Mobile voicemail service provider YouMail Inc. has launched a new advertising program that aims to connect brands with mobile users through text-based advertising.

The new feature will add short, non-intrusive 40-character marketing messages to the text alerts that users receive when a caller leaves a new voicemail.

"There's a whole community within YouMail of personalized greetings, humorous greetings and user-generated greetings," said Ken Brickley, co-founder of YouMail, Aliso Viejo, CA.

YouMail is tapped into the 18-45 demographic with its mobile voicemail service that takes the boredom out of traditional voicemail. Its users are able to record different greetings for different incoming callers based on their caller ID.

The company monetizes its user-generated content online through traditional banner advertising. The company is now looking to monetize its mobile services via sponsored text message alerts.

YouMail users receive text messages alerting them to new voicemails, which include the name and phone number of the caller and the length of the voice message. Brands can now sponsor these text alerts by placing a marketing message at the end of the alert.

To execute this initiative YouMail is leveraging 4INFO's mobile ad network.

"We have inventory and we basically sell that inventory to the advertising network," Mr. Brickley said.

YouMail does not deal with the advertisers, nor does it provide any private information about the user to advertisers.

Per the agreement, 4INFO will deliver free ad-supported SMS content to YouMail users' handsets. 4INFO targets ads based on YouMail's 18-45 early adopter demographic.

Sponsored messages are limited to 40 characters and users can turn text message alerts on and off.

YouMail improves productivity by letting users save, share and undelete voicemails online and over the phone. Users can reply by email, SMS or voicemail from the computer.

"We got started with YouMail because we were all in the phone industry and said, you know what, voicemail is lame! All these things are advancing, there are new developments front, right and center. But what's happened to voicemail in the last 20 years?" Mr. Brickley said.

The founders of YouMail started out thinking their service would be cool for high school and college student. Unexpectedly, YouMail is also being leveraged as a customer relations tool. It enables businesses to leave personalized greeting for their clients.

For consumers, YouMail's DitchMail lets you record a personalized greeting for someone and hang up on them. This is often used for exes and telemarketers.

The company said its new advertising program will keep YouMail's service free and allow the company to develop and roll out new features.

"You'll have to keep an eye on us," Mr. Brinkley said. "You'll see a lot of new features coming out and they're all about making your life more productive and fun."