Text message marketing refers to the use of text messaging or SMS as a communication tool to interact with customers. Conventionally, marketers use telephonic calls and emails to communicate with customers. However, these methods have their limitations. Telephonic calls are considered intrusive and marketing calls are not appreciated by customers. Email providers have strong anti-spam filters and most marketing calls are marked as spam. This makes the use of text messaging a good strategy that marketers can use to reach out to customers.
Text messaging for business for business can help an organization reach out to its customers and provide them information on the product and even run marketing campaigns online. It is an easy and convenient way to communicate with people. SMS does not require internet connectivity or a smartphone. It is preferred by customers who find it non-intrusive. Even when someone is at work, they can receive an SMS, read it, and even reply to it without their work being disturbed. This is why marketers prefer the use of text messaging as a marketing tool.
Text marketing for Staffing and recruiting
It is not just businesses that offer products that use text marketing, even organizations in the service sector use SMS. An agency that offers staff and recruiting services can use text messaging to interact with their clients and job seekers. This is an easy and convenient way of communication and is cost-effective too. Job seekers who are working elsewhere will find it difficult to respond to phone calls from recruiters while at work. It is easier for them to respond to SMS, which is which text marketing is a great option for staffing and recruiting agencies.
The following are some of the ways in which staffing and recruiting agencies can use automated text message effectively:
1) Provide information on jobs
A staffing agency needs to provide information on jobs for job seekers. The job seekers may be registered with the agency, in which case it is easy to send messages to all job seekers. The message can contain information on new job openings. A bulk message can be used to send information to everyone registered. SMS marketing also makes it possible to personalize the message. A candidate can be sent information only about jobs related to his/her domain area.
This information can be sent as a message with the details of the job. A link can be given to the website of the agency to get more details. Another way of providing details is to use shortcodes or keywords. The job applicant can respond to the message with the keyword/code. The automated software can then send more details by SMS.
2) Schedule interviews
Scheduling interviews and informing the same to job applicants can be done easily through SMS. If the recruiting agency is using any software to manage its operations, it is possible to link this software to your messaging software. This will ensure that the moment an interview is scheduled, an SMS is sent to the candidate. Even otherwise, once the interview schedules are made, the schedule can be sent to candidates through SMS. Apart from scheduling, changes in schedule can be sent through text messages. This ensures that any change is immediately updated so that the candidate is aware. Reminder messages can also be scheduled to be sent frequently until the date of the interview.
3) Interact with candidates
Interaction with candidates can be done through text messages. Once a candidate registers, any additional information can be obtained through SMS. Candidates can even use the MMS option to send pictures of their credentials and documentation. This will allow the staffing agency to vet the candidates by collecting their documents through SMS. Interaction regarding interview schedules, the result of the interview, feedback on interview performance, and other such issues can be sent through SMS. This interaction ensures constant engagement with candidates, which will benefit both the candidate and the agency.
4) Handle referrals
One of the important sources for staffing agencies is referrals from other candidates. The entire process of referrals can be managed through text messaging. A candidate can refer to another person by sending a message. Once the message is received, the agency can send a message to the other candidate requesting his/her details. Referrals that lead to recruitment being done are sometimes rewarded by the agency. This can also be tracked and managed easily by using text messaging.
Staffing and recruiting agencies need to communicate with clients and job applicants. Text messaging is a convenient and cost-effective way of doing so. All that is required is a bulk text messaging software tool. The software can be used to send messages to any number of people. The convenience and ease of use make text marketing a powerful marketing strategy for staffing and recruiting agencies.
