Recently we posted an article by Claire from English Wedding on marketing strategies for the wedding business, we hope it was useful? Today we are discussing advertisements and in particular AIDA – read on for more info.

When it comes to advertising your wedding business, whether online, in print or in person at a wedding fair or exhibition, the AIDA model is an easy and handy guide that will help you get it right.

Used by marketers in the biggest corporations around the world and great for small business owners even without a marketing background, AIDA is a handy tool for everyone.

What does AIDA stand for?

AIDA is:

• Attention: people notice your wedding business ad
• Interest: people stop and look at your ad
• Desire: people want your product or service
• Action: people do something e.g. click an internet ad to visit your site

These are four stages of perception, if you like; steps on an imaginary path your ad will guide a potential customer along.

Ideally you want a potential customer to see your ad and make a decision to buy from you. AIDA makes it happen!

Stage 1: Attention

Your ad needs to attract the attention of a potential customer. This could mean a big, bright, flashing banner on a website, a high ranking on Google or a sweet-smelling stand at a wedding fair. (I’ll never forget doing a wedding fair alongside Made With Love wedding stationery a couple of years ago – Clare’s stand smelt gorgeous, she had bath bombs to decorate the table! The funniest things can make the best impressions!)

Be wary of over the top attention-seeking ads though: whether in the wedding press or online, a gaudy ad might not work. This is down to targeting. If your brand targets the budget end of the wedding market, a bright, bold add will work: we’ve learned to identify brash ads with offers and discounts… but also with cheap goods, so be careful. Very good point Claire

Strange as it may seem, we’re also learning to ignore bold advertising banners (on the web) so again, be wary of this. Create an ad that will appeal to your target customer, whoever that may be.

Stage 2: Interest

Once your ad has the attention of a potential customer, it quickly needs to generate interest. Do this by creating an ad that’s relevant to your potential customer.

Imagine you’re planning your wedding. You’re flicking through the local paper and you see a half page ad in bright red with a picture of a fairy on it. It’ll probably grab your attention.

But if it’s an ad for accident claims or high interest loans, your interest won’t last long. However, if it’s an advert for The Wedding Fairy you’ll probably read on to find out more. The ad has successfully attracted your interest by being relevant to your current situation!

Stage 3: Desire

This is where your ad really needs to work hard. Getting a potential customer’s interest is pretty easy with a beautifully designed, appropriate ad and an intriguing headline. But the next step is to make someone want your product or service – and here you have to plan carefully.

Market segmentation and targeting comes into play here. If you know a little about your potential customers it will be easier to plan an ad which will be persuasive. Will they respond to beautifully written product descriptions, or to offers of freebies? Are your product features or benefits more important?

An ad which is overly wordy can quickly become dull. You need to choose your words carefully – so make sure you’re only saying the right things! In the same way, use the right images. A customer reading your ad in Cosmo Bride may have very different tastes to the one reading your ad in Wedding Ideas magazine. To create that essential desire for your product, you need to show the right product to the right people. I think sometimes we can forget that brides may not know our brand thus don’t know we are wedding planners, we need to tell them that fact in the advert – but quickly, it’s not the time for an essay on what you do!

Stage 4: Action

The final step in AIDA is action. Your potential customer has seen your ad, its message is relevant and has their attention, your persuasive copy has made them say “ooh that’s exactly what I’m looking for, for my wedding!” … and then they think, “I’ll speak to Dave and place an order later” but they forget, and you never hear from them again.

You need to stop that happening. An ad should have an effective Call to Action: a great reason to order now / enquire straight away / sign up for your newsletter. This is so true and we totally agree, sounds obvious but tell them to call for their free consultation…

Examples of calls to action are:

• discounts with deadlines (order TODAY to save 10% – Debenhams blue cross sale ring a bell, anyone?)
• order by 2pm to qualify for next day delivery – office supplies stores tend to do this
• a free pair matching earrings with the first 5 of your new necklaces sold
• call now (freephone) to check availability for your wedding day
• get regular offers in our newsletter – just click the button

Any of the above methods will help get an order in quickly or get potential customers’ details. You can then follow up either with your generic newsletters or with a personal email or phone call – where the personalised approach is very likely to gain you an order.

Using AIDA for your wedding business

If you have existing ads in the wedding press, have a look at them now. Do they meet all four of the AIDA criteria?

Critique your ads: what could you improve, if anything, with the help of the AIDA model and tips in this article? The UKAWP are going to review ours and get back to you!

Next time you design an ad or promotion, read through this article. It will help you get a feel for how effective your ad will be. Apply it to your print ads, to your website, and to your stand at wedding exhibitions. And do get in touch to let me know if you find it’s helped you!