What Is B2B Content Writing?
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B2B content writing, or business-to-business content writing, involves creating written content for businesses that sell products and services to other businesses.
In this post, we’ll look at:
- What B2B content writing involves
- The different types of B2B written content
- The difference between B2B and B2C (business-to-customer) content
- The day-to-day responsibilities of a B2B content writer
- How you can become a great B2B content writer
Read on to discover more about B2B content writing!
What Is B2B Content Writing?
B2B content writing is creating written material aimed at other businesses and business-focused publications. There are various types of B2B writing, including:
- Blog posts and articles
- Press releases
- Emails
- Case studies
- White papers
- Use cases
- Social media content
- Website content (e.g., product landing pages)
A B2B content writer’s goal is to attract and engage potential customers. To do this, they typically highlight a business problem and then explain how to solve it. Take a look at this example from HubSpot: When Is the Best Time to Post on Instagram in 2023? In this blog post, the writer highlights a problem (knowing when is best to post on Instagram) and then provides several solutions – including using their social media management software.
Creating great B2B content is one of the best ways for a business to develop its brand voice, improve its reputation, and build trust with customers (both existing and potential). When a business becomes known for accurate, engaging, useful B2B content – and thought leadership content – they gain brand authority. Increased brand authority means greater reach and more business customers. And it’s not just other businesses. Effective B2B content writing can draw the attention of other industry influencers, such as economists, professional bodies, journalists, and media outlets. In contrast, poor quality B2B content can very quickly hit reputations hard, and that can be difficult to recover from.
Let’s return to our HubSpot example. Although their ultimate goal is to sell their product, Hubpsot also provides the reader with tons of valuable, free information. They include new research data, useful infographics, and insights from industry experts. All of this helps to build trust and credibility, increasing the likelihood that the reader will purchase at some point in the future.
How Is B2B Content Different from B2C Content?
B2B content writing and B2C content writing are two distinct types of content marketing, with some notable differences.
As we’ve highlighted above, B2B content is aimed at other businesses. B2C content, in contrast, is aimed at individual consumers. This difference in target audience determines not only the actual content but also the style, tone, and vocabulary used. B2B content tends to be more formal, using a professional tone and industry-specific jargon and vocabulary. This webpage from our partner, Proofed, is a good example of B2B content writing:
Proofreading and Editing for Market Intelligence Firms
B2C content, however, is usually more informal. It can be chatty, friendly, and often humorous and tends to use more casual vocabulary. Here’s an example from our blog:
How to Write AI Prompts for Content Creation
Of course, many businesses produce both B2B and B2C content. For instance, a restaurant business might want to promote its menu to individual diners (B2C) and promote its corporate hospitality packages to business customers (B2B). A good content writer will always keep the desired target audience in mind and tailor their writing to suit them.
What Does a B2B Content Writer Do?
The exact day-to-day responsibilities of a B2B content writer will vary depending on the business. However, certain skills and competencies are expected of every B2B content writer. A B2B content writer will:
- Tailor content for different channels and audiences. A B2B content writer needs to be able to write clear, concise, engaging copy – whatever the context. This means understanding the pain points and motivations of the audience and knowing how to structure content to effectively present them with solutions. Like any good content writer, a B2B content writer needs to know how to use persuasive language, inspire action, and avoid common pitfalls like fluff in writing.
- Follow brand voice and style guidelines. A B2B content writer will usually need to follow brand voice guidelines and/or an in-house style guide. A brand’s voice is an important part of its marketing strategy. Not only does it help the brand stand out from the crowd, but it can also help build credibility. The more consistent and familiar the brand, the more reliable a source of information it becomes.
- Conduct thorough research. All credible B2B content is based on in-depth research. A B2B content writer needs to be able to identify credible sources, gather relevant evidence, and incorporate it into their content.
- Establish thought leadership. As we mentioned earlier, thought leadership content can be a brilliant tool for businesses wanting to expand their reach and build authority in a particular industry. A good B2B content writer will formulate pieces that demonstrate expertise and innovation in a particular field – and in doing so attract the attention of other businesses, media outlets, and influential thinkers.
- Apply search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. Producing SEO-friendly content is a vital part of B2B content writing for websites and business blogs. A B2B content writer needs to know how to write content that incorporates relevant keywords and satisfies Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines. They may also need to write meta descriptions. The application of SEO techniques ensures that content reaches the top spots in online searches and reaches a wider audience.
B2B Writing Samples
We’ve already seen some examples of B2B blog posts. Let’s look at some examples of other types of B2B content writing.
Case Study
Case studies are real-world examples of a business customer using the product or service another business provides. They can include technical details of the product in addition to how the product or service helped the customer.
Here’s an example of a case study from National Education Group, a British educational training and online safety for schools provider. The case study starts with an introduction to the customer and then goes on to quote one of the customer’s senior managers, who sets the context and explains the benefit they derived from the service.
Landing Page
This landing page, from the website of chartered accounts Wright Vigar, gives information about the sectors they serve and how they can help each one. It’s written with the specific needs of each sector in mind, so we can see that research and thought have gone into each potential business customer’s needs. The vocabulary is technical and specific to each industry sector, and the tone is professional but not intimidating.
The email below is from a professional membership organization to its business members. It’s about an awards evening hosted by a business specializing in finance, HR, and office support.
EMFA entries close at midnight on Friday 29th March!
Founded in 2019, the East Midlands Finance Awards (EMFA) is the only event that celebrates finance and accountancy professionals across the region.
We’re thrilled to have already received submissions from a range of fantastic local businesses. Read on to learn more about each award and to submit your nomination!
We promise a wonderful evening where local businesses can come together to celebrate their staff and let their hair down. Alongside the main ceremony, our informal event also includes food and drink, with live entertainment and guest speakers.
The language is designed to encourage members to nominate people to receive an award and to attend the evening itself. The use of exclamation points and words such as “thrilled,” “fantastic,” and “wonderful” create urgency, atmosphere, and expectation. The message gives reasons why member businesses should engage and attend, and it explains the benefits of responding positively to the invitation.
Press Release
B2B press releases focus on new, or newly refreshed, products and services. They are written to appeal to the businesses that might use them. This press release from American Express targets small and medium-sized businesses. It explains the pain points that their newly refreshed business credit card can help address and gives details of the added benefits users will now receive.
Business owners have challenging, around-the-clock jobs, and they need rewards that can be used for business trips to meet with clients, suppliers, or team members – or that can be used for personal trips to recharge and find new inspiration. The enhanced Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is designed to help Card Members balance work and life, rewarding business owners across both.
White Paper
This white paper from a market research firm provides a comprehensive guide to customer journey mapping for B2B marketers. It highlights a problem – poor customer retention – and provides an evidence-based solution. There are infographics and links to further reading throughout.
More and more companies now actively recognize that customers are their biggest asset; with no customers to buy our products and services, there is no business at all. People who have a positive customer experience are more likely to spend more with that supplier, pay a premium for that service, and recommend the supplier based on the experience it delivers. People who change to another supplier/brand are more likely to do so because of poor service, and they are equally likely to broadcast this.
The content isn’t overly promotional or salesy, but CTA buttons (‘contact us’, ‘learn more’) are strategically placed at regular intervals.
Becoming A Freelance Writer
B2B writers can be on the payroll of large corporations, but many are freelance content writers and have a diverse and interesting portfolio of clients. If the flexibility of a freelance writing career appeals to you, taking our course, Becoming A Freelance Writer, can be a terrific way to kickstart your new career. Find out more here!
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