Not-An-Ad Blogging for Business – Made of Something Better

“Made of something better” is the headline of a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream ad in Oprah Magazine. This week I’m paying special attention to ads, sharing what I learn with Say it For You readers.  Even though business blogs are definitely not ads, there are a host of takeaways for us content writers in the ways advertisers sell their products, services, and ideas.

In this particular full-page spread, Ben & Jerry’s makes several different claims.  One simply differentiates their product by its density: “We don’t add a lot of air to our pints, which means rich and creamy ice cream.”

The other claims have to do with the environmental friendliness of their operation and their social consciousness: No genetically-modified ingredients are used, Fair Trade standards assure farmers of a fair price, the company uses vendors in the local economy, and cows are treated humanely.

Looking at this Ben & Jerry ad from my viewpoint as a corporate blogging trainer, I was impressed.  The piece is focused, even while offering a lot of information.  The copy writers seem to have followed the rule I suggest to bloggers – emphasize only one central point in each post.

What’s more, the Ben & Jerry ad gives magazine readers a “learn more” option, leading to the website.  In designing blog content, we need to present the “condensed” version of the information, then offer as one CTA (call to action) the ability to click through to a landing page on the business’ or practice’s website to obtain more information. In fact, blog posts have a distinct advantage over the more static website copy, because you can have a razor-sharp focus on just one story, one idea, one aspect of your business in today’s post, saving other topics for later posts.

Imparting one new idea or calling for a single action, your post has greater impact, since people are bombarded with many messages each day. Make no mistake – focused blog posts are made of something better!