“You Are a Business Pro” Good Tactic for Business Bloggers

My compliments to the National® Car Rental "chef" for cooking up a great ad in the Wall Street Journal.  Man in business attire is wheeling his luggage down the aisle of rental cars, saying to himself, "I will choose any car in the aisle. Any car."  National® Car Rental then is  implying, "Sure you will!" The company then says to the customer, "You are a business pro."

Although this is an ad, not a blog post, in just two lines of type, NCR has demonstrated two rules for effective business blogging:

Focus each blog post on one – and only one – aspect of your product or service.
Here NCR puts the focus on customer control.  "Because only National lets you choose any car in The Emerald Aisle and go.  No trips to the counter.  No asking for keys.  No hassles.  In the Emerald Aisle you can choose any car and pay the mid-size price, even if it[s a full-size or above.  Take control." Notice there’s no discussion of price, no discussion of safety, or service, or rules.  Readers come away with one idea – with National, I’m in control!

Focus on the reader’s needs and wants, not on what your business offers.
Paint a word picture of how the reader will feel upon taking advantage of your offer – how proud, how safe, how secure, how benevolent, how self-confident.  The first words out of the gate from National® are the ones its customer will be saying: "I will choose!"

Are there any strings attached to the National® deal? Sure. "Control" requires enrollment in the complimentary Emerald Club, and choice of cars is subject to availability and dealer participation, we learn.  But we don’t learn those things first. National® Car Rental leads with its key idea: The customer will feel in control!

Business bloggers, take heed.  Lead with a keyword phrase, combined with one key concept.  Do that well, and, for that one blog post, ’nuff said!