The AIDA model for marketing has been in use since 1898 when an American businessman named Elias St. Elmo Lewis developed it. As a pioneer of advertising with his own agency, Lewis tirelessly taught others about advertising using creative methods to grab attention and inform the public about products and services that could benefit them. 

AIDA in marketing stands for:

• Awareness or Attention
• Interest
• Desire
• Action

Marketers still use AIDA concepts today as a model for advertising practices. We can even consider the AIDA model for social media and online marketing strategies.

Let’s break down the concepts and see how we can apply them to a modern digital marketing strategy.

Awareness: Grabbing Attention

The first step of the AIDA model is to create awareness about your services. You can’t provide value and services for a patient that doesn’t even know you exist.

Building a website is one of the first ways to create awareness online about your dental practice and the services you offer. Social media engagement is another way to attract the attention of potential patients and build community awareness of your dental practice and the services you provide.

When you’re building your website, it’s critical to optimise your homepage since it’s the first page your patients will see. This page is your best opportunity to grab your potential patient’s attention and guide them to the pertinent information they’re looking for while also introducing yourself to them.

Keep in mind that viewer attention spans are limited, so consider these things when you’re building your website:

• Page loading speed is critical. Ensure that you optimise your website for both mobile and desktop users. A slow-loading page will lose the attention of your potential new patients.
• Optimise your landing page. Your home or landing page should provide pertinent, relevant and attention-grabbing information right away. If you save the important information until later, your reader may never see it.
• Provide engaging content that gives the reader options. In other words, use compelling text, colourful photos or graphics, videos, or a combination of these options to keep your viewer’s attention.
• Optimise your website with the right keywords. Optimisation will help Google match readers with your website based on what they’re searching for.

You can also use paid online advertising like pay-per-click (PPC) to help grab the attention of potential patients and direct them to your website.

Engaging with social media is also an excellent way to build awareness of your brand and services while building an online community.

Interest: Provide Information 

The interest phase is driven by you providing the information that potential patients visiting your website really want. So, it’s essential to understand your reader and how to engage with them.

Consider what type of information they are looking for and how you can provide it quickly – remember, you don’t have their attention for very long.

For a dental website, providing links on your home page to other services you provide can help your reader find the information they need, build their interest and position you as an expert they can return to in the future.

Desire: Build Value 

When we reach this phase, it is all about presenting the services you have to offer your patients in a way that sets you apart from other dental practices. This is when you get to share your practice philosophies and what you’re about.

This phase is when your potential patient decides they like and trust you and want to pursue doing business with you. Dentists should consider these things when building their websites:

• Use engaging and informative content on your service pages to help educate them so they can make the best decisions for their dental health
• Present what sets your dental practice apart from others in the area
• Discuss technology and how you use it to benefit your patients and how it can enhance their experiences at your dental clinic
• Communicate your clinic’s culture and provide information about yourself and the team members patients will work with

You might consider highlighting specific services you offer on your social media accounts to provide more detailed information. This may increase the desire for those looking for particular dental services.

Action: Move Forward 

Once you reach this phase, you’ve convinced your potential patient that you’re the dentist they want to work with. At this point, you need to make it as simple as possible for them to reach you and take the next step towards scheduling an appointment.

You can do this by:

• Providing an online booking tool (This is especially useful for targeting younger patients who may prefer to book online rather than call)
• Displaying all of your contact information
• Offering online forms for quick transfer of information or for answering questions
• Using chatbots to communicate with patients online and answer their questions

The bottom line is to have multiple ways for potential patients to reach you in the most comfortable manner for them, whether that’s a phone call, email, online chat, or online booking.

Do You Need Help Implementing Your Marketing Strategies?

AIDA provides a helpful guideline to keep in mind when you’re marketing your dental practice, and you can also use these principles in offline marketing campaigns.

However, if you’re too busy to focus on marketing your dental clinic, you may want to enlist the services of an agency that can help you focus your campaigns and make the most of your marketing budget.