B2B Copywriter or B2B Content Writer: Who Will Do a Better Job Writing Your Website Copy?

To answer this question you really need to understand the difference between a B2B copywriter and a B2B content writer. Most people accurately describe a B2B copywriter as someone who writes advertising or promotional copy for a business marketing to another business, but a b2b content writer’s job description is a little more fuzzy. A basic definition is someone who specializes in producing online content (for B2B). But what does that mean? Does a content writer do search engine optimization? Does a content writer do keyword research? Can a content writer produce a video? These are some of the questions you should ask before hiring a B2B content writer or SEO copywriter, because not every content writer has the same understanding of the job .

Here’s my take on what a content writer should provide:

1. A focus on results

What will be the measure of success: web traffic, email newsletter sign-ups, requests for quotes? A content writer should be accountable for writing content that puts the business in the best position to achieve their online objectives. If a writer says they specialize in writing copy to help a business show up in search engine results, they should be accountable for doing that. Depending on the level of competition for your keywords, it is quite possible that just optimizing your website copy is not going to be enough to get the results you are looking for. A competent content writer will be able to explain why.

2. Keyword and competitive analysis

Some writers are happy to take what the client thinks are their keywords and write content around them. But many business owners don’t understand how difficult it is to rank for those keywords. A good content writer will let a client know the best strategy for ranking based on a competitive analysis and a comprehensive keyword analysis. As a client you need to understand the importance of the time spent doing this.

At the same time, there are still companies who don’t believe anyone would ever search for their business online. They just want to have a professional site they can direct customers and prospects to. They don’t care about keywords or search engine results. For those clients, a good copywriter is probably all they need.

3. Useful content

One thing you don’t want on your website is overly promotional copy. For the most part people visit B2B websites for information, so you should look for a writer whose style is clear and direct. Does the writer have a good sense of what questions a visitor would ask? If the writer isn’t asking the right questions, you won’t have the right answers on your site.

4. Social media savvy

A content writer understands that it’s not just about writing content for a website but also for various social media channels. Is your writer well connected on Linked-In, Twitter and Facebook? Do they know how to use these tools to build an audience for your content? Are they willing to teach you how? Social media is one of the biggest drivers of website traffic. If your B2B content writer doesn’t want to tackle this, you will need to know how to handle this important task.

As a B2B copywriter turned B2B content writer, I thought I knew a lot about writing for the web. But with each project, and especially through work on own site at www.contentforbiz.com, I realized there was a lot more to it than I first thought. Content writing is much more difficult than I ever imagined. Only after hours and days spent researching keywords, and competition and digesting google analytics, did I realize how to not only write for the web, but to write for results.

I think there are probably many writers who want to put their copy online and call it content writing. I don’t think they will be successful in getting results. There are a lot of people involved in Internet marketing that offer one piece of the puzzle: the copy, the video, the SEO, or the web design. The problem is, as a B2B marketer, you need it all. At Content for Biz we do our best to pull it all together for you, with strategic partners to help in areas that aren’t in our expertise.

Writing in short sentences, using bullet points and throwing in some keywords might help someone when they get to your home page, but your customers and prospects need to get there first. And that’s the key value a content writer provides.

Two Examples of Words That Fit

Finding the right words is big business. In the content writer trade, words that fit are problem-solving products. They support innovative thinking and offer new perspectives in an easily digestible form. Words can describe and persuade. They also have rules.

Myths surround word usage rules. Some people believe “But” and “And” are unacceptable words to start a new sentence. Debates ignite and controversy waves through circles of strictness. But word practitioners and people who think a lot about expression find words that fit in spite of the rules. Below are two examples that roam outside the range of dogma but remain in the realm of reason. They use words wisely.

Author Daniel Kahneman writes in his book Thinking, Fast and Slow: “A sentence is more easily understood if it describes what an agent does than if it describes what something is, what properties it has.” Kahneman is the 2002 winner of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences and professor of psychology at Princeton University.

In his book, he creates fictitious characters named System 1 and System 2, agents of the mind, in order to tell a story. He shuns the more descriptive “automatic system” and “effortful system” for the sake of brevity. He writes that such words take longer to say which diminishes working memory and thus reduces ability to think. He justifies his use of System 1 and System 2 this way: ”The fictitious systems make it easier for me to think about judgment and choice and will make it easier for you to understand what I say.” He shows readers what the ‘systems’ do.

Steve Jobs was inundated with criticism over the seemingly wrong use of the word different (rather than differently) in Apple’s “Think Different” ad campaign. Jobs’ biographer Walter Isaacson quotes him on his usage of the word. “It’s grammatical, if you think about what we are trying to say. It’s not think the same, it’s think different. Think differently wouldn’t hit the meaning for me.” He’s using the word as a noun, not an adverb.

Words that fit expand usage rather than restrict it. Share your examples of words used wisely here.

A Good Content Writer Takes the Extra Steps

Do you have time for the extra steps it takes be a good content writer?

I think writing for the web requires more discipline than writing for print. First of all, website visitors don’t read, they scan, and you have only seconds to capture their interest. You need to make your point quickly. At the same time search engines aren’t all that forgiving. If you don’t include the right keywords, or use the right code, your content may as well be invisible. Being a good content writer means you take that all into account. You take the extra steps to ensure high quality content that will drive online results.

Step 1. Research

Effective content writing requires putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. A content writer shouldn’t guess at topic areas to cover, they should research them. They should interview sales and service people to find out what questions people ask. A good content writer checks Google adwords and asks to review website analytics to see what problems your customers and prospects are trying to solve.

Step 2: Originality

The Internet has made it incredibly easy to see what your competitor’s are writing about. But if you want to stand out online your B2B brand needs its own voice. Seek originality in both content and content delivery. A good content writer asks, ‘What hasn’t been done before?’ and ‘What’s the best way to deliver the information? ‘

Step 3. Editing

On a small computer screen or phone, even the shortest of paragraphs can seem long. Rather than read it, your customers and prospects will move on. A good content writer is diligent in keeping sentences and paragraphs short. They weed out unnecessary words and break up long lists with bullet points. A good content writer reads copy aloud to identify awkward text that doesn’t flow.

Step 4. Keyword and Word Selection

A good content writer understands the importance of keywords and using the language of the audience. They start with a specific keyword and then write copy to support it. To do otherwise is to invite awkwardness. Words are chosen carefully. Industry jargon is avoided to satisfy the needs of both humans and search engines.

Step 5. Proofreading

A typo or misspelling is embarrassing. It is easy to see the mistakes of others, but more difficult to spot your own. Good content writers have a system for proofreading their work to catch grammatical errors, omissions and misspellings.

These extra steps inspire and ensure quality content. It’s one more interview, one more read through the copy, one more ounce of effort that separates a good content writer from a mediocre one. It takes time that you might not have.

How do you find the best writers?

Content For Biz Most Popular Posts In 2011

The Content For Biz most popular posts for 2011 surprised us in some ways. The list contains how-to’s, but also an industry specific post. The favorite topics reflect our position as journalists who understand content marketing. The most popular posts reference audiences, press releases, content strategy and credible sources as well as methods.

Sharing of posts through social media sites helped us garner more page views. A few of the posts were picked up or shared by Internet leaders including Chris Brogan, Denise Wakeman and Mari Smith. We see a big spike in page views when that happens. Mentioning Facebook and LinkedIn in a title seem to generate traffic as well.

Take a look at our list and add a link to your own Top Ten posts in the comments below.

10. 7 Tips for Getting Your E-newsletter Read

9. How To Position Your Call To Action

8. The Best Press Release Distribution For B2B Companies

7. Facebook Tips From LinkedIn Groups

6. Keep Your B2b Web Content Current And Long Lasting

5. What Should I Pay A Content Writer?

4. Are the top 10 Construction Management Firms Missing the Boat on Blogging?

3. A Visual Content Strategy Engages Audiences

2. How To Find Credible Sources For Articles, Blog Posts And Whitepapers

And here in our top spot is the most popular post in 2011:

#1 Secrets Of A Content Sleuth

Go ahead and share a link to your Top Ten posts list in the comments below. Will you being doing anything differently on your blog for 2012?

How a Content Writer Engages Your Audience

At first, a content writer may not know a whole lot about your industry, products or services. How is it then that a good content writer can engage your audience? Within a short time, after some research and discussions, a content writer learns something big – what your customers care about.

Broadly, what a customer wants is a company to be friendly, listen to them, and value them. This is true before, during and after a sale. A writer sets out to create content that exemplifies these traits in a subtle but effective way using tone, inquiry and reward.

Here are some guiding principles professional writers use to engage any audience, any time.

Brand awareness is driven more by emotion than behavior. Rather than motivate, a writer may try to inspire. Rather than inform, surprise.

A company appears familiar and approachable to a customer when the language used mirrors their own.

A one-sentence-zinger that pin points a customer’s pain proves you are a listener.

Getting to the point quickly shows respect for a customer’s time and attention.

Companies that care and are intentional about their purpose draw customers who care and are intentional.

Engagement includes asking customers how you can be better.

A solution offered responds to a customer’s need and gives them control. The reward is mutual – win, win. Trust.

Always value a customer’s interaction as a contribution.

Using these principles the writer adds context to the relationship between company and customer no matter what the industry. When staff assume that context they engage customers by using the same values increasing brand awareness and customer loyalty.