B2B Writing, Explained
Start with an ear for language, powerful empathy, and insatiable curiosity. Now practice for 10,000+ hours.
Early in my career, after a few years as a magazine writer and editor, I moved to a new country with only one English-language newspaper. Although that paper had a hiring freeze in the editorial department, there was an opening for an assistant to the new marketing manager. I took the job and spent the next couple of years writing ad copy and planning events. I learned new skills, made lifelong friends, and started a new career as a commercial writer.
Then an up-and-coming, high-tech company in another city advertised for a promotional writer — not a technical writer, and not a copywriter.The headline on the want ad (remember those?) was: “If promotional writing is your career, come to [Company Name.]” That copywriter definitely knew me. I was the target audience, and I was thrilled to be acknowledged. I sat right down and updated my résumé, wrote a persuasive cover letter, and persuaded that company to hire me.
I loved that job, and it ignited my lifelong passion for B2B technology marketing. I’ve seen a lot of technologies come and go since then. Each product had the potential to improve people’s lives, at least during the workday, but often the impact was much greater. B2B tech products affect their users, but they also have the potential to contribute to other products that spur innovation and efficiency, enable new types of entertainment, prevent accidents, and cure diseases.
It’s my job to dig up all the details about each new product, uncover its potential, then translate the most compelling aspects of its features and benefits into plain English, using the prospect’s own vocabulary.
It’s alchemy. I transform base materials into copywriting gold.
To complete that transformation, I need to learn everything I can about the target audience. What impact can this product have on its future users? Will they embrace the new technology and become more effective? Or will the technology make their hard-earned skills obsolete? Can the buyer trust this product and its provider to support that transformation?
This specific product is meaningful. This purchase is meaningful. It’s a business decision, not an impulse. It’s also a personal decision for the buyer: Is this a good use of the organization’s resources? Will the purchaser be rewarded or punished for this decision? Good or bad, there will be an impact on the decision-maker as well as the business itself.
Write for People
Many of today’s tech products are complex and sophisticated, with arcane features and intangible benefits. That makes my job more challenging, but it’s also more interesting. I can’t assume that the prospective buyers know the all the details or care about them. It’s my job to learn what they do care about, connect it to the product, and put those meaningful values on the page. If not, good luck getting them to read past the first headline. Not gonna happen.
I know what you’re thinking. What if I’m writing for engineers? Surely they care about all the nitty-gritty details. Well, that can be true. But even engineers can view the benefits of a new B2B product through a personal lens. Does this product make the engineer’s job easier? Could it contribute to the buyer’s professional advancement?
Citing “feeds and speeds” can help differentiate one generation of products from another, but that may not lead the engineer or developer to understand the true impact of this new product or service on the individual’s productivity, creativity, or even likability. (Can a new B2B product make its buyer more popular? You bet it can. Think how you felt about your company’s IT manager right after you got that smoking’ new laptop. It changed your relationship. Am I right?)
Edit for Robots
Search engines add another important audience: robots, with their own requirements, such as keywords, links, and metadata. Those elements need to be handled correctly, or the prospects won’t be able to find the product at all.
I see search engine optimization (SEO) as a kind of style guide. I refer to Merriam Webster for spelling, and I turn to the Chicago Manual of Style for punctuation. Occasionally I break out Roget’s Thesaurus to shake things up with some interesting synonyms. But at the end of the day, I also need to sprinkle the right keywords and phrases throughout the copy, so the page will show up on the first page — preferably near the top — of a prospect’s search results.
SEO will drive site visits, and that’s a great start. But when it comes to engagement, lead generation, sales, and every other metric that actually contributes to the bottom line, the readers are human beings.
The technology has changed dramatically over the years, but I find that my early experience continues to guide my writing:
Business buyers are people, with feelings, values, and goals.
Features may be objective, but benefits may be subjective.
Every purchase is meaningful — or if it’s not meaningful, it should be.
Write for humans. Speak the prospect’s language.
