No, I don’t mean old jokes but I do like this image and I am a bit of a closet X-files fan.
What I want to talk about is AIDA.
AIDA originated in the 1950s and was one of the original sales training acronyms. Over time the application of the AIDA model has widened from sales to broader communication, and although the context has changed from broadcast to conversation, as a model it is just as relevant today as it was back then. So, if you remember just one sales, selling, communication or engagement model, then remember AIDA. The model describes the basic process by which people become engaged and motivated to take action, including the way that successful selling happens and decisions are made.

A – Attention

I – Interest

D – Desire

A – Action

The AIDA process also applies to any advertising, communication, blog post, investment proposal, elevator pitch, marketing piece etc that aims to generate a response.
Simply, when we buy or do something we do so according to the AIDA process. Something first gets our attention – if it’s relevant to us we are interested to learn or hear more about it. If what has got our attention and appears to closely match our needs and/or aspirations, and resources, particularly if it is special, unique, or rare, it can create a desire within us. If we are prompted or stimulated to overcome our natural caution we may then become motivated or susceptible to taking action and do something.
How could you use it in your business, marketing or communication?
Here’s some AIDA pointers:

Attention

• Getting another person’s attention always sets the tone: Remember: first impressions count, so smile, be happy, natural, honest and professional.
• Getting attention is more difficult than it used to be, because people are less accessible, have less free time, and lots of competing distractions, so think about when is the best time and way to get their attention.
• Gimmicks, tricks and crafty techniques rarely work and beware of the first impression that you make as its hard to change that initial impression.

Interest

• You now have maybe 5-15 seconds in which to create some interest.
• The person you are approaching should have a potential interest in/need for your product or service or proposition. This implies that have established a target customer profile.
• The timing must be right. You must approach the other person at a suitable time (ie. it’s convenient, the right time of the year/day etc)
• You must empathise with and understand the other person’s situation and issues, and be able to express yourself in their terms (ie talk their language). Remember: our context has changed to one of conversation. If you broadcast (sell) too much then you can turn a lot of people off.

Desire

• In ‘conversation’ your communication then needs to be able to identify and agree the prospect or listeners situation, needs, priorities and constraints on a personal and organisational level, through empathic listening, questioning and interpretation.
• Here the key is to build rapport and trust. This is the key to getting your prospect or listener over their natural caution to do business or engage with you personally.
• You must understand your competitors’ capabilities and, thus, your prospect’s options. Remember: it’s not about you, it’s about them as they are the ones making a decision.
• You must understand what you are trying to generate interest in and why it is relevant and what are the implications for your prospect.
• Given relevance, you must be able to match the capabilities of what you are offering, reliably and sustainably, to the needs and desires of your prospect.

Action

• This is about converting potential into reality.
• Natural inertia and caution often dictate that opportunities are not acted upon. So, be careful to encourage the most appropriate action to take, whether that is a sale, a decision or just move to the next stage. Get it wrong and you may be in danger of wasting an opportunity having done all of the hard work to generate the interest and desire.
• If the preceding three stages are done well enough the prospect will take action for themselves without any encouragement.

Are you using the AIDA process in your communication?
Thanks to columbweb for the photo