By Published On: December 25, 2019

Want to write B2B copy that resonates with your audience? Copy that builds your brand, drives sales, and helps cement long-term customer relationships? Keep the following tips in mind.

  1. Get to know your audience. Before you put finger to keyboard, you need to be clear on exactly who it is you’re trying to reach. The better you know your target’s wants, needs, and goals, the better you can craft copy that connects with them—and motivates them to act. Whether you’re marketing to B2B or B2C, it always helps to see things from your customer’s point of view. Start by getting to know them better. One way to do this is to build personas of your best customers, then think about addressing one of the personas as you write.
  1. Make it meaty. Since B2B purchases are often large and expensive—like into the five-, six-, or seven-figure range—considerable thought, planning, and research go into most buying decisions. Customers are hungry to learn. They want information with substance—real meaty stuff that addresses their concerns, presents convincing data, educates them without selling, and assures them that they’re making a wise investment. For your marketing copy this means you should include specific details, meaningful benefits, and concrete proof when it’s available.
  1. Balance the rational with the emotional. Even though business audiences want solid details, facts, and other rational support points, don’t underestimate the right side of the brain. While B2B customers tend to make rational buying decisions, they’re still human beings. And people, as we all know, are emotional creatures heavily influenced by our feelings. So be sure to communicate how your product or service fulfills an emotional need as well as a rational one. Appealing to the head AND the heart is a powerful one-two punch.
  1. Act like an expert. To make a genuine connection with knowledgeable, savvy B2B customers, you’ve got to earn their trust. How do you do that? By proving you know what you’re talking about—and that you understand their business, their needs, and their pain points. So, before you write, study the industry. If possible, interview your customers. You’ll learn valuable insights and be better able to address their concerns.
  1. Deliver solutions. No matter the audience, marketing copy is usually most effective when it’s solutions-oriented. So, figure out what your audience wants most and build your messaging around that. Focusing on their needs draws people in and makes them more receptive to what you have to say. It’s still okay to communicate all the great things your product or service does. Just don’t lose sight of your readers and what’s in it for them.
  1. Keep it simple. Your B2B audience is smart, savvy, and sophisticated. But that doesn’t mean they want their marketing copy to read like a Faulkner novel. Sure, you want to sound intelligent and insightful. Just do it in a way that’s simple, clear, and easy to read. Marketing writing isn’t technical writing. Don’t over complicate it with technical jargon and long, rambling sentences. Keep vocabulary simple and sentences punchy, direct, and succinct. It makes your copy easier to digest while respecting your reader’s time and attention. Business people are smart but they’re also busy. Try to say more with less.
  1. Speak their language. On the subject of technical jargon, it’s okay to add a little bit here and there. Speaking your audience’s language is a powerful way to connect with them while building trust and credibility. Just remember: a little goes a long way. Not only should you be careful not to overdo it on the industry-speak, but you need to make sure you’re using it correctly when you do. Master the insider language and you’ll look like you belong. Do it badly and you’ll shoot yourself in the foot.
  1. Give it personality. Last but certainly not least, don’t be boring! Just because your B2B copy is smart, professional, and informative doesn’t mean it can’t also be interesting, clever, entertaining, funny, or all of the above. While consumer brands tend to be flashier, B2B brands need to be distinctive and memorable, too. So, make sure your brand personality comes through loud and clear. Whether you’re writing for B2B or B2C, your words are useless if nobody wants to read them.

Well, there you have it. These aren’t the only tips for writing effective B2B marketing copy, of course. But they’re some that have worked well for us over the years. Have a few tricks of your own? Share them in the comments section below. We’d love to steal them!

About the Author: Mark Zukor

Avatar
2019 ANA ECHO Awards
The Benefits of Taking a Day Off