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Tuesday, 26 May 2015
Old Marketing Wisdom for the New Age
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About a century ago, an advertising pioneer named E. St. Elmo Lewis wrote extensively on what it takes to deliver an effective advertisement. The simple approach that came out of his work has been effective ever since because the basic nature of man has not changed over the milenia. We still respond to our surroundings the same way we have always done. While a variety of variations on this advertising theory have come and gone, the basic truth of it still works today as it always has and always will. In this century, the web is the forum where every business can use this Internet marketing approach in their website design to deliver desired results. After all, what is a website if it is not at its root an advertisement?

The approach is characterized by the acronym AIDA which works out like this:

  • A Attention
  • I Interest
  • D Desire
  • A Action

So using this approach, your website design must grab the attention of the visitor, capture the visitor's interest, build a desire for the product or service and finally inspire the visitor to take the desired action necessary to fulfill your stated goal.

Attention

Much like the magazine ad of old, you don't get much time to grab a visitor's attention on the web. Distraction is only a click away, so you must do this effectively and quickly. Poignant imagery and bold simple words are needed to catch the eye in such a way as to avoid the dreaded click off to the ether. Capital letters are often helpful here as they command attention subconsiously.

Interest

Once you have their attention, you only get another few seconds to generate enough interest so they stick around for the message. It's critical to make sure the reason they showed up in the first place is right there in a clear, no-nonsense form and that you strike an emotional connection. Your goal is to inspire the visitor to believe in the truth of your message so they will be willing to dive a bit deeper and learn more.

Desire

At this point, you have captured the attention of the visitor and generated enough interest so they are willing to hear you out, so it's time to deliver the message. You can do this with text if you draw the visitor in carefully. Linked bullet points or short statements with "more" available for further study keeps you from losing them. Video is often helpful because its mere presence might help the visitor jump through the first two steps to this one very quickly and then deliver the message when played. Some people are drawn to video more than others, so make sure alternatives in text are also at the ready. On the web, though, the video better be short and to the point or you will never keep the visitor engaged long enough to get them to the final step.

Action

This is the payoff. It doesn't matter whether your call to action is for a purchase, a phone call, a download or anything else. It is critical that your efforts up to now end up with the desired action being taken by the visitor. They have received the message, they believe it and now they are willing to make the decision to participate with you and fulfill their part of the bargain whatever that may be. Be sure your call to action is clear and readily available. They shouldn't have to think to act.

By following these steps with your website design and Internet marketing approach, you are sure to get the best results possible. If you would like some assistance with this effort and you'd like to get more from your web presence, give us a call at 877.397.7605 or contact 111 Web Studio for more information.

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Posted on 05/26/2015 8:42 AM by Customer Service
Comments
26 May 2015
Send an emailBob Duthie
There is one more point that needs to be added after 100 years; a website needs to build TRUST.

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