A Proven Guideline for Writing Promotional Messages

Most business owners struggle with crafting high-quality promotional messages, marketing materials, or sales letters. It is really hard to be effective and to the point without a proven guideline. I would like to introduce you to an acronym called AIDA. It’s not about the opera; AIDA stands for attention, interest, desire, and action.

For years, the AIDA structure has been used to teach direct salespeople the selling process. It works even better with my coaching clients when constructing promotional messages for direct mail sales letters, small display ads, digital marketing posts, etc.

AIDA Structure for Promotional Messages

ATTENTION
You only get a few seconds to get the interest of your prospect. The “attention” headline should specifically target a prospect’s needs & wants. Headlines should be short, punchy, exciting, and in the form of a question, if possible. A high-quality photo or graphic next to the headline is a fantastic attention-getter.
INTEREST
This is the area where you demonstrate the breadth of your products or services and how they will fulfill the needs of the prospect. Don’t focus on what you sell; it’s about them and how you can be their solution. Keep it short and to the point. Use bullets, columns, or tables when you can.
DESIRE
In the “desire” area, you build an emotional relationship with the prospect. Bonding is the goal, so you don’t have to compete just on price. Think about the fears and frustrations that your prospect is thinking about before using your services, and take their concerns “off the table” with positive messages. Show why you care. Let them get closer to you because they are exposed to your “why” and values.
ACTION
The “action” section is where you present your offer or campaign. Your goal is to motivate them to call, log on, visit, purchase, etc. Encourage immediate action. Create urgency by introducing scarcity or a short-term offer. Also include your logo, phone #, website address, email, social media logos, etc. Never put your logo at the top of a page. You want your logo to be the last thought they have.

If you have been following my blog posts, you should know that I strongly believe in providing entrepreneurs with usable tools. Therefore, could you print this article and find the local advertising flyer for your town or neighborhood? This is where many small businesses put their quarter/half-page promotional messages. Test their advertisements against the AIDA structure. When you find one that is close, I am confident that you will see why your promotional messages are more effective and exciting. During my workshops, I have shown my attendees excellent and bad examples of local advertising. It will shock you how many business people waste their advertising investment. Don’t be one of them!  For more exciting ideas on how to drive your business, click here.

Coach Dave