SIP Trunking.

A unified communications enabled system tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized businesses, the UNIVERGE SV9300 Communications Server is known for its rich features and robustness. On the other hand, the SIP trunking solution from DIDforSale has emerged as a viable alternative to traditional digital telephony services for businesses looking to reduce monthly recurring operating costs.

Going ahead, DIDforSale SIP trunking promises to be a highly suitable alternative for on-premise NEC IP-PBX users interested in cutting down on their telecommunication cost, while enjoying the scalability and flexibility of a carrier grade solution. With additional advantages such as quick deployment and zero additional hardware requirements, DIDforSale fits the bill perfectly.

“Receiving the NEC SV9300 Communication Platform certification is certainly a serious step ahead for DIDforSale and its SIP trunking solution. This solution is built around an architecture that is uncomplicated, authentic, and capable of satisfying the lofty requirements of the today’s organizations with options for both unlimited as well as metered usage,” said Jai Rangi, CTO at DIDforSale. “Working in tandem with NEC hardware, DIDforSale SIP services will make a significant contribution towards the growth of our customers by making them more productive, while providing all the flexibility they require.”

More about DIDforSale can be found at https://www.didforsale.com/

About DIDforSale: DIDforSale is a CPaaS company that empowers businesses and application developers by providing them with communication automation tools such as API’s. It enables real time telephony management to make and receive phone calls, send and receive text and to perform any other communication functions. DIDforSale SIP Trunks are tested, verified and certified by companies like Microsoft, Cisco, NEC, etc.

7 Bulk SMS Marketing Tips.

Bulk SMS marketing is extremely valuable in advancing business exercises and expanding sales volume altogether. SMS is a preferred customer communication medium and is also popular business choice for customer interaction, notification, alerts, and business campaigns. Organizations can utilize bulk SMS to promote various aspects of their business. Whether it is to manufacture planned client database, to create leads with successful campaigns, to give extraordinary offers loyal customers or to hold existing clients through the timely feedback process. Investigate our top tips to plan your next SMS advertising campaign

• Be Clear:

We call this buyer persona. It means to ensure that the reason for the SMS is made clear. You want the recipient to act on your SMS, so tell them what they need to do to benefit from the information they have been sent.

• Keep it Segmented:

Bulk SMS marketing’s definitive objective is to build your ROI and there numerous approaches to do this, however, the most ideal route is to ensure that your SMS campaign is firmly significant to the individual you are sending it to.
This is accomplished through division which just means putting your contacts into explicit contact groups. For example; if you run a health club and you have a contact group named “Yoga Subscribers” then you’re not going to make the mistake of sending them an SMS campaign promoting swimming gear. You can always segment based on location, purchase behavior, spending patterns, frequency of purchase, and personal interests.

• Avoid Spamming: 

Expert bulk SMS marketing administrations adhere to a fundamental guideline to abstain from spamming. Send profoundly important, applicable ideas to individuals who have given you consent to receive SMS promotions and correspondences.

• Set Frequency:

If you send messages too frequently  then the client may get irritated and withdraw from the subscription. However, if you leave long gap between messages, then the client may lose interest and your message might not hold much importance. There’s no fixed measure of messages you ought to send every week or month – the recurrence should be tweaked dependent on your crowd and the reason for your messages.

• Fresh and Engaging Content:

Reach your customer groups appropriately, and keep away from over sending similar SMS showcasing message to recipients. Keep your correspondence new and engaging. Do not overdo it.

• Text Limit:

The majority of your campaigns ought to have the option to fit inside 160 characters yet there will be times where you should go past that content cutoff. Suppose you have to compose a message that requires 300 characters simply type out your message in two subsequent messages and when you send it out it’ll be sewed together into one long SMS message on the receiver’s side.

• Know the Laws:

To guarantee you’re following SMS promoting best practices it’s significant that you or your advertising group know about the laws around SMS.

Click here to checkout CTIA Compliance guide.

Which messaging option is right for you?

Toll free phone number, local phone number or short code?

A major question in the corporate world arises when it comes to questioning the means of contacting with the customers in a specific industry. Which of these ways adopted will actually engage a customer? For any business, it is essential to weigh in the cost of messaging the customers while it ensures that the message actually makes it way to the customer.

Understanding P2P and A2P messaging?

It is proven that SMS is most successful communication medium in today’s world. Messaging options are broadly categorized into 2 categories – A2P (application-to-person) and P2P (person-to-person). P2P is exchange of messages from one person to another. Whereas A2P is application to person. Unlike P2P, A2P actually helps businesses automate SMS/MMS messages. It is widely used to send appointment/meeting reminders, customer verification, alerts, promotional messages and numerous other messages. Businesses can choose a toll free number or a land line number also known as 10DLC or short codes to send messages. However, there are benefits of using one over the other.  Let’s look into what those differences are.

Know the difference between Local number vs Toll free vs Short codes for SMS:

Now that you understand P2P and A2P messaging we are going to look into which option is best for you to use when determining the phone number for SMS.

Looking at the facts associated with each form of messaging option you can choose which options works best for yoru business. Toll free number in general has been the most widely preferred phone number by your businesses to send bulk messages. 10DLC has recently started gaining the momentum and is now being used by various organizations to send mass messages. Shortcodes on the other hand are believed to be slowly fading away. With higher cost and longer time to implement more and more businesses are considering between toll free numbers and 10DLC’s.