The AIDA Formula Motivates Readers Into Serious Call-to-Action

Justin Timberlake sings in one of his songs, “If you think about it / Sometimes people are just destined to do what they do.” I’m sure he was saying that some people have amazing talents to sing and dance, and some (meaning me) do not. When you apply that to Direct Mail, and take a little liberty with the idea, you will find that most people are motivated to do what they do. And as a Direct Mail marketer, you’re pulling the strings, even if you’re not aware that you are.

Writing for the purpose of persuasion follows time-tested formulae – the most famous example being, AIDA: Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. A famous copywriter teaches a variation of that formula, and I’m going to share my version of it with you today. These 5* Steps to Motivating the Reader are crucial for success!

• GET ATTENTION! – Make the reader notice you. Sounds easier said than done. But if they don’t see you in the sea flowing from their mailbox, you’ve already lost. You need vibrant, eye-catching and curiosity-generating presentation to make them stop, read, and continue reading this magnificent thing that is about to solve a pain they either weren’t acknowledging, or didn’t know they had.

• Identify the Problem or Need – Because a postcard doesn’t allow for a Q & A session, it’s important to point out a specific pain (or set of pains). The assumption is that the reader will identify with that pain, understand that they, in fact, DO have the pain, and will want to read more about it. Great copy will make them want to read more, pulling them in deeper to your messaging.

• Position Product as the Solution – “Fish on!” – as in you’ve got the reader hooked. The pain you’ve introduced has touched a nerve, and now it’s time to set up your product or service as the best solution to eliminate that pain once and for all.

• Offer the Reader Proof – Because it takes five seconds for someone to find a review online, be sure to offer explicit and overly-positive proof that your product or service does what you say it does. A quote from a satisfied client (preferably a REPEAT client), or statistics that you can back up with zero effort, etc., are a fantastic way to give some credibility to your claim, and to put the minds of your prospects more at ease. And that ease, or initial trust in you, will keep them reading the rest of your offer.

• Ask for Action – How many of us have heard, “If you don’t ask for the business, you won’t get the business”? It’s so very true. You’ve gotten the prospect to notice your postcard, they’ve sighed at the pain you’ve introduced or reinforced, you’ve given them enough to feel certain that your product will eliminate their pain, and you’ve had a satisfied client exclaim how they couldn’t have lived without what you sold them (“It was life changing,” – Repeat Client). But you can’t stop there. ASK THEM FOR THEIR BUSINESS by engaging them in an effortless and rewarding Call to Action. A great example would be sending them to a landing page for their first offer – at a great discount [that you can afford to offer, and that makes them tell their friends!].

I have a sixth motivation, but decided to mark it with an asterisk opposed to making it my number six in the list: Be Credible. Reputational Risk is very difficult to overcome. Wells Fargo is probably the single best example of that I can use. Make sure that you’re always able to position yourself, your company, and your products in a way that speaks positive and glowing volumes.

Give Opportunity Knocks a call today. We know how to use that wonderful formula for persuasion to achieve amazing results. There’s a pretty good chance we aren’t bringing sexy back, but we’ve got Success Coaches who are motivated to help you put together a Direct Mail postcard campaign that your prospects and repeat clients won’t be able to resist. It’s what we’re destined to do.