There’s a lot at stake when crafting content for business audiences. Your copy has to stand out from the competition, establish your expertise, and convert leads into loyal customers. That’s a big ask for a collection of words, but a savvy B2B copywriter can get it done without breaking a sweat.
Writers skilled at business-to-business communications will take your instructions, consider your objectives, and come back with powerful landing pages, white papers, and articles aligned with your business goals. B2B copywriters — both in-house and outsourced — are an integral part of your marketing strategy.So, how do you recognize these skilled wordsmiths? We’ve put together a guide based on our experience working with freelance professionals and advice from marketers who tell us what they look for when hiring writers. Once you have capable business copywriters on your side, you can improve your SEO rankings, drive organic traffic, and more importantly, convert your leads.
The Nuances of B2B Copywriting
First, let’s look at what you need your B2B writing partner to accomplish. According to research from Gartner, when B2B buying groups consider a purchase, they spend 27% of their time researching online. This means your messaging has to be on point to capture these leads when they’re searching for information.
Having highly effective B2B marketing content positions you as a leader in your industry. It connects you with decision-makers and establishes you as the expert who can solve their business problems and simplify their processes. When integrated into your content marketing strategies, top-performing B2B copy also:
- Explains your products and services in a way that positions you as a leading brand, not simply another solution
- Enables you to share expertise and insights, not just information
- Helps you build trust and an authentic connection with your audience
- Engages readers and draws them into your marketing funnel, leading to conversions
This may be why one-third of the most effective B2B marketing teams spend 50% or more of their marketing budgets on content marketing. With smart, results-driven copy, businesses are much more likely to partner with your brand.
Here’s What an Accomplished B2B Copywriter Looks Like
We’ve come across more than a few copywriters in our line of work, and we can confidently say this: Writing to a business audience is immensely different from creating content that speaks to consumers. Writers who can craft snappy social posts might struggle to translate technical information into product guides (and vice versa, of course). Those who can create attention-grabbing press releases might fall short with e-book content.
So, what should you look for when hiring a writer? We’ve listed some qualities that the best business-to-business copywriters have in common. We also asked marketers who hire writers for insights on what makes a skilled copywriter.
1. They’ve built a strong track record
A B2B copywriter knows how to market to businesses. Unlike consumers whose decisions can be driven by emotions, B2B buyers need informative copy about how a product impacts workflow, adds value, and helps the bottom line. B2B writers are comfortable with the precise requirements of business writing and can create solutions-oriented content.
“When I’m assessing a B2B copywriter, I’m looking for someone who absolutely understands the difference between B2B and B2C,” says Nextiva CMO Yaniv Masjedi. “A savvy copywriter understands web design and can tailor their words and character count to the space they have allotted. If the writer is sending an email, they know how to maximize open rates; if they are writing landing page copy, they take into account the accompanying graphics, etc.”
Crowd Content tip: When hiring a B2B copywriter, focus on professionals with experience creating case studies, white papers, product pages, and testimonials. If you’re evaluating a portfolio filled with copy marketed to consumers, you may want to keep looking.
2. They adapt to your needs
Any freelance writer who produces copy for different brands needs to adjust their tone and voice appropriately. But smart B2B writers take their writing far beyond grammar rules and style guides. They absorb insights relative to your niche, increasing their knowledge as they write. This desire to pick up new concepts and skills helps them mold and adjust their writing to fit your business’ needs.
As Clare Bittourna, a marketing designer for Codal, puts it, “When we hire B2B copywriters, we’re looking for fast learners, ones that can quickly adapt to a company’s existing voice, tone, and style to produce copy that’s aligned with it.”
Crowd Content tip: Look for writers who assimilate your guidance and perspectives in their writing. If you find one who doesn’t require lengthy explanations for complex topics and asks intelligent, pointed questions about your brand, you’re on the right track.
3. They’re willing to get it right
Any writer you hire needs to craft clear, concise prose that resonates with readers. But the best B2B writer also listens to and communicates with you to deliver what you need, which prevents misunderstandings and confusion.
According to Bittourna, this often takes the form of a rapid feedback process to get writers up to speed. Her content creators need to receive, internalize, and respond to editorial feedback efficiently and positively.
“We’ve had a lot of success incorporating a rapid feedback process with our copywriters,” says Bittourna. “Instead of writing an entire site or white paper and then passing it to upper management for review, we have the writer quickly draft and send over more fundamental core concepts — like hero text or above-the-fold copy — and adjust or approve it before the bulk of the writing is started. By approving these foundational pieces, we reinforce the tone for the rest of the site’s copy early on and give the writer solid touchstones to lean on moving forward.”
Crowd Content tip: There’s always a learning curve when you bring in new writers, but the ones that excel build on their experience. You should see progress in each piece of content as writers absorb the intricacies of your niche and brand and translate them appropriately.
4. They’re experts in your niche
In every profession and industry, expertise comes at a price. The best B2B writers have positioned themselves in a specific niche and often have years of hands-on experience in your brand’s industry. They’ll be able to delve deeper into topics and create valuable, top-notch content that helps you meet Google’s most recent helpful content update.
While companies with tighter marketing budgets may have to settle for writers with less experience, it’s important to keep in mind that quality is much better than quantity for B2B marketing copywriting. Masjedi points out, “If they have a background in the business they are targeting, they’re going to land higher conversion rates.”
Crowd Content tip: Try to find experienced B2B writers with professional industry experience on their resumes. If your business has to go with a writer without experience, consider using subject matter experts who can review the accuracy of your content and ensure it meets E-E-A-T guidelines for ranking well.
5. They have sharp research skills
Writing for B2B audiences demands a particular skill set that consumer writing doesn’t need. Business readers are savvy — they can spot an imposter in a heartbeat. And while B2B copywriters are often domain professionals, they should still stay abreast of what’s happening in your industry. As such, they need to possess superb research skills so their content isn’t outdated when published.
Bittourna says, “We’ve also found the most successful copywriters are voracious readers and researchers — nobody’s an expert on everything, but writing in a B2B space means familiarizing yourself with a specific industry or market space quickly, even picking up the jargon if necessary.”
Crowd Content tip: Ask potential writers what resources they use to bolster their industry knowledge. If they mention industry-specific journals and sources regarded as trusted authorities in your industry, their research skills are probably keen.
Where to Find Proven B2B Copywriters
We’ve set the bar pretty high for your B2B content, but the truth is, it takes a copywriting maestro to help your business shine in a highly competitive market. It’s not worth the effort to publish substandard content — search engines will overlook it, and it will reflect poorly on your brand.
There are a few ways to find business copywriters. You can post job ads, search on Google, and browse LinkedIn. This can be time-consuming, however, as you have to sift through applications and assess writing samples to find a writer that knows their craft and your industry. For some businesses, it can take months to find the perfect fit.
Crowd Content’s professional writing service accelerates the process. We have an active pool of freelance writers from a variety of backgrounds. They’re all prescreened based on their writing skills, creativity, and ability to follow instructions. Outsourcing writing can be cost-effective, especially if your content needs to fluctuate or you want to scale.
There are two ways to tap into our B2B copywriting services.
Crowd Content Marketplace
Our Marketplace is a self-serve option. Request content when you need it, specifying requirements such as word count, keywords, voice, and tone. Some clients provide a full outline, while others let the writer choose the article’s structure, but for best results when outsourcing, provide writers with as much detail as you can.
You can place and receive content orders through a simple online interface and communicate directly with your freelancers to answer their questions and ensure content meets your needs. Our Marketplace can also be tailored to your processes:
- Place your order to a wide pool of talent or build a team with your preferred writers.
- Order content occasionally, according to your needs, or scale up production with a bulk order.
- Publish content easily through WordPress, Shopify, and BigCommerce.
- Reach out to your dedicated account manager for help or questions.
Crowd Content Managed Services
If you prefer to hand the details of content creation to us, simply let us know your requirements. Our Managed Services team will organize project briefs to your specifications, assemble a qualified team of B2B copywriters, monitor for quality, and send you content that’s ready to publish.
We’ve built in quality assurance from the beginning. To ensure you get the content you need, start with test batches. Think of it as fine-tuning the content creation process and checking that you’re getting the right voice, tone, and messaging before scaling. Throughout production, we incorporate feedback and adjust the process, making sure your B2B content is ready for distribution so you can start generating and converting leads.
Give Your B2B Content Strategy a Lift
Exceptional B2B copywriters may seem elusive, but Crowd Content can help connect you to them. With hundreds of experienced writers across virtually every industry, our platform can invigorate your business marketing and establish your brand as an authority in your domain. Get in touch with us today to get started.
