Increasingly today, the most effective marketing initiatives reach consumers now, at the moment of a decision. If you’re a retailer and have a promotion that is good today from 8 a.m. until noon, reaching someone this afternoon with the promotion is simply a waste of time and money. The importance of now is becoming the most effective way to market to always-on, frequently mobile consumers.

If you’re reading this, there is a good chance you’re sitting at your computer. You probably have your email open. Maybe an iteration of instant messenger. Facebook. Twitter. You might be writing, reading, browsing. Your phone is nearby. Which notification would you go to first if all of these were active at the same time? Experience tells us that it’s the message alert on your mobile phone. We call it the “Attention Hierarchy.” We will definitely be touching on this again in upcoming posts, but essentially mobile messaging almost always pulls a consumer’s attention over all other notifications.

If you’re a brand or marketer with a message that has to get out immediately, you have the “need for now.” You can’t do it any other way. You can’t rely on people checking their email or logging into an account to get someone’s attention right now. The example I cited earlier is what we call “perishable inventory.” This type of inventory includes things like ticket giveaways or timed promotions. Limited quantities that require immediate action cannot be sent along in a promotional email.

For general information or a promotion that is not time sensitive, other channels may prove superior. Mobile messaging obviously has its limits, the most obvious being character count. If a brand is sending out information, an email is probably the better method because frankly, there is more room. But not for instant, and not for now.

--Alex Campbell, CEO and Co-founder of Vibes Media