The Atlantic calls it “the quiet king” of social networks with a dominance that is both obvious and profound. In fact it’s being used six billion times per day in the United States so with some fuzzy math you will be using it at least 17 times today.

The biggest social network is text messaging.

It’s triumph could be attributed to it’s originality as one of the earliest forms of mobile communication, but it’s longevity should be credited to it’s simplicity. Text messaging doesn’t require you to download a mobile application or even purchase a smartphone. The only necessary ingredients that have gone unchanged since its creation 20+ years ago is a phone number and a message.

Text messaging is Millennials’ go-to method of communication for scheduling meetings, spreading news, and sharing contact information. 87% of high school graduates use text messaging daily compared to 61% on Facebook and 35% on Twitter.  It’s the underdog that will not go away and it’s beginning to enter more and more conversations about social recruiting because of its effectiveness.

Text messages catch people’s attention differently than other social communication tools. Sending a simple text has been proven to be more effective that LinkedIn InMail reply rates with text message averaging 40% response rates and 99% open rates.

An average text message is typically replied to in under 30 minutes – partly due to the nature of the platform but also due to limited length of the message. Your candidates aren’t stuck crafting the perfect email just to express interest in career opportunities at your company.

Consumers also have a positive perception of text messaging. In a recent survey by SAP 81% of consumers said that a simple text messaging is preferable to mobile app use, and 75% said that it improved the brand experience.

LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook are critical elements to your recruiting strategy, but text messaging is an underutilized tool that can help you recruit more effectively. For a free guide outlining how to incorporate text messaging into your social recruiting strategy download the TextRecruit eBook here.