Here’s to You!
There are a lot of powerful marketing words out there. You have likely read articles and blog posts about using words like “free” and “secret” in your headlines, as well as other irresistible phrases to snare your readers.
The problem with many of these words though is that once you set the hook, you still have to reel them in. Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a word that made your readers just jump into your boat?
Actually there is, and I’ve already used this word and its kissing cousin nine times in this post, including the title. That magic word is “you”.
Carnegie said it best: “Talk in the terms of the other man’s interest.”
Of course, today he would write “other person’s interest” (or at least his editor would…) The moment you hear or read the word “you”, you immediately prick up your ears because suddenly the conversation is on a topic that is a source of endless fascination. If I talk about you all day, I’ll likely have a captive audience.
One thing I noticed about myself though is that I can write a few pages of web content or some brochure copy, and consciously use the word “you” throughout. But as soon as I’m done, for some reason I just let it go. The rest of the day, it’s suddenly all about me for some reason.
Well, I think it’s time for me to change my errant ways (and perhaps you do too). So let’s talk about some ways that I can talk more about you.
Emails
I try to make a conscious effort to use the word “you” more often in my emails:
“Here is the article I wrote for you.”
“Great talking with you today.”
“I knew that this link would interest you so I forwarded it to you right away!”
Most of the time, the sentence would make perfect sense without adding you, but I think it adds that personal touch without making it too wordy.
Blogs
You are here for you, not me, n’est pas? So injecting more you into my blog posts would just make sense. For example, which blog post title do you find more inviting:
How to Make More Money Blogging
How You Can Make More Money Blogging
The second version subtly but definitely makes a stronger impact. Although the first title may be intriguing, it is not exclusive. The second version is all about you, which by default cranks up the intrigue factor. After all, not just anyone can make more money blogging, just you.
Phone Calls
“How are you today?”
“Yes, you are right!”
“Certainly I can do that for you!”
Using “you” is not limited to writing. You can make everyday conversation more intriguing by sprinkling a few “yous” in there.
When You Becomes Me
Of course the whole purpose of using “you” is to make friends and influence people. (And BTW, if you haven’t read the book — get it now!) The more you focus on other people, strangely the more they start to focus on you. And isn’t that what marketing is all about in its essence?
So make it all about you (by which I mean of course, make it all about me, not you) by making it all about you (by which I mean of course, make it all about them, not you).
Okay, that’s getting a little confusing and Pythonesque, but you get my point…
Any other ways I can make it more about you? You just let me know — leave a comment!
~Graham
Tags: Dale Carnegie, marketing, Monty Python, you
