Short Message Service (SMS) for Recruitment Marketing

Text message marketing also know as SMS is a highly effective tool for staffing firms, allowing recruiters and HR professionals to  directly communicate with potential candidates.

SMS communication offers many benefits, including best practices that should be kept in mind. However, one should also be aware of the potential challenges that arise when implementing SMS messaging into their recruitment process.

What is SMS marketing for recruitment?

SMS marketing is a powerful tool for staffing firms and is able to reach potential candidates quickly, without having to rely on the traditional methods of recruitment. Through the use of text messages, employers are able to keep candidates informed 24/7 about job opportunities, application status updates, and recruitment events.

Moreover, SMS messaging is used throughout the entire recruitment process – from initial outreach all the way through onboarding and beyond.

Benefits of SMS marketing for recruitment

Fast and direct communication

SMS messaging is an incredibly powerful and direct communication channel that enables recruiters to quickly reach out to candidates. Even without relying on traditional emails or other forms of communication which could prove to be far less effective. This fast turnaround time improves response rates and ensure recruiters are able to reach the right person, at the right time.

Improved candidate experience

One of the major advantages of integrating SMS messaging into the recruitment process is that it vastly improves the overall candidate experience. By providing regular updates and detailed information throughout their journey. This helps to ensure that candidates feel valued and appreciated, leading to an enhanced perception of your employer brand.

Increased engagement

Increased engagement is a key benefit of SMS messaging when compared to traditional email communication. It often leads to higher response rates and better engagement with candidates. This helps organizations improve their candidate experience, resulting in stronger relationships with current and potential employees.

Cost-effective

Cost-effectiveness is one of the primary advantages of SMS messaging as a tool to reach a large number of candidates quickly and easily. It provides an economical way to communicate with them, allowing you to send messages at a fraction of the cost. This is especially beneficial when looking for ways to reach a large audience in a short time frame.

Best practices for SMS marketing for recruitment

Obtain consent

Before you send out any SMS messages to potential candidates, it is essential to ensure that you have first obtained their explicit consent. Be sure that your actions are in compliance with all applicable privacy regulations. It protects both yourself and the candidates from any potential legal issues.

Be clear and concise

SMS messages are a great way to quickly reach out and convey important information. But it is important to remember that SMS is short and concise to ensure the recipient receives only essential information. It is also essential to ensure that the message is clear and easily understood by its intended audience.

Personalize messages

Personalizing your communication with potential candidates is a great way to increase engagement and demonstrate interest.

Whenever possible, ensure to use the candidate’s name in your messages and reference information on their application or resume. Doing so shows them that you’re attentive, thoughtful, and sincerely interested in getting to know them better.

Provide clear opt-out instructions

Staffing firms should make it easy for job candidates to opt out of SMS messaging if they no longer wish to receive messages. This is a simple but important step that is taken to ensure that candidates don’t receiving unwanted or intrusive messages.  Instead focus on their career search without feeling overwhelmed by communication.

Use SMS messaging strategically

SMS messaging should be used in a strategic manner to ensure it is not used to overwhelm potential candidates with too many messages.

It’s important to use SMS  in a targeted way, so that the right message is delivered at the right time and with the right content. This allows for more effective engagement with potential candidates and increase the chances of success in recruitment efforts.

Test and measure results

A/B testing and analytics is very useful in tracking the performance of your SMS messages.  It allows you to assess the success of each message sent and make necessary adjustments to your strategy accordingly. This helps you optimize your messaging campaigns and ensure you are getting the best possible results from each one.

Potential challenges of SMS marketing for recruitment

Opt-in rates

Acquiring opt-in consent from potential candidates is difficult obstacle to overcome. Particularly if they are not familiar with the company or do not have an understanding of the job opportunity.

This is why many organizations look for ways to provide clear and concise information about the job opportunity up front.

Message length

Sending messages over SMS is a challenge because of its limited character count. It makes it difficult to include all the necessary details in a single message. This leads to confusion and miscommunication between parties, which is why it’s important to decide whether SMS is the right medium for you.

Opt-out rates for SMS

Candidates choose to opt out of receiving SMS messages at any time if they feel that they are receiving too many messages. Sometimes the content of the messages are not relevant to their interests and opt out. This ensures that candidates are not be bombarded with irrelevant messages, and helps them maintain control over communications with employers.

SMS messaging is a powerful tool for recruitment marketing, enabling recruiters to communicate directly with candidates in a fast and effective way. By following best practices and being strategic in your use of SMS messaging, you improve the candidate experience and increase engagement.

About S.J.Hemley Marketing
S.J.Hemley Marketing is a marketing and sales consulting firm focused on driving tangible results for professional services firms. Brand matters, but not without ROI. With over 20 years of sales and marketing experience within staffing and recruiting, we have helped to drive successful branding, sales training, lead generation activities as well as defining marketing strategy for top organizations. www.sjhemleymarketing.com.