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Reach a broader audience by repurposing Instagram content in your text message marketing campaigns.
All marketers know that Instagram is one of the top ten most visited websites. Users spend an average of 29 minutes on the social media platform.
Instagram is the world’s most popular photo-sharing app with a total of 2 billion monthly active users. This number reports the number of logged-in users who visit the Instagram App or web application within 30 days from the date measurement.
Instagram attracts younger social media users; 61.6% of the total users are between the ages of 18-34.
Creating Instagram content takes time and creativity. You should not only share it on Facebook and Twitter (which is easy to do through Instagram’s built-in sharing options) but also repurpose your Instagram content for MMS attachments to help reach a broader audience. Why not use that content in your MMS marketing campaigns? SMS and MMS marketing are great methods to complement any social media marketing strategy.
How to use your Instagram video in an MMS
Your reels and stories showcase your products, team members, and your company's personality. With many MMS products, including AGE Texting, you can send videos.
To do this, simply make sure you save your video to your phone before sharing and publishing it to your Instagram profile. Next, email it so you can download the file to your computer. Your Instagram video will be downloaded as an MP4 format. Because the maximum size of an MMS attachment with the AGE Texting platform cannot exceed 1 MB, you will likely need to resize the video. Most videos can easily be edited using a free video editor such as ezgif.com.
MMS Video Specs
MMS video formats can be .MOV or .MP4, but an MP4 is a more universal, compressed video format
Maximum file size is 1 MB
We recommend keeping your video to 20 seconds or less to ensure successful delivery
When editing, try using 30 frames per second
When editing, try using the following specifications: For vertical (portrait) MMS videos, we recommend sizing dimensions to 640 pixels wide x 1,138 pixels high (16:9 aspect ratio). For horizontal (landscape) MMS videos, we recommend sizing dimensions to 1,280 pixels wide x 720 pixels high, (16:9 aspect ratio).
We recommend keeping the file short in length and small to ensure successful delivery to all carriers.
For lengthier videos that need to be sent, you can include a link to the video or Instagram post or use our platform's image link generator.
Which type of Instagram video is best for MMS?
An Instagram reel is much like TikTok’s platform in that you can add music, on-screen text, closed captions, and visual effects within the app. It creates a video that is up to 60 seconds in length.
An Instagram story is a short video clip that can be viewed on your profile or on your followers’ feeds in the little circles at the top. Story clips can only be 15 seconds in length, but you can post as many consecutively as you want. Instagram stories show up on your page for 24 hours then they disappear—unless you save the content as a Story Highlight which places the story clips at the top of your profile permanently until you archive or delete it.
To further explain content to avoid, as mentioned above—any story formats with sticker features or call-to-action text do not work for an MMS because they entice engagement. Text club users cannot interact with MMS attachments. Currently, no MMS service creates a hyperlink to a URL when the user taps on an MMS attachment. When a user clicks on the image or GIF, they only see an expanded preview. Include the link in the text portion of the message. Be sure you generate a customer URL for your text. The AGE Texting platform has a built-in URL shortening tool to easily shorten those URLs.
An Instagram post is a regular video you share to your Instagram profile that shows up in your followers’ feeds. Video posts can be up to one minute long. You can use some of the content but might end up spending a lot of time editing.
So, if you're thinking of sending any Instagram content in an MMS marketing campaign, be sure to save the reel or story to your camera roll then email it so you can edit it to meet the required MMS specification. The file will save to your phone's camera as an MOV format. You may want to convert it to an MP4. MP4 is a standard format so it is more compatible with a wide range of platforms and media players. It is the default format for web and social media, because it produces smaller file sizes with great quality. There are paid and free options online to convert your MOV file to an MP4 format. Ezgif.com is a free online video editor and can convert your MOV to an MP4.
You may need to edit the video you want to attach to your MMS to accommodate the 1 MB maximum file size.
If you use Instagram content in an MMS campaign, consider switching up the message or discount as you craft the text. If a discount is relevant, promoting a unique discount or promo code or a unique link can help you monitor which strategy is more effective.
Instagram offers features that allow you to be creative and have fun. When you take the time to create original content, consider adding them not only to your MMS campaigns but also to your website, and Pinterest board— to maximize exposure for your content.
Are you more active on TikTok?
Save your videos to your camera before publishing it. You can edit as needed to meet size requirements for MMS using ezgif.com as outlined above. Find a great tutorial for saving your TikTok videos without posting to your account on this page.
How to use your Instagram video for an animated MMS attachment (GIF)
Would you rather send an attachment that is animated in the text preview? Then you will want to send a GIF file. Click here for detailed instructions to convert Instagram video to an animated GIF.
Updated 11/27/23