Entries Tagged 'b2b copywriter' ↓

What is a copywriting motivator?

Well, before I answer that, think for a moment about what it is that makes you decide to buy something.

First off, you’ll have a need (whether you’re conscience of it or not). Whether it’s a party coming up that you need a new dress for (and shoes, bag, make up etc.), or a problem with your business that you need a solution for, something will trigger a potential buying decision.

Last week, I was leaving my Accountant’s office at about 5pm. It had been a long day and I’d not had a lot to eat. As I walked back to my car, my stomach was beginning to complain bitterly about the lack of food it had seen that day. To reach my car, I had to walk past a new Indian restaurant. The smell was absolutely heavenly – so you guess what I had for tea that night.

In that instance, my motivator was hunger and the solution I was presented with was the aroma of Indian food.

Hitting the right spot at the right time

Generating sales through copywriting motivators is all about identifying your audience and being in the right place at the right time.

The motivators you identify are going to be pressure points that when pressed, encourage your customers to buy.

Therefore, as well as identifying your target market, you’ve also got to convince them they must buy your product or service, because if they don’t, they’ll be missing out on an excellent opportunity.

For arguments sake, let’s say you have an email marketing solution to sell.

You’ve identified your target audience as being SMEs who are looking for an automated solution to help them reach a wider audience via email.

Your copy shows all the benefits of your product; they know they want to buy it because it will help them market their business more effectively, but they’re still hanging back. So, it’s up to you to give them the motivation to buy.

Becoming Mr or Mrs Motivator

OK, it’s time to bring on the big guns.

What is it going to take to make them buy your product?

You’ve already sold them on the benefits and they know your product offers them all the features they’ve been looking for. So how do you get them to take the final step and buy?

It’s time to get motivating:

Whether you use a limited discount, offer a free service (for a limited time only) or limit your product in number (scarcity = desirability), these motivators will encourage your customers to make their buying decision quickly – after all, no one likes to think they’ve missed out on a great deal.

It’s human nature to hang back before parting with our hard earned cash. Every now and then we need a little push to sign on the dotted line.

We all love that feeling of getting something for nothing (or at least a discount), so offering a motivator, like one of the above, will help you get your sale and your customer the service they need.

Over to you

What motivators have you used in the past?

Have you found some to be more effective than others?

Leave a comment and share your experiences.

Now, tell me where it hurts?

OK, so I’m not a doctor – actually, with my chronic needle and hospital phobia that was never going to be a career suited to me.

But, as a copywriter, I can use my skills and experience to help your customers overcome their difficulties in life by convincing them your product or service is the panacea they’ve been looking for.

Finding their pain point and lancing it (urgh, that’s just conjured up an awful mental image) is all it takes to get a sale.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re writing for a B2B or B2C market, businesses and consumers all have problems they want solving.

Pain equals motivation

It’s true, pain is a great motivator. After all, if you burn your hand on an iron, you’ll be swiftly motivated to remove your hand to stop the physical pain you’re feeling.

It’s the same in sales. Let’s take the business market as an example. There are all sorts of pain points here:

• Inadvertently breaking rules
• Being rejected
• Having your secrets stolen by a disgruntled employee
• Losing money

Businesses want to stop these things from happening, therefore they are strong motivators.

Getting the balance right

If your copy over states or concentrates too much on these pain points, you’re going to depress your reader and they’ll probably just go and find a dark corner to hide in.

But if you get the balance right, they’ll snap your hand off because they know you’re the ‘special one’ they’ve been looking for; you’re the one that’s going to make everything OK.

A great way to start is with a headline like…

Have you ever wished that….

This is a gentle lead in and shows them that you understand the problem (pain point) they are experiencing. This empathy will show that you’re a company that cares and one that wants to help.

Then, as you get into the real meat of your copy, you can continue with…

Well, now you can with our …..

So within a few seconds you’ve not only shown you understand their issues by highlighting the problem they’re facing, you’ve also immediately shown how you can make that problem disappear.

That’s pretty powerful stuff.

Over to you

Identifying the pain is half the battle. How have you managed that in the past?

As a copywriter, I get asked to write all manner of things. One day I could be writing about Risk and the financial markets, the next it could be cosmetic surgery, recruitment and architectural rendering.

But one thing always makes me smile, and that’s when I get emails asking for my B2B (Business to Business selling) experience.

Why does that make me smile?

Mainly because, in my view, B2B and B2C (Business to consumer) copywriting is one and the same.

[Gasp!]

Why do I think that? Let me explain.

B2B and B2C are the same

The aim of copywriting, regardless of whether you are working in a B2B or B2C market, is the same – to sell.

So there is the first amazing revelation dealt with.

The next is that, even though you’re writing for a B2B market, you are still trying to sell to a person. Don’t believe me? OK, answer these questions:

• Can a company physically buy something from you?
• Can a company meet you for a coffee whilst you talk business?
• Can a company sign that all important contract to confirm your sale?

I think you’ll find the answer to all of those questions is a big fat, resounding NO.

It all boils down to the fact that your copy has to convince a person within the company; therefore you are selling to a person. And as such, the copy you write is no different to if you were selling direct to the public.

Granted, your benefits will be orientated towards what’s in it for the business as opposed to the person you’re speaking (mind you, assuming your product is going to make the business more profitable, he/she will have a vested interest as it may well lead to a whopping bonus for them).

So, just as if you were writing to a consumer audience, your copy should be:

1. Brief – you are writing to people at work so they will be time limited.
2. Human, because business people are – they also make decisions partially for personal reasons (as mentioned above) so tap into reason and emotion for the best results.
3. Full of benefits – buy this and you’ll save money, save time, make bigger profits, reduce staff turnover, and improve productivity…

In my humble opinion, all you have to do is keep it plain and simple, avoid clichés and, whatever you do, do not let any jargon slip into your copy.

Over to you

You’ve allowed me to rant on, but what do you think?

Do you agree that, essentially, copy should be the same regardless of whether it’s for a B2B or B2C market? Or do you think there are legitimate differences between the two?

Leave a comment below, I’d love to hear you take on this one.

Congratulations, you’ve taken the bull by the horns, spent a shed load of cash on search engine optimisation, you’re website is finally in the top 10 for your chosen keywords so you’ve made it, right?

Wong.

Yes, you’re ranking well but there’s something missing…you’ve got no traffic.

Is that possible? Can you have a top ranking website that doesn’t get traffic?

The simple answer is yes and it’s probably caused by one of these three reasons:

1. You’re Not Really Ranking
2. Your Keywords Don’t Deliver
3. Your Results Don’t Get Clicked

Confused?

This post on seomoz.org explains all. Entitled I’m ranking, so where’s my traffic it explains why, despite your bank balance’s best efforts, you’re not getting traffic to your website.

It could be anything from distortion from Google’s personalised search results, badly chosen keywords or the fact that you’re not attracting those all important clicks when you do appear in the search results.

If you’re website isn’t performing as you think it should, it’s well worth taking a few minutes out of your day to read this article – it could help turn your under-performing website around.

A beginner’s guide to social media interaction

Social media – does it strike fear into your heart?

Do you suddenly experience hot flushes when someone asks if you’re on Twitter or Facebook?

Do you have the blankest of all blank moments when it comes to starting your blog?

You’re not alone. Those that ‘get’ social media make it look effortless and will wow you with their success stories. Those that don’t ‘get’ social media will tell you it’s a complete waste of time.

One of the biggest hurdles a social media newbie will experience is working out what they’re going to say, when they’re going to say it, and how to interact with other people.

I have put together a few tips to help you on your way and to demystify some aspects of social media.

How should I look on social media?

Once you’ve set you account up, you should upload your avatar.  Some people upload company logos, others don’t upload anything and just use one of the platform’s generic images.

First off, use a photo of yourself and not your company logo, especially if you’re a sole trader. People like to know who they are interacting with. If your company is a partnership or larger organisation, try adding a photo of the person that tweets on your Twitter home page.

Use a good photo (not something that’s grainy or hard to make out), and a recent one. That way you’ll avoid the embarrassing moment when you meet face to face and you’re unrecognisable.

How do I follow people?

As you know Twitter is a social media platform where you gather ‘followers’.

If you want to control who follows you, you can protect your tweets so people have to ‘apply’ to follow you. The only problem with that is that you come across as being very secretive and unapproachable and therefore may actually put people off interacting with you.

One thing I’m often asked is what if you don’t want someone following you? Well you can block them if you want but the main thing to remember is that you don’t have to follow them back if you don’t want to.

The most important thing about Twitter is that you follow people you want to follow and that you interact with your followers. Very few people will check out who’s following you first before they decide whether they want to or not. A following decision is usually based on:

• Who you are?
• What you have to say?
• Are in an industry relevant to them?
• Are your tweets interesting?

One of the great things about Twitter is that it makes people accessible – people you wouldn’t normally have contact with. But don’t worry if not everyone follows you back. Celebrities for example don’t always return your follow.

As for whether it’s the done thing to follow your competition, why not? They’ll follow you and you can learn a lot about them from their tweets. Most people enjoy interacting with people in the same industry. As a freelance copywriter I follow a number of fellow scribes and enjoy interacting with them, exchanging stories and tips for best practice.

What should I say?

The first thing to remember is that social media channels are social – they’re not paid for advertising space which you can constantly promote your business through. If you do, you’ll become very lonely very quickly because people will get fed up with your constant spam.

Comment on other people’s tweets/posts/blogs and promote them to others if you find them interesting.  If someone shares your content by retweeting, thank them but don’t retweet their praise and then thank them – that’s bad form.

If you want to retweet something (or blog about someone else’s work), make sure you credit the original source. Also if someone does retweet your content, comment on your blog or post something on your Facebook page, thank them.

What else do I need to know?

When inserting links in your blogs, tweets or Facebook updates, make sure you always disclose whether they are affiliate links, or a link that you’ll benefit from in some way – be honest.

In the same way, if you’re writing about a client or using them within a case study etc., make sure you mention them and link back to them.

I get the interaction stuff now, but how can I promote my business too?

Blatant and constant self-promotion will be frowned upon, but that’s not to say you can’t promote your business.

Giving great information and sharing with others will show you as someone who is knowledgeable, approachable and an all round good egg.

If you have special offers you want to promote, tweet about them but not constantly.  And balance your own promotional tweets with plugs for other people.

Plus if you want to encourage people to retweet your stuff, make sure you leave room for them to do so. Tweeting something that’s 139 characters long doesn’t make retweeting very easy.

The final aspect I want to cover is the use of direct tweets and direct messages on Facebook. Promotions made this way are really annoying because you are targeting people specifically – it’s a bit like having a doormat full of junk mail all day long.

Go forth and socialise

If you’re not already on social media, do it. It’s not scary, it doesn’t have to take over your life and it can be great fun and a great source of new business too.

Using Facebook (I’m at freelance copywriting) and Twitter (@sallyormond) have been great for my business and they can be for yours too.

Feel free to follow me and ask for any pointers, I’ll be happy to help you get to grips with the wonderful world that is social media.