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How to write highly-effective B2B online copy

by Steve Slaunwhite

A few weeks ago I received a call from a marketing manager of a seminar company. She was obviously frustrated. Her email promotion of a leadership seminar had failed miserably. Time was running out before the event date. She needed answers fast. So she asked if I could review the piece and get back to her with recommendations.

Once I had read the promotion, I immediately recognized the mistake. Although it was a well-crafted piece of copywriting, it spoke to the audience as if they were consumers shopping for car insurance. There was little in the text that would appeal to the serious-minded, results-driven business executive.

Fortunately, I was able to rewrite the copy and, as a result, her next promotion was a huge success.

Now there are plenty of similarities between consumer and business-to-business online copywriting. But there are a lot of differences as well. And marketers who fail to respect those differences do so at their peril.

Here are some top tips for writing powerful B2B online copy:

▪ First, stress the personal benefits. Business buyers are individuals. So explain how your product will save them time, make their job easier, make them look good to their superiors, get them promoted, advance their career, get them home by five.

▪ Then, stress the business benefits. Business buyers act on behalf of a company. So highlight how your product will reduce costs, increase revenues, avoid liabilities, gain a competitive advantage, improve quality, boost productivity, accelerate cash flow.

▪ Features are important too. Don’t rely on benefits alone to sell a business audience. You must explain all the features fully. A Human Resource Manager will want to know the dry research statistics behind a new training program. An engineer will need the technical specs before he orders a new pump bearing.

▪ Write to the job title. Not all business buyers have the same beliefs, interests and desires — all information you need to know to sell your target audience. For example, a Financial Manager will have very different purchasing habits than a Sales Manager. The first will want to keep costs down and buy only if you demonstrate a solid payback. The second, by contrast, may be willing to spend just about anything to reach his sales targets.

▪ Demonstrate a specific need. A consumer may buy a product simply because he likes or enjoys it. A business buyer, however, will only make a purchase if the business actually needs the product. There’s no bluffing your way through it. Your copy must present a solid “business case”. If available, use specific return on investment (ROI) data and payback statistics.

▪ Highlight the track record. Unlike consumers, business buyers don’t want to be the first to try something. Instead, they want products and services that are already working well at other companies. So be sure to include plenty of customer testimonials, product reviews, client lists, case studies — anything that establishes a track record of success.

▪ Get to the point quickly. The main challenge in b-to-b online marketing is to write short, effective chunks of copy. Business buyers have no patience for rambling text or long-winded lead-ins. They’re too busy! So you must quickly explain what your product is, what it does, and how it benefits — otherwise the business buyer will simply click away.

▪ Speak their language. Every profession has their own buzzwords, acronyms and colloquialisms. So if you’re writing online copy aimed at IT Managers, for examples, be sure to use phraseology they are familiar with. A tip: review the trade publications your audience reads to get a sense of the language. A warning: be accurate. Nothing will torpedo the credibility of your copy more than incorrectly using a familiar term.

▪ Include an offer. Information offers like case studies, white papers, booklets, and reports tend to work best — especially for an executive audience. For small business owners, discounts and similar incentives (such as free delivery) can be very effective. To my knowledge, every successful b-to-b website I know of has at least one direct-response offer.

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Steve Slaunwhite | 905-846-2620 | info@steveslaunwhite.com