Copy is the lifeblood of any business, whether you’re running a local corner store or planning to dominate the global market. Some say that copy for business to consumer (B2C) is completely different than business to business (B2B). We are here to argue that we don’t think that’s quite true. We believe that you can approach both copywriting B2C and B2B similarly and create better results.
Because, after all, you’re talking to a person in the end.
Right now, I’m writing to web development brands. But the company is not who is reading it, but you – another human. All people, consumers and business owners alike, like good copy. We like stories. We have problems and we want to know how that problem can be solved.
Plan to write your copy like you are talking to one person. People generally don’t like to read technical copy. If it’s too boring, no one will read it. We are all selfish creatures. We want to be entertained, informed, or challenged. We don’t want to have to figure out how benefits are going to affect my real life.
Focus on the person on the other side of the screen. How are you helping them? How are you solving their problems? How are you increasing value in their life? If you sell software, benefits and functionality is cool, but how does that actually change anything in my life? How will x fix my problem? And why should I care if it doesn’t help me? The more you can focus on helping them, the more successful your copy will be.
Understand your target audience deeper
The first step to good copywriting is having a deep understanding of your target audience. Are they highly educated and want a collegiate-level reading? Then do that. But if they want light reading and you are writing grade 20 style compositions, you might lose them. Tailor your copy to their education level, their tastes, and their needs. We usually recommend making copy 6th-8th grade to keep it understandable for many types of people. But in the end, it depends on your target audience. (Pro tip! Use Hemingway Editor to see if your copy is the right reading level.)
Mirror your target audience more
Once you know who they are, do your research. If you are writing to 50-year-olds who want to lose weight, find the books they read and go to the reviews. Ignore the 5-stars (too positive) and the 1-stars (too negative). Find the 3-star reviews and see what kind of language they use. What challenges do they have? Do they use any phrases or words that are new for you? We trust people when we see ourselves in them. The more you can mirror your target audience, the better copywriting result you will have.
No matter who your audience is, your main goal is to write compelling copy that keeps them interested. No matter what you write, you are writing for another human. It doesn’t matter if they are B2B or B2C – they are a person with a problem and they are coming to you to see how/if you can help. The more you can write content that focuses on them, mirrors them, and hooks them in, the more success you will see.
