Mobile Marketing + Recruiting = SMART Recruiting

Thursday, November 20, 2008  //  1 Comment  //  Blog, Emerging Trends, Mobile 2.0, Mobile Marketing, Mobile Recruiting, Mobile Trends, SMS

For those of you who know me well, it will not come as any surprise when I tell you that I’m a huge Mobile 2.0 fan. There’s a lot to be said about mobile communications and technology.

Mobile marketing and the use of SMS as a form of communication has become increasingly popular in North America. According to a report published by the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA), U.S. mobile subscribers are contributing to 75 billion text messages per month. With the increase of mobile adoption and usage within the U.S., it makes sense for us to rethink our mobile recruitment strategies. As Recruiters, looking to explore innovative channels for connecting with new talent, there are tremendous advantages to leveraging mobile marketing.

Here are “10 Reasons Why Mobile Marketing Matters”:

1. Personal: Next to the wallet or purse, can you think of any other item that a prospective candidate may carry with them at all times?

2. Intimate: Mobile offers employers the ability to promote a new opportunity by broadcasting this to a targeted audience with the power of personal touch.

3. Confirmed Identity: Mobile takes the guess work out of knowing who we are contacting.

4. Convenient: Candidates can easily read SMS messages, even during the busiest times of the day. This is especially helpful when you’re trying to reach people who are not in the office, at their computers checking email, in a conference meeting with their project team, or traveling… you get the point.

5. Actionable: As recruiters, we want our target candidates calling back – right?  Well, if your “call to action” message is compelling enough, your target audience will call respond.

6. Persistent & Viral: Unlike traditional mass media or job-board marketing, the consumer carries the targeted message away with them on their device. If the message is interesting enough, it’s highly likely the recipient will forward to friend (or multiple friends).

7. Opt-in: What is great about Mobile marketing is that you build a permission based pool of talent; candidates can decide the level of interactions with your company. They also have the ability to easily opt-out of your marketing campaigns.

8. Builds Relationships: Mobile offers the ability to be creative in how we reach our audience while enabling us to maintain that “personal touch” in how we keep them informed of new opportunities.

9. Cutting Edge: Are you really trying to attract the best and brightest?  Let’s face it, candidates are often on-the-go, traveling, in meetings, and not necessarily sitting around watching your TV promo or online job advertisement.  Mobile campaigns are the best way to demonstrate that your company “gets-it” and is innovative.

10. Ubiquitous Access: We shouldn’t assume our candidate will be checking email messages or available to take calls when you need them.  Mobile strategies offer pin-point-accuracy in targeting your audience where they are at any point in time vs. where you think they are. Today, working professionals are tethered to their mobile device; the device is always “on” and always within reach.  The era of 24 x7 is here. Why not leverage this advantage?

Mobile marketing can offer many great advantages if leveraged properly. Is your company currently leveraging a mobile marketing campaign as part of your recruitment strategy?  If so, I would love to hear your thoughts and comments on this topic.