There has been a major shift in favour of the customer over the last 10 years. Today, customers are equipped with an almost unlimited supply of information thanks to smartphones, tablets and the overall development of the internet. They can educate themselves about any product or service, wherever they want and whenever they desire.

Instead of a businesses being able to control a customer’s buying cycle, it is now customers that can evaluate their purchasing options when they are ready. This shift in control has meant people no longer put up with ‘salesy’ advertising that gets in the way of their busy lives.

If your business is always communicating with customers like it is 2004 then you risk being deleted, blocked, ignored or ‘tuned out’. Australians are now bombarded by thousands of marketing messages every day which might explain why people are rapidly improving their ability to ignore traditional advertising.

The only way that your marketing efforts have a chance of consistently reaching your target audience is by offering value. It may be informative and educational content that helps improve a customer’s knowledge or answers their questions. By adding value, you will be able to communicate with your audience on a regular basis because they will offer up their attention. Maybe they will even look forward to hearing from you.

Positioning your business as a ‘teacher’ rather than a ‘seller’ provides your customers with lots of ‘free’ value up front. It means when you do pitch an offer your audience will be far more receptive.