B2B copywriting is when a company writes copy or content informing another company about its products and services.
It should not be confused with B2C. B2B means business-to-business while B2C means business-to-consumer. In this article, I’m talking about b2b.
Who writes b2b copy?
Copywriters usually write b2b copy. They can be part of a sales team, or they can be freelancers. This depends on the size of the company they’re working for and the size of the project they’re working on.
Either way, a good b2b copywriter will help the company write copy that persuades other businesses to work with their company.
In contrast to B2B copywriting, B2C copywriting is geared toward consumers, so the potential customer is free to buy right away if they believe your product would improve their lives.
However, for B2B companies, it could take weeks, if not months, of meetings and phone calls with several people before they’re ready to buy.
The corporation has the option to withdraw at any stage during the lengthy procedure.
To avoid this, your copy must address a problem.
Show them how your product or service may boost revenue, outperform the competition, or provide a better customer experience.
The difference between b2b and b2c copywriting
B2C firms, like B2B organizations, have their marketing style—and you may be asking what the difference is between B2C and B2B copywriting.
As a B2B copywriter, it’s common to believe that you’re writing to a large, intimidating organization.
However, with any sort of writing, only one person will ever read your text, and it is this person who you must engage and persuade.
The distinction between B2B and B2C audiences is where things become interesting.
Much B2C copywriting is concerned with meeting customers’ “wants” rather than their “needs.”
In other words, it appeals to the senses.
A customer, for example, might go shopping for a new camera. They don’t “need” the $1,500 camera, but good marketing persuades them that they “want” it.
B2B marketing, on the other hand, may or may not involve any emotion.
In general, a business customer has a significantly longer sales cycle than a consumer. They base their purchasing decisions on more logical considerations, such as:
- Cost
- Impact on productivity
- Impact on profit
Why quality b2b copywriting matters
Business customers, like individual consumers, find companies using search engines, social media, websites, and other online communities.
As a result, any content they come across is a strong messaging instrument.
While some companies, such as Amazon, Wayfair, Home Depot, and Dell, sell to both consumers and enterprises, it would be a mistake to mix the marketing messaging.
You cannot write for two markets simultaneously.
Before writing a single word, a copywriter must determine their target audience.
This will chart the course for your content’s direction.
When done well, B2B copywriting can revolutionize an organization’s sales.
Why do you need b2b copywriting?
Every B2B writing project starts with a “why”—companies desire to develop content to achieve specific objectives. Here are a few of the most common:
1. To create brand awareness
A lot of B2B copy is targeted toward the beginning of the buyer’s journey (or the top of the sales funnel).
This is the stage at which a potential buyer realizes they have an issue and begins to consider various solutions.
Copywriters write copy for this stage to help brands in raising awareness among potential purchasers.
This could include crafting copy for social media adverts or SEO site pages that address a subject that people frequently put into search engines (you may have caught on that this post is one of them).
It could also imply writing blog entries and other content that helps a brand promote itself as a trustworthy source of advice, or a CEO establish himself as an industry thought leader.
The goal is to educate readers about their difficulties and attract them to learn more about a solution, which could be one of the company’s products.
2. Attract leads
Another type of B2B copywriting in great demand is content aimed at potential buyers—referred to as “leads” in marketing speak—who are interested in a brand but are still assessing their alternatives.
The purpose of this type of writing is to educate readers about a product and persuade them that it is a good fit for their requirements.
Long-form anchor pieces, such as e-books and manuals, are frequently linked with short-form e-newsletters and emails to promote it.
3. To close deals
B2B copywriters also help sales teams by developing content that may be used in talks with potential customers.
These resources may be PowerPoint decks, white papers, or success stories from existing customers—in fact, any type of content that can help a prospect make a final purchasing choice.
While a well-written and convincing slide deck will not necessarily close a transaction, a presentation littered with errors would, thus, this type of writing is critical.
4. To create a great customer experience
When a consumer decides to buy, the necessity for compelling B2B copy does not end—in fact, it just begins.
Businesses want UX copywriters to concentrate on proper word choice to make their websites or software easy to navigate.
Brands also hire B2B copywriters to provide documentation that enables users to understand and efficiently use their goods.
Brands, for example, hire technical copywriters to develop searchable, digestible, and reader-friendly manuals, user guides, and FAQ sections.
What makes a good b2b copy?
The characteristics of good B2B copywriting are identical to those of any other type of good writing.
The finest B2B blogs are succinct, convincing, and often humorous.
However, B2B readers look for qualities that you might not find in a news piece or a page-turning thriller.
According to an Edelman-LinkedIn study, C-suite executives and other decision-makers want to see the following in thought leadership content generated by other companies:
1. Industry knowledge
Approximately 78% of decision-makers and C-level executives believe the most effective thought leadership they consume addresses industry-specific challenges and trends.
2. Easily digestible format
Approximately 69 percent of decision-makers and C-suite executives favor short-form material, while approximately 65 percent prefer data points, charts, infographics, or other statistics.
3. Advice that is relevant and applicable
Sixty-three percent of both decision-makers and C-suite executives look for content relevant to current projects.
How to improve your b2b copywriting
It’s an age-old question: how do you write faultless copy that appeals to the emotions of your readers?
It’s all too simple for a writer to overuse terms to sound more educated. But, as you’ll probably agree, it’s not about the writer’s self-interest; it’s about the reader and providing entertaining content.
The copy you create will be effective as long as you keep your reader’s best interests in mind. After all, you want to be perceived as a copywriter rather than a sloppy writer.
Here are six suggestions to help you improve your writing skills.
1. Write for one specific person
It makes no difference whether you’re writing a personal email or a web page that will be seen by thousands – your reader is always one person at a time.
You’ll naturally quit trying to address a crowd if you think of them in that way.
Concentrate on what your one reader is thinking and feeling. That will make you sound more convincing and human.
More significantly, you may be far more relevant to your audience if you can be clear about who that individual is.
2. Give the reader a reason to care in the first five seconds
Everyone in business is busy, so get right to the point. Fast. But this is about more than just respecting your reader’s time.
It’s also about realizing that everyone is constantly assaulted with information and messages. That means you, as the writer, don’t have time for a warm-up; get right to work.
Your email, blog article, or letter should hook your reader in five seconds or less.
Your first 20-50 words should surprise your reader, make them smile in agreement, or explain why they should continue reading. And it should make them feel as if this article was written specifically for them.
It should ideally be able to do all of these things at the same time.
3. Pick words you use in real life
Just because you’re at work and writing something down doesn’t imply your language has to put on a tie.
But we all do it: people who sound like normal human beings in real life start writing ‘utilize’ instead of ‘use,’ and ‘yourself’ instead of ‘you.’
The passive sentence form is used, and the resulting sentences sound more difficult.
People do this because they believe it helps them appear more professional. It makes them sound like a thorny annoyance.
4. Master your headline
If your target audience believes you can solve their problem, they may read your landing page completely.
However, you just have 15 seconds to persuade them to continue reading.
So, how can you make the most of your limited time?
You need an attention-grabbing headline.
In their headlines, bad B2B copywriters try to mention a lot of features. Worse, they try to make them too intelligent.
An excellent headline, on the other hand, must clearly explain the product’s value.
5. Create Conflict
Your material should not leave your readers feeling satisfied.
Satisfied readers do not take action. Readers who experience conflict and tension do.
A good movie conclusion is dependent on the building action. The more the tension and conflict, the greater the demand for resolution.
The same is true for B2B copies.
So, how do you instigate this conflict? You can accomplish this by:
- Describe a problem that your target audience can relate to. They are already aware of this; you are simply stating the finest phrases to trigger their emotions.
- Putting your brand up against another. Humans are hardwired to compare and contrast.
6. Use long-form copy wisely in b2b copywriting
You worked hard to create a headline that convinces someone you’re worth their time.
Your next priority is explaining why you’re the only choice over your competitors.
To do that, you need long-form content marketing.
Crazy Egg wanted to address potential concerns and provide relevant case studies on its landing page. Adding this information lengthened their homepage 20x longer than the original.
You’d think this would be detrimental to sales, but they ended up converting 30% more.
The reason?
B2B products and services tend to be higher priced and require longer commitments than B2C.
Higher price points mean your target audience needs more information before they can make a decision.
But remember: each sentence or line in your copy needs a purpose. Adding long-form content doesn’t automatically make it more effective.
After this experiment, Crazy Egg changed its homepage again. They kept the long-form content addressing concerns but reduced the fluff.
They shortened the homepage by 60%, which resulted in a 13% conversion increase.
The most important goal of b2b copywriting
What is the difference between a poor copywriter from a brilliant one?
It’s fairly simple:
Whether or not you can persuade the reader to act.
Did the reader buy your product or service, get a price, or sign up for your free trial after reading your content?
If your target audience does not take action, your text has not done its job.
Conclusion on B2B Copywriting
Including these ideas in your text will improve your copywriting abilities and get you noticed.
You’ve very well made it as a freelance B2B copywriter if you can inspire someone to take action with your work.
Businesses will be clamoring for your knowledge in no time.
