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The conventional marketing rule of A.I.D.A. can be very successful when applied online.

Attention, interest, desire, and action (A.I.D.A.) is a very powerful 4-step formula that can be applied to developing your web site. By getting attention, creating interest, obtaining desire, and getting a call to action, you can create a successful web site.

Attention:

In order to catch prospects attention you must first get them to visit your web site. This can be accomplished by listing your web site in directories, taking out ads in trade magazines, using banner ads, and writing articles that contain links to your web site that prospects would find helpful in solving their business problems. Your web site must hold the prospects attention at the home page long enough to see what else your site has to offer. This can be accomplished by:

Create a very strong headline, one that explains exactly what benefits your product has to offer potential prospects. How about this for someone looking to design a new showroom for their business? 'How To Design A New Showroom: A basic guide to creating efficient and profitable showrooms.' In order for you to create this headline you must know exactly who your prospects are, and what they needs and desires are.

Promise to give something at a discount or for free. Giving away free information or an accessory product that can help your client will get the attention of prospects. You should also explain or demonstrate how this discounted or free service can benefit your client with the solution that they are seeking. An example of this would be 'before and after' photos. You should never promise to make a promise that you can't keep.

Give real examples of how your product or service solved a problem for clients. Provide stories on your web site of how clients used your product or service and the benefits they gained by doing so.

Interest:

Once you gain your prospects attention, you must gain their interest. You can do this by:

Communicate with your prospects in a simple way. Use short simple sentences that are very clear in meaning and easy to read. Talk to your prospects as if they were sitting next to you.

After your headline, list any additional benefits. Prospects want to know as soon as possible all the benefits and services that they will be provided with. These additional benefits that you offer should be exactly what will aid your prospects. Explain in detail, and provide examples of how these benefits will help them.

Offer a guarantee. By offering a guarantee you are sharing some of the risk. Make sure your guarantee is clear to the prospects.

Desire:

Telling your prospects that you can solve their problems and satisfy their needs is not good enough; you must prove that you can by:

Offer advice and tips. The advice and tips that you give should be backed up with examples of some of your past work. You should state the potential results of following your advice. You should provide your email address so potential prospects can ask specific question, and ask about specific concerns they may have.

Providing information that will help the prospects. Show your prospect where they can find articles, case studies, information on leading developments in their business area. By providing this information you will allow your client to have more consumer trust, and increase your own credibility.

Using testimonials. Testimonials can add credibility to the product. Testimonials should be used explaining exactly what was accomplished by using the product, it should not be vague.

Action:

You should always tell your prospects what to do, to assume that they will know can lead to lost sales opportunities. To make it easy for prospects make sure you:

Provide an e-mail address. This allows that prospects an easy way to respond to offers, request more information, ask you a question, and respond with any concerns that they might have.

Protect the prospects information. You should always state that you are a secured server. Display 'We are a Secured Server'. This ensures the prospects that their credit card number is kept confidential and encrypted before it is sent over the internet. This is extremely important today with the increase of identity theft.

List your street address, telephone or toll-free number and fax number. This will provide clients with an alternative way of sending information that they may not feel is safe if sent over the internet. This gives them the ability to phone, fax, email, or mail their personal information.

Limited Time offers. Offer them a premium if they respond by a certain date, or special package deals that have been put together with the knowledge of what the prospects needs are.

If you plan to create a new web site, or are updating an old one you will find that by using the AIDA principal you will be able to plan and create a better web-site. I have also found through experience that this technique makes it easier to communicate with people who are helping you develop the site.