As you know, magicians are normally hush-hush about the way they pull off tricks.

They don’t say a thing, they’re mum; but we were lucky.

A conjurer let a secret formula slip out over drinks the other day.

He explained how to open a show to gain audience attention.

Here’s what you do.

You soak your fingers in a solution of yellow phosphorus and carbon disulphide.

Then you wait and wait until it dries. It takes time.

When everything is as dry as a desert, you’re ready to amaze your audience.

Click your fingers and a puff of smoke floats off into the air.

It drifts along and catches everyone’s eye.

People sit up to see what you’ll do next.

None of this is surprising, really, since you’ve given your audience good reason to pay attention.

You’re communicating on their terms.

Sadly, too many Websites and emails these days do nothing of the kind.

They’re not very good when it comes to getting your attention, never mind winning you over.

You can guess the reason.

They’re inwardly focused; they talk about themselves and expect everyone to be fascinated.

The result is a bit like being cornered by a boring guy at a party.

Someone who insists on bending  your ear.

Their content is like that; it’s full of words like ‘we’, ‘me’, ‘I’ and ‘our’.

Where’s the magic in that?

But then there’s the word, ‘you’ … as in your needs, your desires and your problems.

People respond to that. They wake up.

When it comes to content your customers and prospects want to know only one thing.

How they’ll benefit from a relationship with you.

It’s pretty simple.

One of the great copywriters of all time, Howard Gossage, said people don’t read copy.

They read what interests them.

How true.

So take care to write content from your customers’ point of view.

If you don’t, you can bet someone else will.

Namely your competition.

Share with us. Leave your comment below. Thanks for reading Whybetonto.com. Regards, Steve Ulin LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/1Bey3Jl