Today’s guest blogger is Mandy Curtin, director of marketing for sticky IT, a web design company specializing in branding for recruiters worldwide, and NPA Alliance Partner. With 7+ years of experience pleasing perfectionists, the gurus at sticky IT have learned a thing or two about recruiters. Building a brand should be fun & easy; sticky IT spins the web so you can get back to work!
Interesting Fact: 91% of adults have their mobile phone within arm’s reach 24/7?
Weird (but not surprising) Fact: 75% of Americans even bring their phones to the bathroom.
Mobile marketing is no longer an up-and-coming trend, it’s happening now and it’s taking the recruiting industry by storm. Business owners are quickly finding out that mobile marketing is not just a fad. Our devices have become priceless extensions of our businesses and ourselves. Smartphones and tablets are bringing job boards to the palms of job seekers worldwide. Welcome to a new era of recruiting tools! To those who are resistant to change, this is the perfect opportunity to breathe new life into your strategy. You’ve always wanted to be the leader of the pack, right? It’s time to pick up the pace!
Truth is in the facts.
Just how much impact is mobile having on job seekers nationwide?
- As of April 2013, 23% of job seekers are using mobile.
- 85% of job seekers believe all companies should have a mobile-friendly [career] site. (mobile optimization is the new normal for websites)
- 45% want to apply for jobs.
- 45 million LinkedIn mobile searches occur every month.
- 222.4 million people will be smartphone users by 2017 (that’s 67.8% of the U.S. population!).
Mobile stats: Social Talent
One of our favorite little gems: According to careerbuilder.com (using Google Adwords) 23% of Google searches that contain the word “jobs” come from mobile devices (185m v 55.6m). These job seekers are on the move, they’re actively searching for jobs, and your website is at their fingertips! If ¼ of all the potential candidates out there can’t apply for, or even view jobs without pinching, zooming and scrolling endlessly…it’s time to think about mobile!
What does your site look like on a smartphone or tablet? Take a look at what we mean.
“In a competitive recruiting market, you need tools that make users comfortable with your site. Most of my positions target a tech savvy audience. This generation is comfortable making decisions from a phone “on the fly.” You’d be crazy not to have a mobile site. Job seekers are expecting it.” – Elizabeth Tischer, Duet Recruiting
The Process
Here’s the good news. Going mobile doesn’t require a lot of work (at least not on your end.). The two most common scenarios are:
“I don’t have a website (or if I do, I’m too embarrassed to advertise). I need to make a name for myself, starting with a website. Should I go mobile, too?”
Three words, “first impressions matter.” In recruiting, the whole package matters. The perfect candidate could arrive wearing sweatpants and carrying a Walkman from the 80’s. While they’re insanely talented, they don’t care how they look and aren’t interested in keeping up with technology. Don’t be “that guy.” Investing in your brand is investing in success.
“I already have a website – make me mobile!”
Depending on the age and technology “behind the scenes” of your site, you could be mobile in less than 2 weeks. However, something else to consider is the age of your current desktop site. If it’s time for an update, think about rolling out a slick re-vamp along with the mobile site. You do not want your mobile site to be more robust than the desktop version. A mobile site should be your desktop site in a clear, convenient and neat little package.
What’s it worth?
In recruiting, it is difficult to measure the exact ROI of this type of investment. However here are some numbers to illustrate the harsh truth of a recruiting office without a mobile website. Our largest client averages 6268 hits in a week. During that week, 10% of visits are via a mobile source (phone or tablet). Seems like a solid number, right? Well, consider the number of bounces from the site. Of the 6268 visits, 1214 visits made from a mobile device immediately leave the site without interacting with any pages. Without a mobile-friendly website, 1214 potential clients may leave your site without bothering to learn more about your business. You have 5 seconds of loading time before you lose mobile interest (simplyhired.com).
“As a business owner, our recruiters feel we have responded to the modern business environment with a “leading edge” in recruiting technology.” – Rick Sinay, Owner, Davalyn Corporation.
How do you get started?
The first step is admitting you need an update, whether it’s evaluating your whole brand, or simply recognizing the need to “freshen up” your image. Once you’re ready to catch up to the times, you’ll need a partner. We recommend taking a look at some industry partners with experience in the recruiting space. What matters most is finding the right fit. Here are some tips from our team:
- Keep an open mind – remember, they know what they’re doing. It’s likely this isn’t their first rodeo.
- Details matter – Your partner should always have your best interest in mind. Their tools should help make your website work for you.
- Look for variety in their portfolio – your business is unique, your website concept should be, too.
- Service – Your design partner should have consistent and friendly support that doesn’t end when your project launches.
- Quality – A partner takes pride in their work. If you succeed, your design team does too.
