Mobile Recruiting: Why run SMS campaigns?

Thursday, March 19, 2009  //  2 Comments  //  Blog, Mobile Marketing, Mobile Recruiting, Mobile Trends

SMS on the Rise…

If you are a fan of mobile marketing then you have likely noticed the on-going discussions around using SMS (“short message service”), as a communication channel. Why is that?  Well, there’s good reason for it.  In comparison to other messaging activities such as email and IM, SMS is still the most widely used data application on the planet.

Let’s put SMS into perspective…

1.  According to 5-Time Best-selling Author, Tomi Ahonen, global users of SMS surpassed the number of global email users over seven years ago.  There are 2.5x as many people on the planet who send SMS messages from their mobile device versus those who still use the email system.  Today there are an estimated 1.3 billion email users around the world.

2. The total number of IM users is said to be approximately 700 million, worldwide. In contrast to the number of IM users, SMS is currently used by over 4x as many people.

3. SMS is far more cost effective than traditional print advertising.  SMS campaigns have been estimated to be 10x more effective than normal print ads and 5x more effective than standard snail mail.

4. Unlike the traditional print, radio, or tv ads, responses to SMS campaigns can be tracked with pinpoint accuracy.

With the available data supporting the value of mobile marketing (SMS campaigns), there are still many common myths.  One popular myth is that SMS is only good for connecting with the Gen-Y population; however, statistics tell a different story.  Worldwide, there are now 3 billion SMS users.  According to Nielsen Mobile, the typical U.S. mobile subscriber sends or receives 357 text messages per month, compared to placing or receiving 204 phone calls.

As the chart above indicates, SMS is no longer just a “Gen-Y” phenomenon but it has grown in usage across generations. With a little creativity, a bit of help and a willingness to try something new, deploying an SMS campaign might be the missing link to our “experienced-hire” recruitment strategy.

While you are still chewing the idea, check out mobile life as we know it today…