Move over Google Text: Here comes ChaCha mobile search

Do you ChaCha? Now, I’m not referring to a dance move, but instead the fastest growing text-based mobile search service. ChaCha is currently surpassing both Google and Yahoo in text-based search growth rates (according to the latest data from Nielsen Mobile). 

So how does it work?

Learning to ChaCha is quite easy. All you have to do is text ChaCha (242 242) with a question, and within minutes you will have an answer free of charge (besides standard text message rates of course).

What’s most unique about this service is that your text message is received by an expert guide – which is a real person. These experts are trained in many different topic areas to provide you with what is being called a social search result. This new term refers to a web search method which is able to determine the relevance of search results by considering the interactions or contributions of users. The service is free — and the guides quickly answer random questions.

Many users are finding that they prefer having a real life person answer their question. ChaCha is a definite convenience if you don’t have access to a computer.

If texting isn’t your thing, you also have the option to call 1-800-2ChaCha. This voice enabled mobile search function is unlike anything out there.  ChaCha’s biggest competition, Google text, is also free, but can only give automated information in the form of phone numbers, addresses and weather updates. 

Not only are its users excited about this service, but so are advertisers, who are seeing great return on their ads which are strategically integrated in the answers users receive.

In an average month, ChaCha receives 58 million inquires from users. Of the answers sent back with mobile advertisements attached, 28 million users have responded to those ads.

These SMS messages are easily custom tailored and matched with the nature of the search queries, a user’s location and basic criteria of each specific user.

ChaCha is proving to offer an ideal mix for advertisers, with seemingly endless options. The service allows business to maximize the power of their mobile answers as a means to take their marketing campaigns to a new level on the mobile frontier.

Some interesting facts, according to ChaCha:
-56% of its users are between the ages of 18 and 25
-83% of its users consider the service to be “very valuable”
-88% of its users found out about ChaCha through a friend

ChaCha continues to provide free answers to any question, anytime, anywhere to any activated wireless phone. So the real question to marketers isn’t “Are you ready to ChaCha?” Rather, are you ready to be a pioneer of this SMS advertising opportunity?