4 Sales Guidelines You Could Use In Content Marketing

Do you know what an acronym is?

These are words that are pronounced usually according to the first letter of the words that comprise it. There's the famous word RADAR that means radio detecting and ranging; LASER that means light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation; and even the name ERNIE in the UK that means electronic random number indicator equipment.

The good thing about using acronyms is that it eventually becomes a good mnemonic device, something that is used to aid us in remembering a word or phrase that is quite long to remember. (A must-try or must-know especially for most of us whose memories are sometimes failing us already! A subtle way of saying old age!) Which now brings me to AIDA.

Not the name of a girl, AIDA actually means Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.

In the Journal of Applied Psychology, the concept of AIDA has been around since the 1920s serving as a guideline in the different sales stages. Interestingly, this same checklist or guideline can also be used in content marketing. In the world of blogpost writing and copywriting, AIDA is a truly inventive acronym and mnemonic device to remember the four things we should take note in writing our drafts for our blog post.

Attention

It goes without saying that the first thing we should strive at is to grab the attention of our readers. An attention-grabbing headline is a prelude to your readers taking notice of your article in the first place. A question that piques the interest of your readers is a good way to start.

Interest

The next best thing to do after getting your readers' attention is to sustain their interest. Come up with an enticing introductory paragraph and make your succeeding paragraphs relevant to them. You could start by showcasing at least 3-4 useful tips that they could get from your article. In the same vein as attention-grabbing headlines, sub headlines can also make your readers curious. Bullet points and numbers or enumerations instead of lengthy paragraphs also make it more appealing.

Desire

Once you've captured their interest, you must eventually work on your readers' desire to know or learn some more about the topic you've just introduced. Make your article appealing by showing its benefits and/or advantages. In the new wave of content marketing, content is king and your readers know good substance and how they could get something noteworthy from your article.

Action

This is where the magic happens in content marketing. More than just outlining to your readers the benefits and advantages of the product or service or idea you are espousing, there must be a purported call to action to complete the process of "selling." This is where the great challenge comes in and missing this step means that your article or blogpost is bereft of purpose. Selling is legitimate things to do so don't hesitate to pitch in. If flagrant selling is still not an option in the first stage, your call to action could be something else like asking your readers to opt-in and sign up to your newsletter, or connect with you on Facebook or Twitter.

Have you ever tried AIDA in outlining your blogposts?