Copywriting: Using the AIDA Formula for Sales Copywriting
The AIDA Formula or Principle is supposedly over a century old. It has its roots in the world of advertising and has been imported online for our use in internet marketing. Its inventor or creator is unknown, but it is considered the most revered and time-tested formula for generating sales. Consider it a rule of thumb and something that all marketers should learn as rudimentary knowledge.
AIDA is the acronym for the four steps of the formula. First, you capture the attention of your prospect (A). Second, it develops Interest (I) on your offer. Third, you intensify the Desire (D) for the purchase of your product or service. And fourth, you induce the prospect to Action (A) – buy you.
Here is the formula again for better visualization.
A = Caution
I = interest
D = Desire
A = stock
Discussion of the individual steps follows.
Attention: Grab the customer’s attention.
You can do this by using a catchy or unique title. Continue with a subheading follow-up for sustained attention. Other elements, such as a different graphic or an unorthodox video, can also be used. No specific rules apply, except that the method used must be appropriate for the product being sold and not too unusual as to divert the prospect’s attention.
Interest: Develop the interest of the client.
Do this by focusing on the benefits and demonstrating them. A cardinal caveat here is not to focus on features (as is done in traditional advertising). Customers buy benefits and aren’t too interested in reading about features. The benefits vs. The feature agenda is a subtopic that needs further amplification and is not fully covered here.
Desire: Intensify the client’s Desire.
Convince customers that they want and want your product or service. Which will meet your needs. Generate desire by making your offer irresistible; such as the inclusion of a series of gifts. You want to make sure that the free stuff you give out is related to your main product and also has real value. Buyers don’t like worthless things that they can’t really use. Includes a risk-free guarantee. Create urgency in your offer; like: “Order your copy within three days, before the 40% discount bonus is removed.”
Action: Induce the client to Action.
Lead customers to take action and/or buy. You must be clear call to action. You need to ask the customer to buy. You must make it easy for them to buy. Offer as many payment options as possible.
A new flavor of the formula has recently been produced online. A final fifth letter, S, has been added to the acronym to produce the updated AIDAS formula. Thence,
Satisfy: Satisfy your customer so they become repeat customers who can also give referrals to your product.
To develop a better appreciation of the AIDA formula, study several sales pages and identify each of the AIDA elements on them. Beginners usually need some time before assimilating the system. But it becomes second nature when used constantly.