Introducing AIDCA to help your copywriting

Back in the 1950s, a little acronym called AIDA was introduced to the world of marketing. And this little acronym was used to write powerful copy for marketing and to design ads. AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action - and this age old formula is still very much in use today.

What does AIDA mean?

What it means is that, in order for you to get a sale, you first have to get your prospective client’s attention. Then you need to get them interested in what you have to say or sell, entice them want what you're offering (desire) and then get them to take action.

But, the world has moved on since the 1950s. I do believe we now live in an increasingly sceptical and perhaps even cynical time, not to mention overwhelmed with choice. So, if your product is not something that's mainstream, we need to slightly amend the acronym to include convince. So we now have AIDCA - Attention, Interest, Desire, Conviction, Action.

Let's go through these:

Attention

This is key in any copywriting because if you're not grabbing their attention then you will not be in a position to talk to them. Attention comes through your headline. Example - your email title, your landing page title, the name of your webinar, workshop or course, etc. Remember if they're not drawn to your headline, then you have already lost them.

Interest

Now that you've got their attention, you now need to get them interested. One of the truths in the world of marketing is this; the reader is not necessarily interested in what you are selling, they are only interested in what it will do for them. This is your solution to their problem. Please note, this is not how you solve their problem, but what they get when you solve their problem. Note the difference.

Desire

There's a big difference between being interested in something and people wanting something. The things that people actually want are only a small proportion of the things that are genuinely interested in. One of the ways in which you can create desire is allowing them to picture themselves and how they would feel if you solve their problem. Show them the potential.

Conviction

Overcoming your potential customer’s reluctance to buy is one of the toughest challenges that we have to face. Sometimes this can be due to caution; other times it can be due to them not believing in your product can do what it says.

It is here we need to convince them that the risk of buying is smaller than the risks of not buying. In other words, they would really be missing out of they did not buy. This is where testimonials come into play, educational content, case studies, third party endorsements, money-back guarantees, etc. Anything that adds more credibility. 

Action

The final and very important part of any copy is the call to action (CTA). You want your call to action short, simple, direct and clear. Try to avoid ambiguity, wordiness or vagueness.

Use AIDCA when writing your copy and you can’t go wrong. Happy writing!