The Minefield Of Mobile Marketing For The Recruitment Industry

Mobile is proving to be one of the most effective channels for recruitment consultants to communicate directly with their clients. Itís instant, targeted and gets results. SMS messaging is used by many to communicate a range of information, from job opportunities to interview reminders. Consultants are managing clientsí appointments by integrating with their existing administration systems and the volume of no-shows is reducing as a result. The Mobile platform is also being used to send group alerts to clients (with general advice and information) and clients are becoming much more responsive.

Text messaging (SMS and MMS) is no longer seen as something just for the youth market; its applications extend much further. The sector is growing, and in many cases weíve only just scratched the surface.

Choosing The Agency
Many agencies specialise in mobile applications, providing the tools, techniques and expertise to communicate with clients. So, with all this choice and all this expertise, which do you choose?

This is a question I have been asked many times, and my answer is always the same.

Choose an agency that has read and digested the Privacy & Electronic Communications Regulations (2003) as well as the Data Protection Act. The soft opt-in needs to be understood carefully and opt-outs handled right. The agency should also confirm that consumer data does not leave the EU (for DPA reasons) and that messaging is direct to UK networks.

Use an agency that, like Incentivated, has all the mobile data services under one roof, or has a proven track record in project managing suppliers If you are using existing client lists your agency should be able to clean the database for you.

Campaign Roll-out
So, now youíve selected your agency and youíre ready to communicate with your clients, what do you do next? Follow this advice and you canít go far wrong:

Keep your text messages simple and use plain English

Avoid over zealous use of exclamation marks and capitalisation

Do not put spaces in telephones numbers but include them as a single number so they can be dialled easily from within the message

Plan your communications in advance and keep a record of what you have done whom

Offer a mobile option alongside other response methods advertised in traditional media ñ let the consumer choose

Promote the mobile option on communications to reinforce the option

Consider an incentive for choosing the mobile channel, especially if your operational (acquisition/service) costs are reduced through this medium

Allow opt-outs via text, web and through your ëfront deskí and highlight these clearly

Train all customer-facing staff in your permission/privacy policy including how to manually record of opt-outs

Keep your database up to date

So, donít be put off by the minefield of mobile marketing agencies. Remember, mobile communication is highly effective, direct and immediate. Follow the rules before engaging in any campaign and reap the rewards.

Jonathan Bass is the managing Director of Incentivated, the mobile marketing agency that provides software for simple integrated mobile communication activities. Incentivatedís solutions are used to improve the effectiveness of communication between business and clients.

By Jonathan Bass, Managing Director of Incentivated