Most of us are familiar with SMS, aka Short Message Service, or better known as text messaging.
But far too many of us aren't as familiar with, and certainly don't really use MMS, or Multimedia Message Service.
And that's a shame. Because honestly, it can be a potent communications weapon in your sales arsenal.
Here's the thing. If you are like me, and hundreds of millions of other people, you not only have a smart phone, but you probably have it attached to your person, and check it far too often.
Stats show that text messages are viewed within three minutes of delivery, on average. Three minutes!
I mean, wow. What that means is that text and media messaging delivered via your smart phone device is, at least at this time, a very powerful means of communicating to your target audience.
So, the simple goal of this post is to urge you to use your smart phone as a means of communicating with your sales prospects. Lots of different media you can use to send via your MMS platform, but what I am suggesting here, is just one medium:
Video.
Record a very short video using your smart phone (lots of opinions here I bet, but I'd go no longer than 60 SECONDS), and then send DIRECT to your prospect via a MMS text message. This is a great way to reach your target audience, in a way that is LIKELY to be opened and viewed.
What kinds of messages can and should you send to your prospects? Here are a few ideas:
1. Sending a video follow-up message to a prospect following your pitch meeting. "It was great to meet you. As promised, I am following up..."
2. Answering a question or two from your recent meeting with a prospect. "During our meeting, you asked about..."
3. Shooting a VERY QUICK demonstration video. "You asked about our widget during the meeting. I thought you'd get a kick out of seeing how it worked..."
4. Reaffirming agreed upon To Dos from the meeting. "Just confirming the following action items we agreed upon during our meeting..."
5. Confirming time and date of follow-up meeting, with goals and agenda stipulated. "Just confirming our follow-up meeting next week, at which time I promise to showcase how we can..."
6. Recommend a book, article, or some other piece of content that is HELPFUL. "Hey, based on the issues we talked about in our meeting, you might enjoy this book by..."
7. Be helpful, and of service. "You know, I was reflecting on our conversation, and have you considered trying..."
8. The Post-Meeting Video [shot from the front seat of your car]. "Hey, just got back from our meeting, and I wanted to stress again this key point..."
So, grab your smart phone, engage the camera, and point and shoot. Nothing fancy, no fancy editing required, for the point here is to reach out in a different, meaningful, and memorable way to your prospects.
I will leave you with these five keys to success:
1. Only send SMS and MMS messages WITH PERMISSION.
2. Keep messages short. I'd prefer 60 seconds or less. But keep them relevant.
3. Send SMS and MMS messages only so often. NOT several times a week. Maybe twice a month.
4. Do a few retakes until you feel good about the quality of your message.
5. Don't over think and worry too much about the video quality aspects, but dress well and strive for good lighting.