13 Simple Ways to Amp Up Your B2B Copywriting in 2023 (+ Examples)

People do business with people they trust.

Effective copy and content are the difference between winning on search engines, gaining new customers or clients, and sales teams being able to close deals or your potential buyers seeking professional services elsewhere.

In this blog post, we'll explore 13 simple ways to amp up your B2B copywriting, backed by real-world examples to inspire your next marketing masterpiece.

From offering your audience free industry insights to harnessing the power of storytelling, these proven strategies will help you and your team craft compelling marketing content to attract leads, generate awareness, and boost conversions.

TL;DR? Click to Jump Ahead

1. Tell an Authentic and Consistent Brand Story
2. Make Long-form Content Marketing Wisely
3. Don't Neglect Your Social Media Posts
4. Landing and Sales Pages that Hit Pain Points
5. Know Your Target Audience — and Write for Them
6. Showcase the Benefits and Add Value
7. Balance Facts with Emotions
8. Hire a B2B Copywriter with Subject Matter Expertise
9. Use Guest Posts in Your Content Marketing Strategy
10. Verify Your Customer Assumptions Before You Write
11. Don't Neglect Your App or Web Page UX
12. Treat Product Descriptions with Care
13. Understand the Power of SEO Copywriting

Tell an Authentic and Consistent Brand Story

Brand storytelling is the ballet of using a unified narrative to convey your company's values, mission, history, and unique qualities in a compelling and engaging manner. It helps humanize your brand in a way. The story-driven nature of our memories cannot be underestimated.

By sharing the unique story behind your business, you can foster an emotional connection with your target audience that sets you apart from your competitors.

That doesn't mean you post cliche marketing copy that tells the "origin story" of your brand and call it a day. Brand storytelling isn't about lazily putting in order the right words (ex: humble beginnings, shoestring budget, paradigm shift — retire these cliches from your vocabulary).

Your credibility is too important to tarnish it with insincere or uninspired website copy.

To make your brand storytelling effective, follow these tips:

1. Be authentic: Share the real challenges and milestones your company has faced.

2. Highlight your purpose: Showcase your company's mission and how it drives your decisions.

3. Be consistent: Reread your copy out loud to make sure your brand voice comes off as on-brand to your potential customer.

Example

Mailchimp's 'About Us' page mentions they are "founder-owned and highly profitable," matching the aspirations of their target market.

Make Long-Form Content Marketing Wisely

Long-form content can be a powerful B2B copywriting tool, but successful execution can be very challenging due to the sheer volume of well-written copy with real value needed.

You need your B2B copywriter to have exceptional content marketing and copywriting skills with experience addressing your target audience or at the very least a lookalike audience.

An effective content marketing strategy also requires a writer with an uncommon mix of multi-disciplinary talents. Your writer must be exceptional with words while also an expert in your field. Only high-quality content impresses the discerning readers in charge of the budget.

You will also likely need to persuade multiple people at a company before you they become clients or customers of yours. When writing for multiple types of audiences, make sure to be respectful of your professional audiences time by writing with a clean structure and a clear message.

Creating long-form content can be time-consuming, so make sure you use it wisely:

1. Choose the right topics: Your coverage should provide genuine and valuable information to build trust with leads. Include subjects that your customers or clients are already genuinely interested in.

2. Break it down: Use headings, subheadings, and bullet points to make it easier to read.

3. Update regularly: Keep your content fresh by revisiting and updating it regularly. Continuously add innovative content to your library to stay ahead of your competition in search results and to remain a thought leader.

Example

HubSpot's 'Ultimate Guide to Inbound Marketing for Schools' offers comprehensive information on the topic, with clear sections and visuals for easy reading.

Don't Neglect Your Social Media Posts

If you don't already, it's time to see social media as essential B2B copywriting.

The ubiquity of social media provides an opportunity to reach your decision makers at other businesses where they spend much of their time. Be honest with yourself about the amount of time people spend on social media while at work and meet them there.

Be creative and write engaging posts to help build an online following. Brands with likeable social media presences get talked about and have their content shared organically.

Some companies even hire professional writers to ghostwrite for executives on social media to maximize reach and impact.

To make the most of social media, consider these tips before writing copy:

1. Choose the right platform(s): Use your brand voice on the platform(s) or website(s) where your target readers spend their time.

2. Post regularly: Maintain a consistent posting schedule to stay top-of-mind and feed the algorithm.

3. Use visuals: Use images, GIFs, or videos to make your posts more engaging.

Example

Adobe's LinkedIn page consistently shares valuable content and insights, while using eye-catching visuals to grab attention.

Landing and Sales Pages that Hit Pain Points

A landing page is not just a place where you list your services, it's a make-or-break opportunity to close a sale or initiate a lead.

The last thing you want is a landing page that bounces away overwhelmed or unengaged readers.

Remember that people at other companies also have marketing knowledge. Many are alert to copywriting tricks that make you feel like you are being pressured in a car dealership waiting room, so keep any given landing page focused on a single call-to-action, if you can, to avoid giving off the feeling of overwhelming sales pressure.

Be helpful, not pushy about your service.

Effective landing and sales pages:

1. Use a compelling headline: Your headline should clearly communicate your service offer and pique the reader's interest.

2. Be a business ally: Highlight how your product or service can solve your target audience's problems.

3. Include social proof: Use testimonials, case studies, or industry awards to build trust. Logo soup isn't strictly copywriting, but it adds critical social proof to back up your offer.

Example

Slack's landing page is a great example because it plainly communicates its value proposition and encourages the reader to take action: sign up or learn more.

Know Your Target Audience — and Write for Them

Understanding who you do business with is the key to creating B2B copy that will increase sales.

Are you writing for a finance crowd? Who specifically in finance, at what level? Are you certain you understand their problem you are trying to sell the solution to? Have you tried to imagine yourself as a cordial coworker offering a casual but sincere tip?

Invest time in researching your audience and consider these tips:

1. Create buyer personas: Develop detailed profiles of your ideal customers, including their demographics, pain points, and goals.

2. Use their language: Incorporate industry-specific language that all levels of decision makers will understand and phrases your audience is familiar with.

3. Address their concerns: Speak directly to their challenges and how your product or service can help.

Example

Low productivity, high support costs, and expensive customer acquisition are familiar pain points for the target market of Salesforce.

Showcase the Benefits and Add Value

If you cannot clearly articulate the unique value proposition of your business in a sentence or two, start with that before writing anything else.

If your value proposition isn't rock solid, attempting to communicate it to a customer will fail spectacularly.

You may lose the attention of key figures at businesses before they ever have a chance to know the many benefits you provide.

Consider writing white papers, detailed persuasive documents, if you think potential clients expect more comprehensive literature surrounding your product than can be found on your website. When you are competing in a crowded market or have a truly innovative offer, a white paper can help get your point across.

Follow these tips:

1. Use clear, concise language: Avoid jargon and buzzwords, and get straight to the point.

2. Highlight unique selling points: Emphasize what sets you apart from your competitors.

3. Offer proof: Use data and statistics to back up your claims.

Example

Asana's partnership stories clearly articulate the value proposition for its services: make your teams more efficient.

Balance Facts with Emotions

Although B2B copywriting is built on a foundation of logic and facts, it's essential to remember that business professionals are just regular people who experience emotions like anyone else. We are not robotic data analysis machines.

Don’t be afraid to use empathy when trying to build trust and sell your offer. Take a look in the mirror and acknowledge the humanity of the business professional looking back at you. Your potential clients are people, and generally people like to feel that their problems are understood by others.

It’s far more palatable to the reader you are ultimately selling to (be it an idea like your expertise or a product) if you make it clear that you want to make their life easier.

An experienced B2B copywriter will push back on any cold presentation of information, but also any sensationalism or hyperbole.

To strike the right balance, consider these tips:

1. Use storytelling: Weave in personal anecdotes or stories to tie data to relatable success stories.

2. Appeal to core values: Connect with prospects by addressing their values and aspirations.

3. Leverage emotional triggers: Use words and phrases that evoke emotions like trust, excitement, or urgency.

Example

Zendesk's YouTube channel balances out its fact-based landing pages with humorous hooks and storytelling to resonate with — likely stressed — customer support departments.

Hire a B2B Copywriter with Subject Matter Expertise

Retaining the right B2B copywriter can be the difference between a failed project with wasted marketing budget and copy that converts.

It is not always possible to hire a writer with expertise in your area if your product exists in an emergent category or deep into a subculture. If the pool of knowledge is small but you and your network are some of the few swimming in it, don't be afraid to ask your peers for recommendations or cold message good fits on LinkedIn.

Ideally, the talent is as skilled at creative brand copywriting as they are at writing straightforward press releases. If not, you may need to restart the search for a writer to cover the bases that your first hire couldn't round. Gaps in skill are bound to happen, but do your best to hire accurately to save yourself time down the line.

Consider these tips for finding and nurturing top talent:

1. Look for experience: Choose writers with a strong background in B2B copywriting and a deep understanding of your industry.

2. Provide training: Offer ongoing training and resources to help your writers stay up-to-date with industry trends and best practices, especially in emergent spaces.

3. Encourage collaboration: The best B2B copywriting is a result of a highly communicative team speaking their minds, aligning on strategic goals, and trust in the professionalism of your creatives. Writing is about iterating through drafts, not achieving immediate perfection.

Example

Compare the B2B copywriting at Moz incorporating facts and data with the alliterative consumer copywriting for The North Face. Different audiences call for different strategies.

Use Guest Posts in Your Content Marketing Strategy

Guest posting is a powerful technique that involves collaborating with influencers, thought leaders, or other businesses to create and share content on their platforms. This can help you expand your reach, tap into new audiences, and establish credibility within your market.

In return, the guest poster gets the same.

Guest posts can also help build up backlinks for your website, a critical element of search engine optimisation.

To effectively incorporate guest posting in your content marketing strategy, follow these tips:

1. Identify potential partners: Research and connect with relevant influencers, bloggers, or businesses in your market.

2. Develop a mutually beneficial relationship: Offer valuable content that helps both audiences and build a quiver of reliable guest posters for different topics.

3. Associate with quality: Ensure your guest posts offer the same quality of writing found in your own content.

Example

Aayushi Sanghavi from G2 wrote a guest post about guest posts on the blog of SurferSEO to the benefit of both.

Verify Your Customer Assumptions Before You Write

Are you sure your marketing efforts will meet key decision makers where they already are spending their time? To write effective B2B copy, it's essential to base your content on accurate, up-to-date information.

Verifying your assumptions with data helps ensure your copy is reliable and trustworthy.

Data is extremely valuable — just ask social media companies. Brands and B2B copywriters have data-analysis services at their disposal to help verify the online search behavior of search engine users.

I like to use my network when I need access to a subject matter expert (SME) for a topic I'm unfamiliar with. I also am happy to pay for research tools to glean insights into the behaviors and preferences of my target audiences before I begin writing copy or content.

Use these tips to strengthen your copywriting process:

1. Consult multiple sources: Gather information from various reputable sources to confirm the accuracy of your assumptions.

2. Stay current: Keep up with trends and news to ensure your content remains relevant.

3. See for yourself: Conduct surveys, interviews, and keyword research to gather insights you can trust.

Example

Neil Patel's blog consistently provides data-driven content, backed by extensive research and analysis. His blog article "How to Do B2B Keyword Research using Ubersuggest" teaches businesses and marketers how to use facts to inform your online marketing strategy. Neil knows his marketing audience well and caters to them.

Don't Neglect Your App or Web Page UX

The user experience (UX) of your app or web page relies on effective B2B copy for motivating CTAs and intelligent flow.

Engaging content with seamless navigation and a visually appealing design can help your business stand out from the competition, so long as the copy you use is aligned with your brand and moves the user along in as few words as possible. I’m a writer, and let me tell you, many people don’t like to read.

Simple UX also keeps people coming back instead of moving on to a more convenient product.

Follow these tips to improve your UX:

1. Prioritize readability: Choose fonts, colors, and formatting that make your content easy to read.

2. Optimize for mobile: The majority of all web traffic now comes from smartphones and mobile devices.

3. Use whitespace strategically: A wall of text is intimidating. Try to break up content and create a clean, organized appearance.

Example

Google isn't just a consumer product. It's also a tool for B2B research with a simple but effective UX-copy pairing. One search bar, two CTA buttons and two clickable icons, only six words including the logo.

Treat Product Descriptions with Care

Your competitors are likely rushing to get products to market. They might also be thinking that the product will sell itself and forgo branding storytelling on product pages, but that's a great way to leave people feeling let down and uninterested. Just because your company built a cool thing, that doesn't mean other people will naturally care or click the ‘buy’ button.

When the competition neglects their own product pages, that's an opportunity for your business to show that you empathize with the problems customers face. Low-quality product description pages tell the reader you are more interested in selling at all costs than helping them overcome an obstacle.

If you only cared enough to give me sentence fragments, why should I trust the real value of the offer those half-hearted words are supposed to communicate?

By investing in high-quality writing on product description pages, you are showing your clientele that you respect their intelligence and humanity.

To create compelling product copy, consider these tips:

1. Make your value the star: Everybody wants to be more efficient and save money.

2. Use familiar language: Describe your product as a solution to specific challenges that users face in a vivid, sensory, and memorable manner. Light use of metaphor is just fine.

3. Keep it concise: Avoid over explanation and grandiose promises, get straight to the point. Stay organized.

Example

ClickUp, a project management suite, treats its product information as copywriting projects. The use of "birds-eye view" tells you exactly what the feature does without being pretentious or overzealous. The information architecture provides you with more topics to explore without overwhelming you.

Understand the Power of SEO Copywriting

Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for driving organic traffic to your content and increasing visibility.

To align your B2B copywriting with your business goals, optimize your content for relevant keywords and follow SEO best practices.

Consider these tips:

1. Conduct keyword research: Identify keywords that are relevant to your market and have high search volume.

2. Optimize your content: Use your target keywords strategically throughout your copy, headings, meta descriptions, and URLs.

3. Create high-quality, shareable content: Share valuable content that your audience will want to share and link to, not keyword spam.

Example (this post)

This blog post itself is an example of generating leads with SEO. By using relevant keywords the post aims to rank higher on search engine results pages important to my business and drive organic traffic. But it doesn’t do that by spamming. I wrote this post as an educational tool for businesses and fellow copywriters – SEO is only one lens of several I use when I write, but the combination of valuable content with SEO best practices is a strong one!

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