How to Use the AIDA Model to Win Customers

What is AIDA in marketing terminology?

AIDA is an advertising theory in which the marketing professional is aware of a set of stages that a customer goes through when deciding whether to make a purchase. The marketer, in turn, develops their strategy around this concept.

Along with lead generation, AIDA is one of the most important concepts in marketing. Once a marketing pro understands and implements its basic principles, they can go after their target audience.

But, what do the individual letters mean for you, the marketing professional? Let's examine that here.

AIDA spelled out

What do the letters stand for? Is there anything else you should know about? What is the best way for you to remember this unique and effective marketing strategy?

All of this is part of a complete marketing campaign along with successful advertisement. So, to answer your main question, AIDA is defined as the following:

Awareness

Your first step is to identify who your audience is, then figure out how to attract them to the services or products your company offers.

You want to create a brand identity for your company with your audience. You want to attract attention to your business so that every time potential customers see a product or use a service, they associate it with you.

Interest

The next step in the customer journey to converting customers is to pique their interest. Let them know what you can do to improve their life in the workplace or at home.

One way to do so is through your marketing messages. This is not the time to hold back information. You want to tell them about all the benefits they will have by becoming your client. You can achieve this goal by facilitating the AIDA framework with your target audience.

Desire

Now that you have their attention, you want them to feel like they cannot do without your business.

In other words, you need to generate a desire for what you offer within their minds. At this stage of the AIDA process, you want the potential or current client to feel something inside when they think of your product or service. The idea is for them to want it badly.

Action

You must learn how to close the deal and convert their desire into positive action. Make sure they instantly purchase your service or product.

Not only once every now and then but frequently. You want them to become a steady customer. This is where the call-to-action (CTA) comes into play. You can tell they want what your company offers. Now close the deal. Invite them to become your client immediately.

Many marketers also use an "R" after AIDA. This stands for retention. Once somebody becomes your client, it is imperative to retain them for as long as possible. This can be done by cross-selling and upselling whenever possible. If you do not hear from a client in a while, give them a shout-out and see if you can get a sale out of your efforts.

History of the AIDA Model

Back in 1898, an American businessman named Elias St. Elmo Lewis came up with the AIDA model. He recognized the potential of the advertising world as long as the correct marketing strategy was in place. It would incorporate such strategies as the marketing funnel and grassroots marketing.

Elias St. Elmo Lewis was an esteemed figure in the world of American advertising. He often spoke and wrote about the various niches within the realm of advertising and went about the process of making them easy for other individuals to remember. Lewis was even inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame a few years after his passing.

Mr. Lewis knew there must be simple ways to remember different marketing strategies, no matter how complex they may seem. With a keen knowledge of these strategies, marketing personnel could see an increased conversion rate and make their company profits soar from year to year. After all, their ultimate goal is to develop highly successful advertising practices.

With his knowledge of the industry, Mr. Lewis went on to develop a sure-fire way of remembering the precise stages of any client when deciding on a purchase. He facilitated the process of using the acronym AIDA to remember it.

Marketers still use this model everywhere.

How can the AIDA model help marketers?

Marketers can reap many benefits from the basic AIDA model.

For example, this model identifies each cognitive stage that someone enters during the decision process of whether to buy a product or service and explains each stage in simple terms so that even the novice marketer can follow them.

Using the AIDA framework, the host company can increase product engagement or enable the buyer to gain a keen understanding of its services.

Whilst the concept of what is AIDA in marketing is simple, it does not talk down to the participants. Rather, it provides an easy way for them to remember the lessons of the AIDA funnel.

Marketers can also use the AIDA model as a checklist for all the encompassing marketing methods that go into the strategy for a particular client.

When followed correctly, this concept will boost the client total and the resulting revenue stream ten-fold. The host company's profits will soar, and business will be terrific.

The AIDA model can be taught to a group of marketers of all experience and skill levels at the same time. Each individual may remember the lessons differently, but they are certain to retain all the important facts.

This model illustrates the processes involved in a company's marketing strategy. If the attempt at getting a particular client fails, AIDA can be used as a framework to examine the approach and determine what went wrong. Then adjustments can be made to avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future.

AIDA can also be used when creating a general marketing campaign, such as a television or radio commercial. It can even be used when adding social media marketing to your total array of marketing methods.

Drawbacks to using the AIDA model

The primary drawback is the idea that after a person becomes your client, the AIDA model is finished. This simply does not have to be true.

As mentioned previously, many marketers include an "R," or retention, at the end of that acronym. This is every bit as important as the first four letters in the model. These are all parts of outbound marketing that should be adhered to for the best results.

Another drawback could be if not every person in the AIDA model training session is on board with the concept. Some may not fully understand it. If their confusion is left unchecked, they will fail in their attempts to use the AIDA model.

What can be done to avoid the unwanted result is to take those people aside and tutor them separately from the rest of the group. You can answer all their questions and ensure they grasp this concept before sending them out onto the field.

If you find these drawbacks to outweigh all the benefits, you can consider one of these variations.

The AIDA model in action

The following is an example of how the AIDA model would work:

Company A wants to increase its customer base. So, it implements an AIDA marketing plan.

First, they create and deploy a customer survey aimed at their target audience. With this survey, they find out which facets of their services these people are interested in.

Then they made the necessary adjustments to their marketing plan.

By incorporating the AIDA funnel into its marketing strategy, Company A sees a significant increase in the number of folks who want its services.

Then it had its marketing team reach out to these new and promising prospects. The end result is that the profits of Company A begin to soar. All because they used the AIDA model.

Use email marketing to lead customers through your sales funnel

Email marketing is an excellent and cost-efficient way to put the AIDA model into action. After identifying who your target audience is, create an email marketing campaign.

Be sure to follow best practices so it does not go into people's spam folders. When the appropriate time arises, reach out to these potential clients by telephone.

Reach out to the team at Mailchimp for help and leave the rest up to them. We have the expertise you need to get this job done correctly.