B-to-B Copywriting: How it Differs From Copywriting For Internet Marketers
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Marcia Yudkin
Apr 23, 2013, 1:30:25 PM4/23/13
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Please consider this free-reprint article written by:
Marcia Yudkin
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Article Title: B-to-B Copywriting: How it Differs From Copywriting For Internet Marketers
Author: Marcia Yudkin
Word Count: 622
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=1081713&ca=Writing
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1081713
Easy Publish Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1081713
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If you study most of the copywriting courses promoted online, you�ll get the impression that what works � and what copywriting clients want � is weird, shocking headlines, hype upon hype, exaggerated promises and a carnival-barker tone. For example, one course holds up these headlines as models to emulate:
* Heads Up! Your fate is in the hands of drunks, drug addicts, blackmailers, and imbeciles.
* Profit With the Insiders Without Breaking a Single Law
* A Rare Opportunity to Turn $5,000 into $3.52 Million
* Medically Proven Miracles of Healing � Let me tell you about the stunning, no-side-effects cures that greedy drug companies and FDA bureaucrats don�t want you to have.
For business-to-business (b-to-b) copywriting clients, however, this in-your-face style of writing does not succeed. It does not appeal to them, and it is not what they want their copywriters to write for them. You may argue all you like that response numbers prove it�s more effective, but most don�t care about your numbers in the least.
Instead, b-to-b clients want something punchy, clear, attention-getting and direct. Most of all, they want you to be able to come at their business with the clear-eyed perception and skill to uncover the true value they offer their clients and to present that effectively and persuasively.
Business-to-business companies are often steeped in jargon, and you�ll need to be able to decipher their jargon so you can explain what they�re up to, why it matters and how they differ from competitors apart from their jargon. Sometimes they cling to their jargon as if it�s a safety blanket, but they rarely object when you keep the jargon in for those in the know and provide wording that clues in those who may not be as hip to the jargon as your client thinks they are.
It�s also helpful if you are really skilled in figuring out the benefits of features. B-to-b clients are often stuck in pitching only features and aren�t using the power of combining features and benefits. Features, as you probably know, are the �what� of offerings and benefits are the �so what.�
In b-to-b copywriting, tone is crucial. B-to-b clients expect and are most comfortable with a professional tone. If you get really creative in a way that includes a sarcastic, bombastic, hysterical, insulting, scapegoating, accusatory or heavy-handed tone, you�ll most likely have an uphill battle getting the client to approve your copy. If you get really creative in a way that�s consistent with a business-like tone, they may think you�re a genius and most likely will have no problem with it.
For example, here are some email subject lines created for b-to-b clients:
* Whoever Heard of 7,701 Phone Calls From a Single Jingle?
* Take Command of Your Email Inbox.
* Can Your Latest Release Pass the Trampoline Test?
* Pssst, Your Signage Is Outdated.
Again, tone is crucial. These subject lines are dramatic and unexpected, but they�re not outrageous, over-the-top or offensive in any way. They�re quite different from the headlines I quoted at the outset. They are not embarrassingly outside the pale of mainstream business culture.
In the b-to-b world, a client�s comfort zone is extremely relevant. They need to feel that your copy represents them well, and they may be delighted and use your services again and again for the sole reason that they are so pleased with how well you�ve captured what they�re all about. Have that as your aim, and you�ll easily attract b-to-b clients and receive repeat assignments from many of them for years.
About The Author: Veteran copywriter and marketing consultant Marcia Yudkin is the author of Persuading on Paper, Meatier Marketing Copy and 13 other books. Find out about her one-on-one mentoring program that trains copywriters and marketing consultants in 10 weeks: http://www.yudkin.com/become.htm
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1081713
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************
- To distribute your articles go to http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php
- For more free-reprint articles go to http://www.isnare.com
Message delivered directly to members of the group:
publish-the...@googlegroups.com
*****************************************************************
Please consider this free-reprint article written by:
Marcia Yudkin
*****************************
IMPORTANT - Publication/Reprint Terms
- You have permission to publish this article electronically in free-only publications such as a website or an ezine as long as the bylines are included.
- You are not allowed to use this article for commercial purposes. The article should only be reprinted in a publicly accessible website and not in a members-only commercial site.
- You are not allowed to post/reprint this article in any sites/publications that contains or supports hate, violence, porn and warez or any indecent and illegal sites/publications.
- You are not allowed to use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email) or SPAM. This article MUST be distributed in an opt-in email list only.
- If you distribute this article in an ezine or newsletter, we ask that you send a copy of the newsletter or ezine that contains the article to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1081713
- If you post this article in a website/forum/blog, ALL links MUST be set to hyperlinks and we ask that you send a copy of the URL where the article is posted to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1081713
- We request that you ask permission from the author if you want to publish this article in print.
The role of iSnare.com is only to distribute this article as part of its Article Distribution feature ( http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php ). iSnare.com does NOT own this article, please respect the author's copyright and this publication/reprint terms. If you do not agree to any of these terms, please do not reprint or publish this article.
*****************************
Article Title: B-to-B Copywriting: How it Differs From Copywriting For Internet Marketers
Author: Marcia Yudkin
Word Count: 622
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=1081713&ca=Writing
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1081713
Easy Publish Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1081713
*********************** ARTICLE START ***********************
If you study most of the copywriting courses promoted online, you�ll get the impression that what works � and what copywriting clients want � is weird, shocking headlines, hype upon hype, exaggerated promises and a carnival-barker tone. For example, one course holds up these headlines as models to emulate:
* Heads Up! Your fate is in the hands of drunks, drug addicts, blackmailers, and imbeciles.
* Profit With the Insiders Without Breaking a Single Law
* A Rare Opportunity to Turn $5,000 into $3.52 Million
* Medically Proven Miracles of Healing � Let me tell you about the stunning, no-side-effects cures that greedy drug companies and FDA bureaucrats don�t want you to have.
For business-to-business (b-to-b) copywriting clients, however, this in-your-face style of writing does not succeed. It does not appeal to them, and it is not what they want their copywriters to write for them. You may argue all you like that response numbers prove it�s more effective, but most don�t care about your numbers in the least.
Instead, b-to-b clients want something punchy, clear, attention-getting and direct. Most of all, they want you to be able to come at their business with the clear-eyed perception and skill to uncover the true value they offer their clients and to present that effectively and persuasively.
Business-to-business companies are often steeped in jargon, and you�ll need to be able to decipher their jargon so you can explain what they�re up to, why it matters and how they differ from competitors apart from their jargon. Sometimes they cling to their jargon as if it�s a safety blanket, but they rarely object when you keep the jargon in for those in the know and provide wording that clues in those who may not be as hip to the jargon as your client thinks they are.
It�s also helpful if you are really skilled in figuring out the benefits of features. B-to-b clients are often stuck in pitching only features and aren�t using the power of combining features and benefits. Features, as you probably know, are the �what� of offerings and benefits are the �so what.�
In b-to-b copywriting, tone is crucial. B-to-b clients expect and are most comfortable with a professional tone. If you get really creative in a way that includes a sarcastic, bombastic, hysterical, insulting, scapegoating, accusatory or heavy-handed tone, you�ll most likely have an uphill battle getting the client to approve your copy. If you get really creative in a way that�s consistent with a business-like tone, they may think you�re a genius and most likely will have no problem with it.
For example, here are some email subject lines created for b-to-b clients:
* Whoever Heard of 7,701 Phone Calls From a Single Jingle?
* Take Command of Your Email Inbox.
* Can Your Latest Release Pass the Trampoline Test?
* Pssst, Your Signage Is Outdated.
Again, tone is crucial. These subject lines are dramatic and unexpected, but they�re not outrageous, over-the-top or offensive in any way. They�re quite different from the headlines I quoted at the outset. They are not embarrassingly outside the pale of mainstream business culture.
In the b-to-b world, a client�s comfort zone is extremely relevant. They need to feel that your copy represents them well, and they may be delighted and use your services again and again for the sole reason that they are so pleased with how well you�ve captured what they�re all about. Have that as your aim, and you�ll easily attract b-to-b clients and receive repeat assignments from many of them for years.
About The Author: Veteran copywriter and marketing consultant Marcia Yudkin is the author of Persuading on Paper, Meatier Marketing Copy and 13 other books. Find out about her one-on-one mentoring program that trains copywriters and marketing consultants in 10 weeks: http://www.yudkin.com/become.htm
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1081713
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************
- To distribute your articles go to http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php
- For more free-reprint articles go to http://www.isnare.com
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