Are you wondering whether your B2B content could use a revamp? You’re in good company. Organisations are constantly on the lookout for content that attracts and engages their target audience, allowing their brands to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
However, eliciting readers’ interest in B2B marketing has traditionally been considered more challenging than in B2C.
A recent survey by WHM, an integrated marketing agency based in the San Francisco Bay area, revealed that 48% of purchase decision makers find B2B marketing boring. Additionally, 49% find that B2B websites are less interesting and creative than consumer websites.
These figures seem to confirm the widespread belief that B2B marketing is less engaging than its consumer counterpart. However, they also reveal a more encouraging truth: companies that manage to engage their audience can gain a distinctive competitive edge.
To achieve that, crafting the right tone of voice is an essential step.
Appealing to the reader’s emotions
Every organisation’s tone of voice should be unique and in line with the brand’s values and personality. However, we should always write with our readers in mind, trying to engage them and elicit an emotional response.
By using emotive language and keywords that evoke a specific feeling, you’ll be able to connect with your readers in a way that goes beyond their immediate needs, creating a long lasting memory of your brand in their minds.
For example, check out our client Aceleron’s website. It features a short and humorous video where co-founders Carlton and Amrit present the company’s story in a fun, light-hearted and engaging way. Note that this playful tone does not undermine their professional expertise – we’re entertained, but also blown away by the ingenuous design of their innovative battery technology. This style is perfect to appeal to an audience of dynamic and forward-thinking entrepreneurs, who care for the environment as much as Ambion does.
Our client Mobica, on the other hand, has crafted a tone of voice that stresses the company’s passion for innovation through visionary technology. This is a spot-on choice to target tech pioneers, because it appeals to their ambitious, enterprising and future-oriented mindset.
The rule of thumb is to choose a tone of voice that strikes a chord with your audience and appeals to their interests and values, triggering an emotional connection that will be retained long after the reader leaves your website.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication
It is a universally acknowledged truth that jargon and over-long sentences will cause you to lose your reader’s interest.
In B2B technical copy, it can be easy to confuse complexity with verbosity, but one of the trademarks of great copywriters is the ability to explain complex concepts in clear, elegant sentences, without overcomplicating the text.
To resonate with a large, busy audience, your message must be as easy as possible to digest. Clear and simple sentences will pay off in terms of SEO, since search engines will favour content with good readability.
Another important aspect to consider is the flow of your copy. It’s important that your text follows a consequential order, so that each sentence is the natural outcome of the previous one. This structure improves engagement because it helps readers follow your train of thought, as well as accompanying them gradually towards your call to action.
The importance of explaining the “how”
It’s a golden rule of marketing that you should highlight your product’s benefits rather than its features – “1000 songs in your pocket” is better than “5 GB hard drive”, right? Yes and no.
Consumer brands might get better results by stressing what kind of problem their product will solve, in the easiest and most immediate way possible. However, B2B brands might want to strike a careful balance of benefits and features.
The target audience of B2B brands, especially in the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) sectors, is generally made up of industry experts with solid sector know-how. This means that they will likely be interested not only in the benefits of your products, but also in how those benefits are achieved.
As a result, you might want to make extra efforts to explain your processes, and to substantiate your claims with expert quotes and measurable data.
Achieving the right tone of voice can drastically improve how you connect with your audience. By speaking to them in a voice that mirrors your brand’s values and purpose, you can attract like-minded businesses and convey your message in a way that educates, entertains and drives action.
If you need help crafting engaging content with the right tone of voice, reach out to The Marketing Pod’s content centre of excellence. Our expert content writers will be happy to help.