As a rookie journalist, I was once intimidated by B2B writing. Short for business-to-business writing, B2B writing sounded too, well, business-like. It conjured images of formal language, technical terms, and business jargon.
And I wasn’t wrong. Back in the day, B2B writing was everything you’d imagine — serious, dry, and to-the-point. It was the beginning of modern advertising as companies tried to reach and influence business prospects.
What is B2B writing?
Today, B2B writing can be much more personalized and driven by consumer insights. It still involves copywriting that focuses on creating content to attract and engage business prospects. But it doesn’t have to be dull and boring to sound business-like.
B2B writing has evolved to include content such as blog posts, email campaigns, white papers, case studies, and social media posts that are designed to grab the attention of business decision makers. And, a lot of B2B writers, or content marketers, find ways to make it fun and informative.
B2B writing educates readers on how a particular product or service can solve a business problem and builds trust with potential buyers. For example, a case study might explain how a company used a software product to streamline their workflow and increase revenue, which could help other businesses understand the value of that product.
Why is B2B writing important?
B2B writing is essential for businesses looking to reach, engage and convert new customers. According to HubSpot, businesses that blog see, on average, a 126% higher lead growth than those that don't blog.
By creating content tailored to the needs of your target audience, you can build trust with potential customers and position your business as a trusted source of industry knowledge. This not only helps you attract more customers, but also helps to establish your brand as an authority.
How is B2B writing different from B2C writing?
B2B writing is typically more technical and data-driven, and requires research and industry expertise. B2B writing provides actionable advice to help prospects understand and solve their business problems. The aim could be to build a reputation as a thought leader, create a following, or connect with a company’s ideal buyer personas so they ultimately become customers.
B2C writing, or business-to-consumer writing, is simpler and follows a storytelling style. Businesses use B2C content to communicate directly with customers and persuade them to purchase a product or service. It has a much shorter sales cycle.
Purpose
With B2B writing, the goal is to create content that is designed to build brand awareness and persuade the reader to take action. This might include providing advice on how to use a product or service, explaining how to solve a problem, or providing data-driven insights to help prospects make informed business decisions.
Audience
B2B writing is typically geared towards a more technical audience, such as business owners, entrepreneurs, and marketers. While B2C writing is often focused on creating content that appeals to the general public, B2B companies focus on a specific target audience.
Style
The style of B2B writing also differs from that of B2C writing. While B2C content might include humorous anecdotes or clever analogies to engage readers, this isn’t typically the case with B2B writing. Instead, B2B writing is more direct and focuses on providing actionable advice to the reader.
Types of B2B writing + Examples
B2B copywriting can take many forms, including case studies, white papers, podcast and video scripts, sales copy, and email campaigns. Regardless of the type of writing, the goal should always be to provide valuable information that resonates with your readers and helps them make informed decisions.
Blog posts
Long-form content to engage with your audience and provide them with helpful information on different topics. Unlike consumer-focused content, B2B blog posts typically contain a more technical and in-depth approach, such as discussing industry trends, analyzing data, and introducing new products and services. Blog posts are also optimized to rank on search engines and help readers find them.
Blog posts help businesses build visibility and credibility in the industry and, over time, generate leads and drive sales. Create content that provides value to your audience to establish trust and cultivate a relationship with potential customers. And, if you’re stuck for ideas or inspiration, use a trusted AI writing assistant for a wholesome piece of content.
Ideal length — 1500-3000 words
White papers
An authoritative document that provides deep insight into a specific topic, outlining the benefits and drawbacks of a particular course of action, and is used to educate and persuade potential customers to make a decision.
White papers are often used to explain complex topics in an easy-to-understand manner. They are typically written in a formal tone, with the intent of providing an unbiased view of the subject matter. Usually, a white paper is written by a subject matter expert or a company to showcase their knowledge of the market and build authority.
The most popular topics for white papers include:
- Industry trends
- Brand solutions
- Product or service guides
- Data insights and observations
- Niche, educational walk-throughs
- Common business challenges
Ideal length — 5 to 20 pages
Case studies
An account of real-life customer experiences to demonstrate the value of your products or services. Customer success case studies are a powerful form of B2B writing because they give potential customers a glimpse into how your product or service has helped another business achieve success.
A quality case study includes an overview of the customer’s challenge, a detailed explanation of how the product or service solved that challenge, and the results achieved. Plus, add quotes from the customer to add social proof and back up your claims.
Ideal length — 500 to 1500 words
Email newsletters
Weekly or monthly emails to engage and educate potential customers and promote business products or services. An email newsletter could include news, updates, offers, product or service announcements, or educational content that would be of interest to its readers. Email newsletters are a great way for businesses to keep their customers and prospects up-to-date and engaged.
Email marketing is an efficient and cost-effective way to keep customers and prospects up to date, increase visibility and drive sales. Plus, businesses build trust and stay top of mind with their customers and prospects.
Ideal length — 20 lines of text, or 200 words
Market research reports
A comprehensive overview of a particular topic based on original research or a survey that acts as a guide on industry trends and concepts. The primary purpose of a research report is to analyze the data collected and break it down for the reader to make it easy to understand.
An in-depth report includes both qualitative and quantitative information that prospects use to make informed decisions. Research reports are typically divided into several sections, including an executive summary, an introduction, a methodology, a results section, and a conclusion.
Ideal length — 10 to 50 pages
Product descriptions
Short-form content on a landing page to highlight different features and benefits of a particular product or service. Product descriptions help customers make informed decisions about their purchases and encourage them to sign up for a demo or make a purchase.
Product descriptions can help B2B brands stand out from their competition, attract the right customers, and increase sales. They are an important part of the customer experience and help customers to understand what the product is, what it does, and why they should be interested in it. Clear and concise descriptions capture the customer’s attention and accurately describe the product’s capabilities.
Ideal length — 250-350 words
Social media content
Posts and campaigns on outlets like LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok to engage with potential customers, build relationships, and increase brand awareness. Social media content helps you reach a large, diverse audience, increase brand awareness, and build relationships with potential customers.
Social content needs to be educational, informative, and entertaining to provide value to your target audience. That is, help your audience solve their pain points or better understand a complex topic through short posts, videos, and infographics. Use hashtags, keywords, and industry terms to increase visibility. Engage with your followers — Reply to comments, post engaging questions, and join conversations to build relationships.
Ideal length — 1 to 80 characters on Facebook, 70-100 characters for Twitter, 25 words or 150 characters for LinkedIn.
30-60 seconds for video, and 21-34 seconds for TikTok.
You, too, can develop your B2B writing skills
Remember my phobia about B2B writing as a 21-year-old journalism intern? Well, I can tell you it’s not that bad. In fact, B2B writing is interesting, engaging, and rewarding. But you don’t become a content writer overnight. Develop your research skills, read quality content from reputed businesses, strengthen your visuals and graphics muscles, and learn how to optimize content.
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