Boost Your B To B Marketing Copy: 3 Major Copywriting Blunders And How To Correct Them
|
|
When you're writing or evaluating copy for a B to B marketing (also referred to as b-to-b or business to business marketing) campaign of any kind, you may think it's only appropriate to write formal copy in which you refer to yourself as "we" or "our organization" and let lots of other copywriting basics fly out the window.
Sadly, these sorts of mistakes are the result of the major misconception that you have to be cold and impersonal in your copy if you want to seem professional. If you're guilty of this copywriting crime, you probably learned this rule from a well-meaning, but misguided communicator who doesn't understand that business writing is designed to sell.
But fear not -- there's no reason for your B to B marketing to be bland and ineffective. You just need to know what to look out for. In this article, I've outlined the 3 copywriting blunders that happen the most and can be easily avoided in the future.
These B to B marketing mistakes include:
1. Avoiding use of the word "you" in your copy. Apparently many companies are under the impression that business people like their human sides to be ignored -- to which I say, Au contraire.
Last I checked, most of us in the business world still want to feel included in the copy we read. Wearing a suit or working for a large corporation doesn't magically turn that need to connect off. Speak to the person directly using the words "you" and "your," and your results will be stronger.
2. Using technospeak when user-friendly copy better suits the non-technical audience. Sure, some people in your industry know what the word "interoperability" means. But they're rare and probably aren't the ones making the marketing decisions.
To illustrate my point, I would invite you to consider this:
I am a professional copywriter and always aim to deliver accurate copy to my company's clients. However, given that this article is targeted to help a general business audience, it's fair to say it might not make sense for me to start waxing on here about unclear antecedents and the blight that is the dangling participle, even if I am something of a grammar fanatic in my own little microcosm of reality.
The lesson here is that it's probably best to leave the shop talk in the shop and write for your customers using the words in their vocabulary.
3. Forgetting to ask prospects to buy what you're offering! Isn't the point of B to B marketing to get business people to purchase what you're selling? There is no need to be over the top with your call-to-action, but it is important that you include one.
If you're hesitant to ask for the buy, keep in mind that most business people are aware they're being sold to the moment they read promotional materials and accept this as a part of doing business.
Selling to "timid" office workers? Find a way in your copy to speak to their hearts, then ask them politely to consider what you have to offer.
Is your audience a group of somewhat stuffy financial types? Show them the financial benefit of what you're offering, as well as what they'll save when they purchase from you. Then ask them to buy in a way that appeals to their analytical minds.
A word of caution: If your B to B marketing is targeted toward professional marketers, that's even more reason to urge readers to purchase; if you don't, they might not take action because of their over-exposure to marketing messages of all kinds. Just use the approach best-suited to the type of marketing that they handle every day.
The bottom line? Don't forget to ask people to take action, regardless of what that action is.
Of course, there are other ways to boost the results of your B to B marketing, but these copywriting tips will have you headed in the right direction in no time flat. Make sure to use them for all of your upcoming campaigns.
Copywriter/marketing strategist Jennifer McCay helps individuals and small businesses turn their expertise into marketing success stories. She is the publisher of the Avenues to Marketing Success Newsletter, which delivers tips to help you rev up your small business marketing. To subscribe and receive a FREE special report on 7 ways to improve your sales copy, head to http://AvenueEast.com
|
|
|
Created & Maintained by Empower! CMS Web Sites
Host2Sell Web Hosting | Emarketing Workshops | Site SEO Review | FREE NewsletterKiller Ad Copy
Not everyone is a writer. Good copy writing is a science and can be learned over time. Great copy writing is an art and should problably remain in the hands of those who can craft it well.Words have power.They can make you laugh, cry experience great joy, provide encouragement or they can destroy your confidence. They need to be used very carefully. You can compell people to take an action you want through the power of your words.When writing sales copy, you need to consider what response or action you want your reader to take.To do this you need to talk to your reader on a personal level, get th...(related: Copywriting)
Discover Your Creativity
You have a choice. Do you want to be constructive and positive in a unique way? Or do you want to be destructive and negative in ...(related: Copywriting)
Copyright, Copyrighting, And Online Copyright Abuse - Save Yourself The Headache By Reading This!
Lets start with copyright infringement.It is easily explained as copying someone else's work without gaining permission first. This includes publishing other peoples work to your web site, newspaper, magazine or even just downloading it to your computer can be seen as copyright infringement. The last is known as a grey area.Other peoples work me...(related: Copywriting)
11 Ways To Get An Editors Attention
I worked as a business magazine editor for about 20 years. During that time, thousands of news stories and press releases crossed my desk.How does an editor decide what stories to run, and which ones to throw away? If you know what an editor looks for, you've got a better chance to see your work in print.Not all editors are like me. But the following items attracted my attention:1. A great headline ? I always looked for (1) unique news or (2) something that solved a problem.If you can combine the two, that's even better. Example: "Local man alleviates mosquitoes with homemade organic remedy."2. Expert advice ? What do you know a lot about? Can you write about it from a READER'S perspective? (I discuss that in Chapter Two of my book "Words That Stick.")If your writing can ref...(related: Copywriting)
Stop Chasing Away Customers! Bad Copy Is Your Worst Enemy
Every day, more and more of us begin new online businessventures, hoping to make a better living or just a little extraon the side. And every day, more and more of us fail.This may seem like a negative attitude, but unfortunately, it'sthe truth. The Internet is a great place to do business, butfinding real success is like...(related: Copywriting)
9 Tips For Great Design Of Your Marketing Materials
1) Don't just hire a good designer. Hire someone who has had plenty of experience designing business collateral. Your designer needs to ask you the right questions about the project. And he/ she needs to be able to turn the design round reasonably fa...(related: Copywriting)
How To Make The Most Of Your Website Copywriter
Many people feel uncertain when dealing with copywriters. Like any artform, writing is subjective; instead of black and white, most business owners and marketing managers see indistinguishable shades of grey. But copywriting possesses one key element that most other forms of art don't ? a commercial imperative.Because the copywriter's audience is driven by the realities of the business market, so too is the copywriter. Although the good ones love to write, they don't necessarily love to write about toilet paper and real-estate. Copywriters ? in particular website copywriters ? write because it's their job. And like any job, copywriting has very defined objectives and parameters which determine how the copywriter works, and the kind of material they produce.So,...(related: Copywriting)
How To Write An Effective Ad
A letter or postcard allows you to "talk" one-on-one to your prospect. That means you should use "I" and "me" and "you" in your sales letter. Don't use the corporate sounding "we".Remember just one person is reading your letter or postcard at once. So don't write in the plural, even if your mailing is going ou...(related: Copywriting)
How To Make A Career Out Of Copyediting And Proofreading
Do you possess the qualities of a good proof reader? Are you good with details, spotting errors in spelling, grammar, and the flow of a piece and putting together quality work? If so, you may be able to make a career out of copyediting or proofreading. For those looking to get in to this field of copywriting, they may be stuck looking in if they do not know where or how to get established. So, i...(related: Copywriting)
Real Estate Professionals Need You To Write For Them!
Ask yourself these questions:
- Are you an experienced writer?
- Do you want to stay at home to write?
- Do you want to work for yourself?
- Do you learn new things...(related: Copywriting)
Be That Copywriter Everyone Wants To Work With
So many copywriters think that it's enough to be a stellar writer and grammatical genius. Oh, but this is so far from true. One of the most important aspects of copywriting is project management. When you're tight and together, you can deliver a perfect draft BEFORE the anticipated deadline, that the client can easily decipher and that whomever is designing the project will absolutely love you for.As a polished copywriting professional, your writing drafts should include:- Copy that...(related: Copywriting)
Can 97% Of Netpreneurs Be Wrong?
Why Some People's Ads Almost Always Make MoneyDiscover the Master Copywriter's Little-Known Secret of Locking in Profits!You don't know it yet, but in the next 5 minutes you are going to learntwo things that will enable you to command someone to do something anything ? and that person will do it without question. What's more, they'llthink it was their idea, not yours. Hypnotic Selling: Myth or Miracle?Dear unhappy business owner;Listen, we all know the key to success in any business is how well your message gets across. Do you know how to grab a visitor to your business and keep em? It's what they experience when they arrive that brings them back. And the biggest secret is-it's all in your writing!? Struggling with Your Marketing? Here's How to Fix That! (Read on!)? Who ...(related: Copywriting)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 Empower! Web Design | All Rights Reserved. | Copywriting