The Initial Step in Marketing: Capturing Attention, Not Customers

• Capture Attention
• Spark Interest
• Ignite Desire
• Prompt Action

However, many advertisements focus solely on the first step, often resorting to bold or unusual graphics to grab attention. This approach can be likened to physically shaking a customer to get their attention. While this may indeed capture their attention, it doesn't necessarily lead to a sale. Capturing attention is just the first step, not the entire process.

The Secret to Effective Advertising: Make it Newsworthy

A more effective approach to capturing attention is to make your advertisement resemble a news story. This means avoiding typical advertising elements such as line art, arrows, cute graphics, reverse type (except perhaps to highlight a phone number), and unusual typesets. These elements may win graphic design awards, but they don't necessarily lead to sales.

Imagine the best possible scenario: a reporter hears about your product or service, investigates it, falls in love with it, and writes a full-page rave review about it. This scenario is unlikely to happen organically, so why not create it yourself? Write your own 'rave' article, just like a reporter would.

The Power of Editorial Material in Advertising

At the end of your 'article', provide a 'public service' to your readers by telling them where and how to order your product or service. However, it's crucial that your 'article' doesn't look like an advertisement. It should be typeset to look like the article it is.

Ad agencies often cite studies claiming that people love to read advertising. This is simply not true. Editorial material, or material that appears to be editorial, receives 500% more readership than material that is obviously advertising. If you're skeptical, just flip through a newspaper and notice where your eyes are drawn. Chances are, it's not to the ads.

According to a study by the Content Marketing Institute, content that provides value to the reader, such as educational or informative material, is more effective at driving customer action than traditional advertising. This supports the idea that advertisements should be more like news stories and less like traditional ads.

In conclusion, the first step in marketing is not to acquire customers, but to capture their attention. This can be achieved more effectively by making your advertisement resemble a news story, rather than a traditional ad. This approach not only captures attention, but also sparks interest, ignites desire, and prompts action, following the AIDA formula for successful advertising.