Marketing Websites Using AIDA

If you’re familiar with the marketing and advertising industry, you know that the AIDA Model has been around for quite some time. My professors spent endless hours talking about this and it even was part of a presentation at the Conversion Conference last fall – I’m now beginning to understand WHY it’s important. I used to confine this model to traditional media like television, radio, and print. However, AIDA can be used along all lines of marketing – including marketing a website.

What Does AIDA Stand For?

If you’re NOT familiar with the AIDA Model, then you’re in luck! I’m going to give a detailed explanation of what it means and how it applies to marketing today’s websites. Whether you’re advertising for a Fortune 500 company or a locally owned auto & tire repair shop, AIDA can help you market your website (and thus, your business).

Attention (or Awareness)

First things first: to get any form of business, you must grab the attention of your target visitor. These are the questions you must ask yourself (or have your web designer ask you):

1. Who do you want on your website?
2. Who buys your product/service?
3. What problem(s) does this person have that I can help solve?

It all comes down to knowing your desired website visitor. Knowing how to grab the attention of this person (remember: it’s easier to persuade an individual rather than an entire group) is a big part of this battle.

Interest

Next comes capturing the interest of your target visitor. You’ve managed to get them to the website and hold their attention, now you must make them interested in learning more. Keep in mind that interest should not be confused with the act of wanting a product or service. Interest simply means this visitor wants to learn more about your product, service, company, etc.

For example, a group purchasing organization that helps associations and businesses does it right by placing the phrase “Huge Savings” on the homepage. If I’m looking for discounts and savings for my group, I’m definitely interested after seeing this.

Desire

You’ve got the attention and the interest of your visitor: now is the time when your visitor realizes that they desire your product/service. While your website is your main way of doing business, you must also think of it as another advertisement. To help your visitor in desiring your product, you must present your company as a solution to their “problem” (as seen in the above target market questions).

It all comes down to value – what value does this person get from using your product or service?

Action

The three hardest parts are over, and now your visitor realizes that YOU are the solution to their problem. Depending on your individual business operations and goals, an action (or conversion) may come in a variety of forms. For example, a conversion might be a visitor filling out a registration form, making a purchase, signing up for an email list, calling a specific phone number, filling out a quote form, etc. It all depends on the goals you have set for yourself and your company.

After all is said and done, the AIDA Model still applies to ALL forms of advertising and marketing. You may think of your website as a thing you simply put online because you have to, but it’s much more than that. Your website is a live, interactive medium that can possibly make or break your business.