On The Importance of Adressing People By Their Names

Suppose you are inside a crowded place, say a stadium or a concert, with thousands of people talking, laughing and screaming at the same time. In similar situations we are trained to filter that external noise, so that we can focus on what our friends are saying nearby. Our brain is extremely powerful, and it does that job quite effectively.

There is one word, however, that would catch your attention even if it was uttered by someone far away, passing through your filters (well, one word except “Fire!”). It is your name.

That is right, your name is the most important word in the universe for you. Did you ever turned your head involuntarily to someone that uttered your name, only to find out that he was actually calling someone else? When that happens to me I just think “Oh, another Daniel.” It is a weird experience nonetheless.

Now, what does that has to do with websites and the Internet? Well, if you think about it, the Internet is just like a crowded stadium. Among emails, wikis, blogs and social media you have millions of people talking at the same time.

Moreover, if you have a website or blog, I am pretty sure that sooner or later you will want to catch the attention of someone. It could be to request an interview, to propose a deal to a partner, to offer an advertising opportunity to a company, to get the feedback from someone about an article that you wrote.

Regardless of the motive, if get used to addressing people by their names, you will have higher chances of success.

Here is a simple example that illustrates the case. I get dozens of email daily, most of them asking me to visit a link, to review a product or to answer a question. While I try to answer all of them anyway, the ones the start with “Dear Sir” or “Dear Daily Blog Tips Team” kind of lose my interest right away. Why? Cause it communicates to me that the person didn’t even take the time to visit my site or to read a couple of articles.

The emails that start with “Hi Daniel” or “Dear Daniel Scocco,” on the other hand, get me in a more positive mood, and my answer to them is prompt and detailed. I know that the person at least knows who I am, so I become glad to help her out.

Additionally, addressing people by their names is important not only when dealing with emails. If you are going to quote an article, for instance, do not write “The folks over the XYZ blog” or “The XYZ blog.” Try to discover who wrote the article and use his name on the credit (I must admit I also slip on this point sometimes).

It might sound exaggerated, but I am pretty sure that people would be more likely to link to you if you credit them by their names.

It is a sign of respect, after all.