Effective B2B copywriting is the foundation of any successful business. What you say and write in your copy should represent the values of your business, engage your audience, and rise to the top in the competitive marketplace. 

Using B2B copywriting tools (like Slice, for example) can help you level up your writing, but there are also a few tricks of the trade that any good copywriter should keep in mind. But first—marketing copy—what does it mean, exactly? 

What Is Marketing Copy?

Marketing copy is any written material designed to inform, entertain, and ultimately persuade your audience. This is one way you can convince consumers to buy your product or service. You have probably already encountered several types of marketing copy, such as:

• Website Content – All written words on a business’s website are website copy. From “about us” sections to blogs to product descriptions, web copy is a vital part of any business.

• Social Media – Most social media posts need some kind of copy. Even if you’re only posting a photo on Instagram, the caption you write can drive home the point you are trying to make with your photo.  

• Technical – Technical copy is big in the B2B marketing world. It requires a delicate balance of two skills: copywriting and technical explanatory skills. The trick is explaining how a product or service works while simultaneously promoting the benefits.

• Ads – Paid online ads, magazines, catalogs, billboards, newspapers—ad copy shows up in all kinds of places. It’s still considered marketing copy even if it’s just a word or two, like “Got Milk?” in print next to a celebrity with a milk mustache. 

• Public Relations – Businesses that issue press releases and company statements have to pay special attention to their public relations copy. Whether it’s to promote a new product or even respond to bad press, public relations copy will cover a wide variety of marketing needs. 

Best Practices for B2B Writing and Marketing Copy

Writing B2B marketing copy is its own beast. Unlike B2C marketing copy, writing B2B copy requires appealing to the professional and human side of businesses. It’s easy to slip into a buttoned-up, businesslike tone when writing B2B copy, but that is not always the best method to use. 

Our writing team at Slice stays up-to-date on the latest B2B writing trends. Based on what we’ve been seeing in more popular B2B campaigns, here are a few tips for writing effective marketing copy:

• Be brief. Find your point and get to it as efficiently as possible. Business professionals are busy, and the longer it takes them to figure out what you’re trying to say, the more likely they are to keep scrolling. In fact, did you know that 55% of users spend fewer than 15 seconds actively on a page? You have to capture their attention, and capture it quickly. 

• Use jargon carefully—or not all. Sometimes industry terms and professional jargon might come in handy, but most of the time they make our eyes glaze over. If you can think of an everyday equivalent for the term you want to use, go with that everyday word or phrase instead. 

• Put yourself in the shoes of your audience. You know everything about your products or services—but your buyers might not. Sounds like a simple enough issue to overcome, right? Unfortunately, putting yourself in the mindset of not knowing anything about your offerings can be quite challenging. If you’re not sure where your B2B content ideas stand, you might benefit from asking someone outside your organization to proofread your copy. They can let you know which parts make sense and which parts might be confusing to someone not in the know. 

• Sprinkle in some humor. Humor will not always be appropriate, but when it is and when it’s done right—it can make your marketing copy catchy. Plus, think about the last ad campaign you spoke about casually with friends. We bet it was probably based on copy that made you smile or laugh.

• Prove that your offerings are the best out there. You can do this through testimonials, reviews, endorsements, media coverage, use cases, and more. Adding proof to back up your claims can seal the deal.

Best B2B Marketing Campaigns 

Need some examples to inspire your own copywriting? We can think of a few that have engaged and amused us over the years. 

The Chicken McNuggets’ secret ingredient is not what you think… by Assure Hedge, 2021.

Assure Hedge, an FX hedging technology company, uses a little bit of intrigue to pull you into a blog about hedging. Through the fascinating history of Chicken McNuggets, Assure Hedge entertains us and then links everything back to the benefits of hedging strategies. 

Jotform, 2022.

Jotform: powerful forms get it done. This is brevity at its finest. You know what Jotform is offering—forms—and you know why they benefit your business—they are powerful and they get it done. As a bonus, they have sign-up options right below their copy, making it easy for businesses to get started using Jotform. 

Shopify “Let’s Make You a Business” Billboard Ad, photo by AdWeek, 2019.

Even a high-level executive would get a laugh out of this Shopify copy. All entrepreneurs remember the first days of their business when their parents or close friends might have been their only customers. And if you’re a budding entrepreneur, this might speak to the exact challenge you’ve been struggling with as a new business owner. 

How to Write Good Marketing Copy: Start With Slice

You can go through all the copywriting training programs out there—but they won’t eliminate writing distractions. That’s where Slice comes in.

Think of the last professional writing project you had to complete. How long did it take you to write, from start to finish? Did you find yourself with dozens of internet tabs open, struggling to find the right one when you needed it? And when you finished writing, was the proofreading process a vortex of unorganized emails and separate documents?

These are challenges that writers shouldn’t have to deal with anymore. And with Slice, they don’t have to. Slice is a focus-first software. You can organize your notes and sources in one location, stay in the zone with project panes, use the web clipper to grab articles when you’re browsing, collaborate with others in real-time—the list goes on.

Slice is a game-changer for professional writers. In fact, our customers have reported a 10X productivity gain when using Slice. Want to see these results for your own writing? Sign up today!