Roadmap to your perfect job ad

By Elisabeth Knoller-Nimmrichter25/07/202402/08/2024Career counseling

Using the AIDA principle for maximum advertising effectiveness

Are you wondering how you can arouse the interest of potential employees for an advertised position in your company and encourage them to apply? A well-known advertising effectiveness principle from marketing – the so-called AIDA model – can help you with this.

Successful recruitment with quality job ads

The current labour market is highly competitive and many companies and industries are struggling to find suitable employees. This labour shortage means that it is becoming more important for companies to present themselves as attractively as possible and, above all, to score points with a successful job advertisement. Thus, HR managers know that it is not only important to attract attention with the job advertisement, but that the quality of the advertisement itself is crucial in your search for employees. A precise description of the position and working environment are key factors in finding new colleagues who fit both the company and the advertised position. How can the AIDA model support you in your search?

Step by step to your job advertisement

AIDA stands for: Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. The principle behind it comes from the US-American Elias St. Elmo Lewis, who developed it in 1898. In four stages, he describes how advertising measures can be designed to persuade potential customers to make a purchase. This simple and comprehensible method is still part of common marketing practices today and is also suitable as a basic concept for effective job advertisements.

A-ttention
The primary goal of recruiters is, of course, to stand out from the crowd and draw the attention of potential applicants to the advertised position. A meaningful ad title that concisely and unambiguously decribes the ideal candidate, serves this purpose. Here you can confidently dispense with overly creative titles in order to increase reach and visibility in search engines. It is also important to use the right platforms according to your target group.

I-nterest
Once the applicants’ attention has been captured and they have opened the job advertisement, it is important to arouse their interest with appealing content. A clear, understandable and structured description of the advertised position and your company as an attractive employer is crucial for this. An appealing layout and a clear structure of the job advertisement are absolutely essential.

D-esire
The initial interest should now be turned into an actual desire for the job and your company. Corporate culture, values and visions are particularly important to many applicants. An emotional connection can be created through appropriate images, videos and authentic insights into your company. For positions that are generally difficult to fill, employee benefits can help you stand out from the competition.

A-ction
The ultimate goal is to persuade interested parties to apply for the advertised position. Therefore, avoid technical hurdles, make the application process as simple as possible and ensure a quick path to the application form. An explicit call-to-action (CTA), such as “Apply now!” or “Send us your application now!” can also help.

6 tips for your perfect job advertisement

Of course, the AIDA principle itself is not particularly differentiated, as it is used in a wide variety of areas in marketing. So here are a few recommendations that you should definitely bear in mind:

Less is more. Shorter job ads tend to lead to more applications.
To reach the right talents, tailor each advertisement to your target audience.
Be creative and thereby attract more attention.
Place your job ad at the beginning of the week. Candidates apply most frequently on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Use the right keywords and clear wording, so that your ad can be found on Google.
Formulate the job ad in a gender-neutral way to avoid discrimination and appeal to as many applicants as possible. Studies have also shown that women are more likely to refrain from applying if job advertisements contain socially masculine terms such as “strong” or “assertive”.

Conclusion

Especially in today’s world, it is essential to present yourself as an attractive company and to generate job advertisements that actually convince interested parties. The four phases of the AIDA principle provide the ideal basis for your perfect job advertisement. Get started right away using our tips!