5 Persuasive Copywriting Ingredients (Often Missing in B2B Copy)
Friday, January 31, 2014 at 08:42AM
Thomas Clifford in B2B copywriting

Over the years, two pillars have served marketing writers well: features and benefits.

They have become the building blocks for B2B, and deservedly so—they do a lot of heavy lifting for marketers.

But features and benefits are just two out of more than a dozen copywriting ingredients available for marketers and writers to choose from. Why not tap into the other copywriting ingredients and put them to use?

By using a few (often missing) persuasive ingredients in B2B marketing copy, you can increase engagement levels with your audience.

Mix and match different techniques to see what works best for you.

Tip #1: Write benefit-driven headlines

When writing headlines, focus on the benefits an audience receives from your ideas. “How to Speed Up Your Blog Post Writing (by 60 Percent)” tells the audience exactly how they will benefit from your idea. “Time to Get Moving” doesn’t tell your audience a thing; it leaves them guessing what you’re going to say. B2B folks are too busy to decipher whether or not a message is relevant to them.

Tip #2: Demonstrate empathy

Instead of introducing your solution right away, consider starting the copy with the problem your audience is facing. Create empathy by demonstrating that you understand the particular problem. Talk about the consequences of the problem and how it affects them. Create context and empathy first—before rolling out your specific solution.

Tip #3: Spotlight your testimonials

Are you using testimonials in your copy? Consider adding a mini-headline above the testimonial. Use a different color and a different font from what’s used in the main copy. Bold the headline too. These three small changes will help give your testimonials the attention they deserve.

Tip #4: Raise and overturn objections

Most prospects and customers have objections when buying something or receiving free content. Instead of ignoring these objections, use them to your advantage. Include an objection or two in your copy and then overturn each one by using testimonials, endorsements, awards, statistics, etc. You’ll be a step closer to moving the prospect along in your sales cycle.

Tip #5: Write persuasive calls to action

Many calls to action provide a phone number or email address and nothing more. Take your call to action a step further. Tell your audience why your offer is valuable. Then walk them through the call to action by describing the offer, listing the benefits, and outlining what the prospect has to do to receive the offer. Adding a persuasive call to action on each page is another simple (and easy) way to boost engagement with prospects and customers.

Did you find these tips helpful?

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Article originally appeared on B2B Copywriter | Hartford, CT (http://www.directortom.com/).
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