Mobile Recruiting 101: Basic Q&A
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Ok, so I know what you are thinking: Mobile (SMS) is just for the youth market, right? Well, while that may have been the case a few years ago, we are now witnessing a growing trend that reveals otherwise. Today, of the 262 million total U.S. wireless subscribers, more than 138 million users now send and receive text messages. 72% of those between 25-49 use text messaging, and 53% of texters are 35 years-old and up.
While it is easy to get excited about the trends in mobile, it’s important to understand the basics before embarking on any mobile recruitment strategy. What follows is a quick primer that I have put together to hopefully addresses some of the fundamental questions.
Mobile Marketing: Basic Q&A
Q: What is SMS?
A: SMS is an acronym for short message service. SMS is often referred to as text messaging.
Q: What is MMS?
A: MMS is an acronym for multimedia messaging service. MMS messages are typically mobile messages that contain some combination of text, images, audio, or video.
Q: What is the standard length of an SMS (text message)?
A: SMS/text messages are usually limited to 160 characters, with spaces.
Q: What are the two questions that need to be asked prior to executing a mobile recruiting strategy?
A #1. What are the key goals and how can mobile help to achieve the objectives?
A #2. Who is my target audience and what is most important to that audience?
* Identifying the objectives and target audience are both critical to understand in order to craft the most effective marketing program to achieve the desired outcome.
Q: What is a Common Short Code (CSC)?
A: Common Short Codes are short numeric codes to which SMS or MMS can be sent from a mobile phone. Short codes are commonly 5-6 digits, and can be “vanity” codes (which no other company can use) or shared codes (used by many companies). The short codes facilitate an interactive mobile experience between the consumer and host company. See mobile marketing examples by Sprite and Coca-Cola. For more details, visit the Common Short Code Administration (CSCA).
Q: What are the five most common modes of communication available on a mobile device?
The five modes include:
- Voice
- SMS (A.K.A. – text messaging)
- Web (WAP=Wireless Application Protocol, or Mobile Web)
- Applications (think of any device (i.e., iPhone) that can leverage mobile apps)
- Email (Not always available to all mobile users.)
* Of the five modes of mobile, SMS/text-messaging is the most widely used application on the planet.
Q: How popular is text messaging?
A: Consumers today are using text messaging more than ever. Worldwide, there are 4 billion mobile subscribers with 3 billion currently using text-messaging. In the U.S., there are over 262 million wireless subscribers and 138 million using text messaging. In Q2 of 2008, a Nielsen Mobile study revealed that in the U.S. there are now more text messages being sent and received vs. phone calls. See more stats here.
Q: What is a keyword and how is it used?
A: Keywords allow your consumers to interact with your mobile programs. For example: “Text HEWITT to 88000“ allows potential candidates to “opt-in” and receive job alerts from Hewitt Associates. To start, users are prompted to send a text message with the keyword ‘HEWITT’ to the short code 88000. In this example, the keyword ‘HEWITT’ is tied to an auto-response that confirms the opt-in subscription, as well as a “call to action” message.
Q: Why would any company want to engage in recruiting through mobile marketing?
A: Let’s face it: Technology is changing the way we all communicate at all levels. Our target audience has become increasingly “mobile” and no longer simply sitting at a desk waiting for our call or email. The mobile device is personal and next to the wallet, purse, or keys, it is the one thing we each carry with us. As working professionals, we are often on-the-go, traveling, in meetings, attending conferences, training, out to lunch, vacation, and so on. With over 262 million U.S. wireless subscribers, we need to consider ways in which we can increase the odds of connecting with our target audience. As some would say, ‘fish where the fish are’… Click here to read: ‘Mobile Recruiting: Why Run SMS Campaigns?
Q: What is WAP?
A: WAP is an acronym for wireless application protocol and is commonly referred to as the mobile web. WAP sites are mobile versions of a websites, typically optimized for mobile devices.
Many mobile-optimized sites today are using the ‘.Mobi’ extension. You can get more information on .mobi “best practice” development tips by visiting MobiThinking.com. A mobile-optimized site should not be a web-version of your site on a mobile device, but a MOBILE-optimized version made for mobile. It should also automatically detect whenever someone is visiting a site through a mobile browser.
.Mobi site example: CloudRecruiting.mobi (*Note: From any mobile browser, type either ‘CloudRecruiting.net’ or ‘CloudRecruiting.mobi’ to view site.)
ABOUT THE WRITER
Michael Marlatt is the creative mind behind CloudRecruiting.net
When Michael is not focused on sourcing talent for his clients, he is usually seeking to understand the latest trends in Web 2.0, cloud computing, social media, and mobile marketing. To stay current, he spends his personal off-time and late hours testing a variety of web apps, and mobile gadgetry.
While Michael has a lot of passion in recruiting and technology, his greatest thrill is actually derived from sharing his knowledge, and evangelizing the notion of SMART recruiting.
You can follow all of Michael’s latest thoughts and discoveries on topics such as cloud computing, mobile marketing, as well as other emerging technologies that impact recruiting.
To explore further, just point your browser to CloudRecruiting.net. If you are mobile enthusiast, try the mobile version.
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“Fish where the fish are” – Yes