By Barbara A. Fanson
When I was a graphic design college student, we were taught to use the AIDA formula to design print advertisements. You want your ad to get noticed in a newspaper filled with ads. The same formula can be used to design effective Facebook posts because you want your post to be noticed on someone’s Facebook newsfeed.
A stands for Attention. Capture their attention. Adding a photograph, chart, clip art, logo, or book cover helps to cut through the clutter of thousands of posts added by the minute. Even a lot of white space around your message adds visual interest and sets your post out from all the other Facebook posts.
I stands for Interest. Once you get a viewer’s attention, add copy that keeps them interested. Do you have a good headline? What is the main benefit? Why should they continue to look at your post?
D stands for Desire. Why do they have to have one? What is the biggest benefit of owning one?
A stands for Action. Get the viewer to take action—click on a link that takes them to a landing page to buy your product or finish reading your blog. Or show the date, time, or location of your special event.