Mobile Recruiting 101: Basic Q&A

April 6, 2009 by Michael Marlatt · 2 Comments 

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:

1. Voice
2. SMS (A.K.A. - text messaging)
3. Web (WAP=Wireless Application Protocol, or Mobile Web)
4. Applications (think of any device (i.e., iPhone) that can leverage mobile apps)
5. 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 HEWDIVERSITY to 77950“ 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 “HEWDIVERSITY” to the short code 77950. In this example, the keyword ‘HEWDIVERSITY’ 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. More and more companies today are staking their claim in the dotMobi space, which is evident by the fact that dotMobi sites actually experienced a seven fold increase last year. As a standard practice, mobile-sites should not be a “web-version” of your site on a mobile device, but a “MOBILE-optimized” version made for mobile. It should also (ideally) automatically detect whenever someone is visiting a site through a mobile browser. You can get more information on dotMobi, as well as “best practice” development tips by visiting MobiThinking.com.

dotMobi site example: CloudRecruiting.mobi (*Note: From any mobile browser, type either ‘CloudRecruiting.net’ or ‘CloudRecruiting.mobi’ to view site.)

Still have questions?  Please list your comments below and I will be sure to respond back as quickly as possible.

Filed under: Blog Posts, Mobile Marketing, Mobile Recruiting, Mobile Trends
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The future of mobile is strong and vibrant.

February 17, 2009 by Michael Marlatt · 1 Comment 



Ok, so if you haven’t already heard, mobile is the future.

Why do I make this claim?  Consider this, there now 4 billion mobile phone subscriptions on the planet, with an estimated 6 billion subscribers expected by 2013.  According to Tomi Ahonen, six-time bestselling author and consultant on digital convergence and mobile telecoms, the future of mobile is strong and vibrant.  Not convinced?

Here are the latest stats on mobile usage:

  • 4 billion worldwide mobile subscribers (vs. 1 billion PC’s).
  • 3.4 billion actual mobile phones are in use and connected (vs. 1.2 billion fixed landlines).
  • 3 billion users of SMS text messaging (vs. 1.3 billion eMail users, and 600 million IM users).
  • 1.9 billion cameraphones in use.
  • 1.7 billion consumers of various premium data services on mobile.
  • 1.35 billion users of MMS 1.05 active users of browsing (”mobile internet”) on the phones.
  • The total content industry on mobile is worth 71 billion dollars.
  • Messaging on mobile worth 130 billion.
  • Total data on phones worth 200 billion.
  • Total mobile services, voice and data, worth 800 billion and the total annual revenues of the mobile industry including handset and network equipment sales, worth one Trillion dollars.
  • Selling 1.18 billion new phones and adding 650 million new subscrptions last year, when the rest of the economy is in a downward spiral, mobile telecoms is a strong vibrant and healthy industry.

Source: Tomi Ahonen, 7thMassMedia.com

The U.S. Mobile landscape…

As we can see above, mobile continues to dominate across the global landscape. It remains the most widely adopted of all the other mass media channels (e.g., print, recording, cinema, radio, tv, internet).  While the U.S. continues to lag behind Asia and Europe in mobile usage, we are finally seeing an increase in overall mobile adoption throughout North America. In fact, the U.S. currently has over 262 million mobile subscribers, contributing to 75 billion text messages per month. However, as ubiquitous and well entrenched as mobile has become in the U.S., some uses still have yet to catch on.  Such is the case with mobile recruiting through SMS.

Think SMS and Mobile Recruiting…

Online sourcing has become increasingly mobile, so has the need to use more targeted means of connecting and attracting qualified candidates.  There are clear advantages to leveraging mobile in recruiting. One of the most effective ways to quickly connect with a target audience is through Short Message Service (SMS), also known as Text-Messaging.  SMS (text messaging) is by far the most widely used data application on the planet.  For those who do not have the budget to invest in mobile marketing through Short Codes, there are many web-based SMS/texting applications on the market today.  A few of the more popular apps include Joopz, 3Jam, networkText, Tatango, and Trumpia, all do a good job of delivering group SMS messages either free, or, for a small fee. For Outlook 2007 users, there’s even SMSOfficer which allows users to send SMS messages directly from their Outlook inbox.  See video on How to use Outlook to send text messages.

That said, these are all basic examples and it’s important to remember that using SMS alone is not the answer.  An integrated approach that includes email, online ads, phone, SMS, etc., can help to maximize your recruitment campaign. Think of SMS as not a replacement for the email or phone (voice) but as an additional tool within a recruiter’s toolbox.  Recruiters, more than ever, are often connecting with professionals who are unable to answer their phones, huddled in team meetings, commuting, at the airport, away from their PC’s or laptops, etc. Using coordinated SMS updates, recruiters are able to seamlessly and non-intrusively manage multiple candidates through the recruitment process. Bottom-line, SMS is an effective tool for connecting with candidates anytime, anywhere, when email and voice are not convenient.

Mobile is our second shadow.

Morgan Stanley reported that now 91% of the planet keep the mobile phone within arm’s reach 24/7. Literally we take it to the bathroom with us and we literally sleep with the phone. As its our alarm clock, it is literally the last thing we look at before we go to sleep and again the first thing we see when we wake up.

Source: Tomi Ahonen, 7thMassMedia.com

The mobile phone is no longer just a phone; it’s our lifeline to the world.  Rarely does it leave our side, and rarely is it shared - even with our spouse.  Mobile is our second shadow, always ready to provide 24×7 access on demand, and it’s here to stay.  While I am not convinced mobile will reach a tipping point in 2009, I do believe mobile recruitment strategies will have a greater role in the way recruiters connect with new talent. Given the advantages and ubiquitous nature of mobile, doesn’t it make sense to consider mobile recruitment options?  For those in the talent acquisition business, does your company currently engage in mobile recruiting?  If so, I would love to hear about the creative ways in which mobile is being used as part of your recruitment strategy.

Filed under: Blog Posts, Mobile 2.0, Mobile Apps, Mobile Marketing, Mobile Recruiting, Mobile Trends, On the Radar, Recruitment, SMS
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