Even if you haven’t heard of it, chances are you’ve experienced it. The instant-gratification consumer. You know, the guy or girl who wants what he wants when he wants it. Not yesterday, not tomorrow, not five minutes from now. NOW! They want real-time services, features and products provided to them. There are such a growing number of consumers requesting these real-time services that we now have what is known as the “Nowism” movement.
People are feeling more of a pinch than ever on their time and want a better life-work balance, so anything to help them achieve this is going to be successful. Surveys have shown that people are willing to spend more if it saves them time. What can you do? Here are a few things to help:
• Be prepared to provide instant attention to a client. Even if they just “pop” in, don’t put them on the back burner and take a day or two to get back to them. If a clients calls, emails or texts just as you are preparing to go into a meeting, answer them. You don’t have to go into an in-depth conversation. Take a few seconds to let them know you are there, they are important and find out what their call is in reference to so you can be prepared when you call them back (saving time).
• Twitter. As you may have guessed, Twitter has been called the “Poster Child” of the Nowism phenomenon. If you aren’t on Twitter, you are missing an easy way of becoming a part of this trend. You are also missing an opportunity to reach Nowism consumers. Even Google founder Larry Page stated that "Twitter has done a great job of real-time search. I think we’ve done a relatively poor job of... things that work on a per-second basis. I’ve been telling our search teams for some time, you need results for every second. They laugh at me. I don’t think they understand this. I think we will do a better job of some of these things now". (Source: Wired, August 2009.)
• Instant advertising. Think about Krispy Kreme donuts. Okay, stop drooling now and focus. They were on top of the “Nowism” trend. They have a bright neon sign in their window and as soon as the donuts are hot and fresh from the oven, the neon sign turns even brighter with the words “Hot Now.” How many times have people pulled into pick up a nice, warm, soft, donut because they’ve seen that sign turned on? It’s okay, you can admit it, we’ve all been there. If you are a restaurant, think about doing something along those same lines with email or Twitter. Around noon, send out a tweet or email describing your delicious, warm special soup of the day (especially if it’s cold). Or in the middle of August, let people know what that new tasty ice cream flavor is that you just got in. Offer a discount to people when they come in and tell you they received your Tweet or email so you can track the effectiveness.
• Go mobile. Who hasn’t heard someone say, “Hey, I have an app for that!” Thanks to the Blackberry, IPhone, etc., just about everyone is online almost all the time. Familiarize yourself with these portable devices and have a presence. Make sure you are listed in real-time search engines, alerting services, etc. Check out the Top 50 Real Time Web Companies for a more complete list.
There is so much more to the “Nowism” trend, but being that we are all pressed for time in today’s world, send me a tweet at CWIMarketing, drop me an email or give me a call 540-295-5139, I’d be happy to discuss the topic with you further and help you get on board the “Nowism” train.
