Category:

AIDA & Website Design

1/2/2017

This semester during my electronic marketing class, the students will be creating their first blog. After setting up their blog websites in Weebly (Yes, I love the Weebly . . . simple and clean.) Their first blog assignment will be to apply the AIDA marketing model by evaluating 2 websites. I thought it might be a good idea to lead the way with a blog on a website. Let us consider AirFareWatchDog.com . .  . Please note the red triangles that highlight the AIDA in the screen shot below:

A=Attention: Obviously, visitors to the AirFareWatchDog.com website expect to find the best air fares available today when they arrive at the website.  The folks of AirFareWatchDog.com deliver on that promise immediately.  Yes, the prime real estate in the top left corner of the page is the logo but immediately located to the right below the logo is a light blue box with the headline “Search for Best Airfare Deals.” My attention is captured immediately upon arriving at the website.

I=Interest: The designers have ensured that even if I do not know a particular destination to consider for a trip, they provide the lowest fares available today from my home city. Of course, they start with the lowest airfare available in order to secure my interest and draw me into exploring the opportunities for my next trip. When I clicked on the Airfare Details for flights from my home city, a pop-up box provided me with an immediate opportunity to act by subscribing to the website.  Their “Get Our Best Fares in Your Inbox!” teaser line was clean and simple to understand.

D=Desire: It is my opinion that the designers slip up a bit by failing to deliver on the desire. Yes, there are options in the navigation bar to search for low fares to a city, check out their Watchdog Community, or a variety of tools including writing a review, but they are easily overlooked. If it were my website, I would include a lead-in to a “hot news story” related to travel fares, a recent review of an airline, or list of recent new routes or published promotions. It could be a simple box between the Lowest Fares and Follow Us on Twitter. The key here is to get the individual to see the benefit of checking out the website on a regular basis and not just when they are considering a trip. Admittedly, there were several features that automatically pop-up once you started exploring the airfare deals, such as the opportunity to save up to 30% by booking your flight and hotel together. This was clearly an effective message that communicated how the website could save you money. Further demonstrating the benefit that could be secured by visiting this website . . . saving me money on my travel.

A*=Action: (Note the A* denotes Action on the graphic below.) This is where this website shines in its simplicity and effective delivery of Action opportunities. The “Search for Best Airfare Deals” is front and center above the 600px “fold” of the website (Viewers do not need to scroll down to Act.) I really like how the “From” box is pre-filled in with my home city making it very easy to proceed with a search to find the fares that best meet my needs. They also provide action opportunities with the “Follow Us on Twitter,” “Join Us on Facebook” and the “Tell Us What You Think” boxes. When I visited the site today, the current poll results indicated that the most important factor to visitors when booking a flight was price (by 83%).

Overall, the AirFareWatchDog.com website does an excellent job of moving visitors from attention to action with their overall layout and use of color, graphics, and whitespace.

A screenshot of the airfarewtchdog website with AIDA points identified.

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Electronic Marketing ePortfolios

2/12/2014

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E-marketing Skills are essential

The following ePortfolios were created by my students in PRT 5460/6460 Electronic Marketing class. Their first assignment was to evaluate a website using the AIDA (attention-interest-desire-action) model. The majority of the students in this class will be graduating in May 2014. If you are looking for a capable employee with knowledge of electronic marketing, then check out these eportfolios:

Katheine Araya: http://katherinearaya.weebly.com/
Shane Baldwin: http://www.shanebaldwin1.weebly.com
Kathleen Barton: http://kathleenbarton.weebly.com/
Adam Crook: http://adamcrook.weebly.com/
Kelly Deleon: http://kellydeleon.weebly.com/
Drake Doherty: http://drakedoherty.weebly.com/
David Forsman: http://daveforsman.weebly.com/
Mael Glon: http://maelglon.weebly.com/
Kevin Guthormsen: http://kevinguthormsen.weebly.com/
Brett Haacke: http://bretthaacke.weebly.com/
Sarah Hall: http://www.sarahhallutah.weebly.com/
Warren Hallmark: http://warrenhallmark.weebly.com/
Shuting Hu: http://shutinghu.weebly.com/
Gejiang Huang: http://gejianghuang.weebly.com/
Spencer Jacobson: http://spencerjacobson.weebly.com/
Jae Kim: http://kimjaehyun.weebly.com/
Christopher Knowlton: http://christopherknowlton.weebly.com/
Eric Larsen: http://ericlarsen.weebly.com/
Sean Long: http://seanlongeportfolio.weebly.com
Madison Martin: http://madisonmartineportfolio.weebly.com/
Arthur Matthews: http://arthurlmatthews.weebly.com/
Nicholas McMillen: http://nicholasimcmillen.weebly.com/
Mark Pairitz: http://markpairitzportfolio.weebly.com/
Jake Palmer: http://jakepalmerportfolio.weebly.com/
Sidney Severson: http://sidseverson.weebly.com/
Katie Sikkema: http://katiesikkema.weebly.com/
Emily Stapley: http://emilystapley.weebly.com/
Tyler Teran: http://www.tylerteran.weebly.com/
Brent Uberty: http://brentuberty.weebly.com/

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"Social Media Update" Published

4/24/2013

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Read the free online newspaper on social media updated today!

Dr. Ralston has prepared a summary of today's headlines on social media. It is fully accessible via the web. Find a story you like and click on the link to read the entire story. Save time and catch up on the news.

The headline story for April 24th features Google+ . . . check it out along with other stories, photos, and videos.

Other feature stories include Earth Day, Social Media & Boston Marathon bombings, Google+, Managing the Social Media Mix, and UNESCO Director-General deplores continuing destruction of ancient Aleppo, a World Heritage site.

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AIDA Follow-up

9/17/2012

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This week I would like to share some of the blogs created by my students in PRT 5460/6460 Electronic Marketing. Their first assignment was to evaluate a website using AIDA (attention-interest-desire-action). The majority of the students in this class will be graduating in May 2013. If you are looking for a capable employee with knowledge of electronic marketing, then check out these blogs:

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8 Secrets to Writing Faster Blog Posts

8/27/2012

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It seems that in my busy schedule of teaching, I never have sufficient time to blog. I am always writing a lecture, evaluating assignments, grading quizzes, etc. Yet I love sharing tips for effective electronic marketing with my students at the University of Utah. I discovered a great blog today (J6Design.com.au) with some basic ideas and a great infographic. Excellent timing since I need to get back into the swing of blogging in preparation for teaching social media this fall. So I will test out the suggested 8 secrets to writing faster blog posts beginning here and now!

1.  Assign a time frame & deadline... & stick to it. I am going to try and blog once a week for the balance of the fall semester. . . once a week with something about electronic marketing.

2.  Create a content calendar: This is an easy one if I simply follow the outline of topics covered in my electronic marketing class.

3. Keep a topic list: Sounds logical . . . again I will focus on topics I cover in my electronic marketing course at the University of Utah. So in the coming weeks there will be (hear that tone of determination as I strike those keys) blogs on Basic Web Design, Search Engine Optimization, Social media, HTML 5/CSS,    The power of photography and photo editing, and Flash as a tool to capture attention and generate interest.

4. Remove all distractions. Nearly impossible since I am always multi-tasking . . . but it seems that Monday afternoon might work to close off the majority of the world. Teddy (my blind Pomeranian can sleep on my desk while I work) and I will turn off all the other sound devices to minimize distractions.

5. Start at the end. As a teacher, this is the heart of the lesson . . . the desired learning outcomes. For example, in this blog post I hope students will learn that even they can find some time to post a blog message.

6. Write don’t edit. Impossible. My fingers edit before my head even knows what is happening . . . but I will attempt to minimize the editing.

7. Keep the flow. I will do my research before beginning the draft of the post. Start with an outline and then let the magic happen.

8.  You are story telling: J6Design.com.au suggests that you should read your blog out loud when you have finished drafting the blog. I do this all the time when I write my PowerPoint slides for a lecture. This is very helpful when I record my lectures for delivery online on the web. I find it is so much easier if I take the time to read it out loud a couple of times so that I can feel more conversational rather than rattling off facts for my students.

Well tune in next week to see what happens to my plan to implement this in my time plan. See you next Monday.

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Drafting an effective description statement

10/7/2011

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The Problem – Why the need for SEO? Why write a description when search engines will put in their own snippet for you:

This past week I attempted to explain Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to my students in my electronic marketing course. I fear that many of my students failed to comprehend the importance of SEO and more importantly, struggled with drafting an effective description that would entice potential visitors to their website.

An analogy: I admonished them to take advantage of the opportunity to sell your product, or in the case of their resume/eportfolio to sell yourself to potential employers. The analogy that seemed to bring a little clarity in the eyes of my students was a comparison to billboards on the highway. There are many billboards promoting hotels and restaurants along the interstate, but some are more effective in attracting the driver to leave the road than others. Pretty pictures might grab your initial attention, but what motivates you to take that next exit. Is it the message “kids stay free,” “free hot breakfast,” or “restaurant open 24 hours?” An interesting and motivating descriptive message will achieve a similar result, such as, attract a greater click though rate than a random snippet of information from the website’s content. Still many of my students struggled to write an effective description for their own resume website. Feeling a bit frustrated, I turned back to my SEO books and reviewing some of the wealth of SEO websites.

Conversation Marketing website identified 3 items that should be included in the description tag. I would like to share those 3 tips with my students:

1.      A reason to click. Give the potential site visitor a reason to believe that you offer an answer to their inquiry . . . Provide them a clue as to why your website is to be the perfect answer to their search!

2.      More text – more clarity. According to Conversation Marketing, Google is testing different snippet sizes so go ahead and include greater detail. I would add . . . ensure that you proof your work to avoid spelling and grammar errors.

3.      Put your strongest point first. Use your keyword, primary headline, and the most enticing aspect of your brand message near the first segment of the description. If the snippet does not include the full description statement then at least, the most important points still appears on the Search Results page. Learn more at the following website:

http://www.conversationmarketing.com/2008/09/3_things_your_description_tag.htm

Check out their website and consider buying the book Conversation Marketing . . . currently just $7. for the PDF version. A real bargain for cash strapped college students

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Today's Marketplace

9/28/2011

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Marketing in our Busy Marketplace: Imagine you were given a free storefront location in the middle of New York Times Square. Approximately, 2 million people visit Times Square on New Year's Eve alone. All you have to do is put a sign up on the storefront to attract visitors, but you decide it costs too much or you just do not want to invest the time necessary in the effort! You decide to just let people come in to see what you have to sell. Yet, potential customers walk right by your door because they do not realize that you might have anything that they want. Sounds like a pretty lame marketing plan. Right? Although that seems a bit extreme, that is exactly what you are doing when you design a website and upload it to the web without the investing a little time in optimizing your site. Are you missing a valuable opportunity?

When you have a website you have prime property on the Times Square of the web! Millions of people go to a search engjine, such as, Google every day. They type in a description of what they are shopping for today or a question they are attempting to find a solution/answer. Search Engines provide them with a number of websites providing what they are looking for within a few seconds. Does your website appear in the top 5 of the first page?

Optimizing your website to appear near the top of the research results is the same as putting a sign on your storefront. Take time now to optimize your website and increase the number of visitors to your website. Designing your website so that it appears on the search engine results page in the most effective manner is not that complicated.

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Author

Dr. Linda Ralston (alias UTourDoctor) teaches at the University of Utah in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. My blog on emarketing is designed for my students just beginning the journey of exploring the world of electronic marketing.

Check out my other blogs:
eLearning Blog
ePortfolio Blog
Responsible Tourism Blog
Sabbatical Blog (2009)

Linda Ralston

AIDA & Website Design

Electronic Marketing ePortfolios

"Social Media Update" Published

Read the free online newspaper on social media updated today!

AIDA Follow-up

8 Secrets to Writing Faster Blog Posts

Drafting an effective description statement

Today's Marketplace

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