White Paper

Social Media and SMS

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Sophisticated Simplicity
In Mobile Interaction
White Paper
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 and Twitter, 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.
Sophisticated Simplicity
In Mobile Interaction
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 behaviour, 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 smartphones, 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 understand and know 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.
SMS Social networking
SMS can be used in a wide variety of use cases:
Mobile updates
The simplest SMS social networking functionality is the ability to update a social profile or service
via SMS. Whether this is a micro-blog post, a status update or even a profile alteration, SMS can
be used to facilitate updates to an online service whilst on the move. Social networking is based
around short, timely messages and so the format and usability of SMS lend themselves to this
form of interaction.
Alerting
One of the benefits of social networking is the ability to access updates from friends and contacts
at anytime. SMS can be integrated into this process, with page updates being distributed to
subscribers phones via the channel. These alerts might include updates from selected friends,
important changes to friends profiles or invites from other users to join a social group.
Content and applications
The sharing of content and applications is a core part of social networking for many users and
SMS can be used as part of the distribution chain for these formats. WAP-Push SMS enables the
cost effective and simple distribution of content via an SMS, making it easy for users to access and
install rich media onto their phones.
Security
With social networks now holding significant volumes of personal information about their
users, privacy and security are paramount. SMS can be used as part of a simple, two-factor
authentication process to enhance the security of the login process. When a user signs into a
social media service a one-time password (OTP) is sent to their registered mobile number to
complete the login process. This ensures that fraudulent users cannot login to a service even
when they have obtained the users password.
Premium services
Monetising social media has been a challenge for many services, with even the largest players
still searching for an effective business model. SMS can be used by any social networking
provider as a premium offering for their free subscribers. For example, users could be asked to
pay for regular SMS updates or the ability to post to their social network via SMS.
Virtual gifting
Virtual gifts are a popular service on many social networks, with users sharing pieces of digital
content as presents for their friends. These virtual gifts can be given a mobile aspect through
distribution via WAP-push SMS messages.
Munich +49 (89) 202 451 100 London +44 (207) 436 0283 Singapore +65 (6478) 3020
E-Mails sales@tyntec.com www.tyntec.com
Sophisticated Simplicity
In Mobile Interaction
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.
About tyntec
tyntec is a mobile interaction specialist, enabling businesses to integrate mobile telecom services for a wide range of
uses from enterprise mission-critical applications to internet services. The company reduces the complexity involved
in accessing the closed and complex telecoms world by providing a high quality, easy-to-integrate and global offering
using universal services such as SMS, voice and numbers. Founded in 2002, and with more than 150 staff in five offices
around the globe, tyntec works with 500+ businesses including mobile service providers, enterprises and internet
companies.