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vangogh
02-27-2010, 03:07 PM
I came across an interesting article earlier and wanted to share. The AIDA Marketing Model in Web Design (http://www.noupe.com/design/the-aida-marketing-model-in-web-design.html) looks naturally enough at AIDA marketing and how you can get that across through design alone.

For those who may not be familiar with AIDA, it's an acronym for the steps involved in selling a product or service

Attention - to get people to notice your product/service
Interest - so the customer/client can determine if your product/service will be useful to them
Desire - generate a desire for your product
Action - give the customer/client a clear way to take action

Before someone buys from you they're going to go through each of these steps. Usually when you see someone discussing AIDA they're talking about your copy, but again this post looks at it in terms of design.

For attention the main suggestion is to use prominent images or typography. Interest was also created through images in a way I thought interesting (no pun intended). Desire too was created with images as well as a bit of javascript or content organization. Action is discussed a little less since there's so much out there already about calls-to-action, but there is an example of buttons used to generate a call-to-action.

There are examples throughout the post on each item and the post ends with a brief thought about satisfaction, which is sometimes added to the end of AIDAS.

If you're familiar with AIDA(S) I think you'll find the post interesting as it offers another way to lead customers/clients through each of the steps in making a sale. If AIDA is new to you, you'll probably find the post interesting as well as an introduction to the topic.

Does anyone here consciously use AIDA on their sites or in business in general as a way to close sales? Had you heard the term prior to this post?

Patrysha
02-27-2010, 04:35 PM
I just read that article last night. It was a good one that I saved in my bookmarks to write about later.

I had heard about AIDA before the post, but it did help to re-frame it in a more concrete way as it relates to design. There always seems to be a disconnect in my head between what I know and what I apply, especially when it comes to my own marketing...always seems easier with client work. I am working on that...constantly.

Spider
02-27-2010, 07:46 PM
AIDA has been around for a rather long time, but I've never heard it specifically applied to design before. Of course, "design" is a very broad subject - ranging from the color of your bathroom to industrial traffic flow in a factory to the shape of the knobs and switches on the dashboard of your car.

The design of a website has a lot more to do with sales than, say, the design of the braking system on a railroad locomotive. So, it only seems natural to me that AIDA would apply - or should apply - to website design.

Interesting article - made me look over my front page and make a few small changes!

vangogh
02-28-2010, 12:01 PM
Interesting article - made me look over my front page and make a few small changes!

Funny you say that. I was thinking of you when I posted this. With all the changes you've been trying to make with your site lately, I thought you'd find this interesting.

One of the other reasons I posted is to defend my profession. I see so many people imply that design isn't important and it's only about making things pretty. So I like highlighting things that show how design is much more.


There always seems to be a disconnect in my head between what I know and what I apply

For me it's not so much of a disconnect as it is either not having the time to treat my own site as well as I'd like, or simply forgetting to do things I know I should do. Maybe that is something of a disconnect.

painperdu
02-28-2010, 07:20 PM
I've been studying and experimenting with the Ogilvy layout lately. I love simplistic design that goes or leads the subject in as few steps as possible. There are way too many designs being created for both print and web that ignore these basic tried and true methods. It seems that people project their ego into their work instead of thinking of their target.

AIDA really is just one of those basic truisms that may be called by different names in other fields but boils down to simple but effective designing. SEO/SEM is the term used for websites and pages but it's the same thing if you look closely at it. It's just simple and efficient communication.

vangogh
03-01-2010, 11:10 AM
Sad to say I don't know as much about Ogilvy as I should. When I look for his books they either seem out of print of very expensive. I have one paperback on my Amazon wishlist that I need to get.

Any recommendations to learn more about his ideas?

painperdu
03-02-2010, 05:37 PM
I'm only familiar with the layout that's attributed to him : Ad Layouts and Templates - Five Step Ad Design Formula Based on Work of David Ogilvy (http://desktoppub.about.com/od/ads/ss/ogilvy.htm)

He claimed his most successful advertising campaigns used a simple layout that emphasized a large graphic which led to a simple bold headline, a caption to explain the graphic, body text, and then your signature (contact/actionable info).

Ogilvy claimed that these things are most noticed in this certain order. I can't remember where I saw it but he even gives a breakdown in the amount of time and primacy of where a reader looks at an ad. There have since been eye tracking heat maps where readers look over an ad and Ogilvy was right on.

I recently did a Google image search for "ad flyer" and found that many of them ignore the Ogilvy principles. They look haphazard and really don't entice a second glance or invite a harder read.

vangogh
03-02-2010, 07:23 PM
Thanks. I bookmarked the page. The site wasn't loading very well at the moment or I would have read it now.

I've seen a little about his layout before. I don't know if things have changed some in the time since he came up with his theories. The web wasn't exactly in existence when he was writing. Still I'd imagine most of his principles are still accepted practice today.

He is one of the gurus of advertising so it only makes sense to read more of what he's written. I'm sure some of the people who's content I read were influenced by Ogilvy and consequently I know some of his principles, but I'd still like to read the original source.

Patrysha
03-02-2010, 07:24 PM
I recently did a Google image search for "ad flyer" and found that many of them ignore the Ogilvy principles. They look haphazard and really don't entice a second glance or invite a harder read.

I don't know how is it at larger newspapers, but I can tell you in a small town - none of the people designing your ads has much training and the training they do tend to get is largely sales training, not marketing and not design. They're given the basics in graphic design software training...how to manipulate things around and how to access whatever graphic databases they have and not much else.

Most ads out there aren't built to sell...that's why small business owners who learn to distinguish the difference between what works and what doesn't usually only have to try a couple of new things to start seeing a significant difference. It's harder the more skilled your competition is, of course. But it does take considerable more time (or dollars if you go the hiring route) than leaving it to the media sales departments.

vangogh
03-03-2010, 12:19 AM
That's a good point. Would you say the people designing ads in your small town are small businesses themselves? I'm wondering if what you're seeing is less to do with the size of the town and more to do with the type of person who's in business designing ads there.

When you consider the last few years with the rise of the internet and all the people going into business for themselves through the web in some way, many have never been trained in what they do. That's not necessarily bad as long as they continue to teach themselves to do their jobs better. A lot don't though.

Do you think what you're seeing might have something to do with more small business owners working in their basement or is it the nature of small towns?

Patrysha
03-03-2010, 01:18 AM
I was actually referring to the media reps who sell and often design and write the ads. Like the newspaper and mini-magazine. Even in cases where they do hire out, as the newspaper does...it's outsourced to others who have the same sort of background...ad sales and graphics, not marketing basics.

Personally, I think it's the nature of media. It's about selling the space or the airtime (that is the pressure from management), and not about selling an ad that is likely to produce results. They rely on the fact that the media will work to bring in enough customers for the client feel that it worked to keep the business buying the media. There are exceptions, of course, media reps who know enough about marketing to actually help...but I haven't seen many of them over the years.

vangogh
03-03-2010, 10:48 AM
That makes sense. Too bad they don't realize if they designed ads that worked they would help other people make more money, which would consequently bring more money back to them as well.

Patrysha
03-03-2010, 01:19 PM
Short term vision.

That's what I experienced in my foray into sales. They didn't want to take time to build the relationship if it didn't result in sales posted that day or within a very short period of time.

vangogh
03-03-2010, 08:05 PM
Sadly short term vision is true of far too many businesses.