i still find it amusing how many people on these forums flail around about how bad WoW is... while playing this game. it's like we've played completely different games all this time. WoW is a superior game in almost every aspect. that's why it's popular. that's why people who get bored of it keep going back after trying every other MMO on the market, hoping it will be the one to replace WoW. and then it's not.
there's more for casuals, there's more for mid-cores, there's more for hardcores. the loot system is vastly superior, the challenging stuff is more challenging (and more rewarding), the easy stuff is more accessible. the UI is superior (mods, customization), the gameplay and controls are superior, the mechanics are deeper, there's more for min-maxers... and you can't even say the community is worse, because this community is no better. 3/4 of the threads people make are crying about the same dumb crap people cry about in the WoW forums.
as far as this game requiring more thinking? you must be joking. figuring out a perfect rotation on a particular boss takes a couple hours. figuring out the best combination of gear/stats for an encounter takes a couple hours. figuring out the mechanics of a new content for first kill takes... a couple hours. this game is 100% easier in every aspect except for how unintuitive it is. as far as WoW? take a tour around Elitist Jerks. enough said.
but sometimes a game runs its course and you're just looking for something new. or perhaps people simply don't like the direction a game is going. quite a few people from XI and WoW come to FFXIV as a result. most quit immediately after, and for good reason. some stay for the promise of 2.0. if 2.0 doesn't deliver, most will go back to XI/WoW/Tera/etc.
but keep the silly WoW-bashing to yourselves, especially when most of it is just baseless (and downright strange?) opinion. this thread asks for a road map to introduce to people who've come over from WoW to keep them playing. if you can't immediately admit this game's faults and recognize why that may be powerfully discouraging to most new players, especially in relation to other MMOs- you likely lack the perspective to give OP what he's asking for.
the bottom line is, the best way to keep new players playing is to warn them of this game's many faults upfront. be honest. then tell them how to deal with and/or circumvent those faults, or how those faults will be addressed in 2.0. because making this game out to be something it's not is *surely* not the way to keep a new player's interest. period.