Introduction
Social Media and SMS
Social Media is one of the most important consumer communications channels on the web today. As well as dedicated sites such as Facebook, Twitter and GoDuDu, aspects of social media interaction are being built into a whole range of different web sites and services, from retailers through to video hosting sites.
Mobile social networking
One of the key trends in social media has been the rise of mobile functionality, with web-based social networking providers offering a range of mobile services. The demand for this mobility is clearly evidenced in consumer behavior, with Facebook reporting that more than 200 million consumers currently access the site via mobile. Much of the focus of mobile social networking to date has been around the creation of mobile rich media interfaces, essentially the recreation of online social networking functionality through mobile web pages or Smartphone apps. However, whilst these tools have enabled a proportion of consumers to access social networking on the go, they are failing to cater for a large percentage of potential users.
The limitations of the mobile web: ubiquity and penetration
The issue lies in the relatively small penetration of internet-enabled Smartphone’s, which is still only around 30% even in the relatively developed US market (NPD, 2010). This means that, even in the most advanced markets, more than two thirds of consumers still cannot access rich mobile social networking services on their primary handset. When you combine this with the relatively low reach of the 3G coverage that enables mobile internet access, it is clear that rich mobile social networking services are effectively limited in the extent to which they can reach the broadest consumer audiences.
Mobile alternatives
The answer to this issue lies in a more established mobile technology – SMS. SMS is effectively ubiquitous: every handset is SMS enabled and the vast majority of users understands and knows how to use it. Moreover, the GSM network coverage that supports SMS is near ubiquitous on a global basis.
One of the most important benefits of SMS is its incredible flexibility. Despite being a relatively simple messaging format, the huge range of SMS services on offer show that it can be applied in a massive variety of use cases. This holds true in social media as it does in other sectors, with SMS being capable of enabling a broad selection of social networking functionality from any device, anywhere.
The mobile mix
Mobile is going to be a major part of the future of social networking; the question is how this mobility will be constituted. Undoubtedly, rich mobile access will have a role to play in offering functionality to the small but growing market of Smartphone users. However, any provider of social networking services who is interested in accessing the vast majority of users who do not have mobile web access will need to incorporate technologies such as SMS into their mobile mix.
This argument is even more compelling when one looks at the geographical spread of social networking and mobile. Whilst the majority of social networks to date are focused on developed markets, future growth will come from less developed regions where Smartphone penetration and 3G coverage are even lower. For these markets SMS is without question going to be a key part of mobile growth strategies for social media services.