It can be frustrating for people who want to grow their business using online techniques. Everything seems so complicated.

You do not just have the marketing stuff, which seems a weird combination of creativity and psychology, art and science (along with a large dose of good luck). Then there is all the technical stuff, like emails, websites and advertising.

In fact the technical stuff is largely a commodity now, outsource it to a reliable contractor and all you need is the marketing approach. Thankfully at its core this can be really simple.

If you have done any reading at all about marketing I am sure you have come across the acronym AIDA. This stands for:

• Attention/Attraction
• Interest/Involvement/Interaction
• Desire/Decision
• Action

I learned from Wikipedia that some folks are adding an ‘S’ for Satisfaction now. I like that because for a while I have been teaching something similar. For now though let us concentrate on the old AIDA and assume that your product and service kick ass

Putting AIDA into action online comes down to:

1. Attract prospects and immediately tell them WHY you are talking to them.
2. Interest them in WHAT you have to offer in a way that appeals to their needs and Desires.
3. Help them Decide. Tell them WHY they should care, why NOW, exactly what to do so they Act.

This works in email, on the web, or even social media. Even better if you combine all three.

Attraction consists of getting attention, via an advert or a good email subject line. Interest is about the words and phrases you use, and of course video and audio can be used to good effect. Paramount is providing the “WIIFM” – What’s In It For Me. Give reasons rather than a list of features.

All this is pointless if the prospect does not take action, so you need to tell them EXACTLY what to do, make it easy, and give good rationale for why they should take action now rather than delay.

It’s easy to complicate all this stuff but nearly every tactic or technique boils down to this basic list.