<img alt="" src="https://secure.data-insight365.com/265687.png" style="display:none;">
What are your SaaS company's current growth marketing challenges and wins?
Back to Blog
Lead Generation

The AIDA Model: What You Should Know for Top-Notch Marketing

We've heard of the funnel, we know the buyer's cycle — but what is the AIDA model, why does it matter, and how can leveraging it impact your marketing?

7 mins read time
Alan Bedingfield
Alan Bedingfield

Oct 31, 2022

No longer are we living in the stone ages of marketing. Throwing up advertising with no specific action plan will likely drain your budget long before it converts a customer. And while there are different marketing models that can be implemented successfully, the AIDA model is one that takes your customers into mind by focusing on the buyer’s journey.

If this is your first time being introduced to AIDA, don’t worry we’re going to provide a run down. By the end, you are most certain to leave with insight on the topic as well as some new ideas to take back to your marketing team. 

What Is the AIDA Model?

The AIDA marketing model focuses on the buyer’s journey through your sales funnel. Specifically, how to go from getting their attention to a primed “ready-to-buy” potential customer. 

Think of the AIDA model as a roadmap you’ll use to guide your marketing plan. Where you will hand hold the customer all the way through the sales funnel to increase trust and minimize a lead from going cold in the final stages. 

What does AIDA stand for? Here’s the breakdown:

  • Awareness: Getting your brand out in front of your target audience
  • Interest: Showcasing the benefits of your products or services to get buyers interested in your offer.
  • Desire: Encouraging the buyer to transition from the interest phase to wanting your product
  • Action: Getting the buyer to take action in the form of making a purchase
  • Retention: Keeping them coming back for more as a lifelong customer

AIDA Model

Source

Applying AIDA to Your Marketing Plan

Applying AIDA to your already set marketing plan is about finding what works best for your target audience. There is no clear-cut answer that will yield great results for your company, but some ideas have worked for others. Let’s go through what each phase can look like with examples. 

Awareness

First, there’s the task of building up brand or product awareness. If you were at a conference, this is where you would walk up to the podium and introduce yourself. It’s important because first impressions are the stepping stone to building authority and trust within your audience. Brands today have a plethora of outlets to create awareness like:

What will work for you will all depend on where your target audience can be found. 

Example

Let’s say your marketing team has discovered that your target audience is young adults from 19-30 years old. In turn, they’ve also uncovered that they are making a majority of their purchases through social outlets like Instagram.

One way to create awareness might be to contract a popular Instagram influencer to promote your product, link back to your page, and offer an incentive in exchange for personal information. Next, you can move them into the interest phase. 

Interest

Interest has everything to do with your pitch — this is where a lead can grow or go cold if not nurtured properly. From here, you want to expose your brand's great qualities and what your product or services have to offer. The bottom line is to solve a problem for them by bringing their pain points to light. 

Example

Sticking with the same example from above, after you’ve captured your potential customer's information, you can start marketing to them directly through email. Then, you could set up an email campaign that follows a plan of action with the intent of moving them from the interested to the desire phase. 

Hey Angie! 

Thanks for subscribing to our newsletter. You are now a part of a select group that will receive exclusive content as well as deals on upcoming products. 

The (company name) team is so excited that you’ve joined our tribe. Since we are the top in our field at producing (insert product) that can eliminate (customer pain point), we wanted to highlight why we are better than the rest:

  1. XYZ
  2. XYZ
  3. XYZ

For more insights into why our tribe members love us, check out our review page (link) where customers like you share their experiences. 

Desire

Now that you’ve hooked your potential buyer, it’s time to transition them from “interested” to “have-to-have.” But first, you have to capitalize on their attention to push them over the edge to convince them they absolutely could benefit from your product. Keep in mind that you are on a time clock since most primed buyers have a short attention span. So it’s better if you don’t wait too long to close the deal with a follow-up.

Example

Coming off the email you sent, let’s look at an example of what a desire-inducing email may look like. First, you want to remind them why they are there in the first place. Next, provide an incentive for them to choose you. See what we mean in the email below:

Hey Angie, 

Now that you see why we’re so popular with our followers, let’s talk about what we can do for you. First, if you’re like most of your tribe mates, you are struggling with (XYZ). You probably also spend way too much on solutions that just aren’t cutting it. Did you know that (X%) of users who put our product to work find success within (timeline)? 

This could be you! 

P.S. Be on the lookout tomorrow for a very special offer that is sure to impress. ;)

Action

The action phase is the deal closer — this is where the goal should be a purchase. Basically, a buyer goes from “I want it” to “I’m buying it.” For this to happen, you will need to throw in some incentives as well as a captivating call to action. You want to make it as easy as possible for them to purchase, which means:

  • Checking your checkout page for errors
  • Offering multiple ways to purchase (Apple Pay, credit, debit, etc.)
  • Optimizing your CTA — making it captivating

Example

The final email example will be the closer where you want to include all the aspects of the action step. This includes an incentive, some pressure, and a call to action:

Hey Angie, 

Now that you’re all caught up on some of the amazing things we have going here at (company name), we thought we’d offer you a welcome gift. 

For the next 48 hours only, we’d like to extend a 25% off coupon as well as free shipping on your order! Simply click the button below to shop around and your discount will be automatically applied at checkout.

From here, it’s up to the customer to follow through, but don’t be discouraged if they don’t. There are plenty of ways to improve your abandoned cart rates.

 

AIDA as Your Primary Model

Keep in mind that what we’ve included above is only an example of how to carry out the AIDA model. You can easily include all four aspects of the model in one email like the one below.

Hi Angie!

Thanks for subscribing to our newsletter. You are now a part of a select group that will receive exclusive content as well as deals on upcoming products. 

The (company name) team is so excited that you’ve joined our tribe. Since we are the top in our field at producing (insert product) that can eliminate (customer pain point), we wanted to highlight why we are better than the rest:

  1. XYZ
  2. XYZ
  3. XYZ

If you’re like most of your tribe mates, you are struggling with (XYZ). You probably also spend way too much on solutions that just aren’t cutting it. Did you know that (X%) of users who put our product to work find success within (timeline)? 

Now that you’re all caught up on some of the amazing things we have going here at (company name), we thought we’d offer you a welcome gift. 

For the next 48 hours only, we’d like to extend a 25% off coupon as well as free shipping on your order! Simply click the button below to shop around and your discount will be automatically applied at checkout.

The bottom line is that you understand your customer journey and what your target audience expects from you prior to them committing to your brand/ product. 

If you need a helping hand creating a solid content marketing strategy,  content creation, or lead generation, reach out to the team here at First Page Strategy. Not only are we experts in our field, but we’re committed to helping your business create long-term sustainable growth.

 

Amplify Your Lead Generation  Is your lead generation strategy bringing in the customers and revenue you're  looking for? We're here to help!  Learn More

Alan Bedingfield

Alan is a strategic marketer and business leader with global experience working for organizations like Google, Microsoft, Toyota, and The Movember Foundation. Over the years, his work has shifted perspectives, influenced change, and driven results.

Latest Articles

Building Connections For Professional Growth, The Power Of Testing Quickly, And Thoughtful Ways To Be A Better Remote Leader With Melissa Moody of Matcha

Remotely Cultured

Building Connections For Professional Growth, The Power Of Testing Quickly, And Thoughtful Ways To Be A Better Remote Leader With Melissa Moody of Matcha

Melissa Moody, General Manager of Matcha and host of the 2 Pizza Marketing podcast, joins Jeanna on this episode of Remotely Cultured.

B2B SaaS SEO: What It Is, Why It’s Important And How To Develop Your Own Strategy

SEO for Growth

B2B SaaS SEO: What It Is, Why It’s Important And How To Develop Your Own Strategy

Learn how to develop an SEO strategy for B2B SaaS or get help from an SEO agency. An actionable SEO strategy will drive growth for your B2B...

Technical SEO For SaaS: The Ultimate Checklist To Maximize Organic Reach

SEO for Growth

Technical SEO For SaaS: The Ultimate Checklist To Maximize Organic Reach

Get the ultimate technical SEO checklist to maximize the organic search traffic, leads, and revenue for your SaaS company.