How to make your B2B writing easier to read
It may look easy, but writing for a business-to-business (B2B) audience is a real challenge.
Striking the right tone—informative but not too complex, persuasive but not too salesy—is a delicate balance.
In this article, I outline five ways to improve any written B2B content.
The purpose of B2B content
The purpose of any B2B content generally falls into one of two buckets:
Increase awareness about your company, and
Persuade potential customers to do business with your company.
Of course, this is easier said than done. Complex B2B sales processes take months—and sometimes years—to reap any rewards.
Customers are cautious, and want to know that they are making the right investment.
This is especially true in the food industry, where the stakes are especially high. At the very worst, the wrong choice could create a public health risk or spark a consumer backlash.
Great B2B content helps your prospects to make a confident purchasing decision. This requires great documentation and logical, persuasive sales materials.
Writing easy-to-read B2B content? I feel you.
Why is B2B content writing so hard?
B2B content writing is challenging because you’re writing for a knowledgeable audience. You’re also writing for more than one person.
Typically, buying decisions about any novel or expensive solutions will be made by a team. This may include specialists in marketing, R&D, quality, purchasing, manufacturing, legal, finance, and much more.
You’re writing for a team of knowledgeable experts, each with his or her own lens on your solution. To reach these audiences, the best thing you can do is try to make their lives easier with your content.
How to be a better B2B writer
To improve your written B2B content, think about how you can make it easier for your customers. The content should also be easy to read, easy to remember, and make a complex topic easy to understand.
Key word: Easy. Here’s how.
1. Plan ahead
Clear writing starts with clear thinking. Before you do any writing, take the time to pinpoint your goal and point of view. A content brief can be helpful in getting several people to agree on the purpose of your content.
With a content brief in hand, you can start to create an outline for your content. No need to get fancy. Successful content uses a familiar structure: An introduction, a body, and a conclusion. A beginning, a middle, and an end.
An outline helps you to check if you have a logical, structured flow to your content before writing.
2. Address the customer
It’s time to write. As much as you can, you want to put your customer front-and-center in the story. This allows your readers to quickly identify if the content is for them, and read further.
It is tempting, when launching a new product for example, to write using the corporate “we.”
“We have recently introduced Product ABC to the market…”
“Our experts have been hard at work in clinical trials…”
Imagine starting a conversation at a party by talking only about yourself. You’re probably not connecting the way you want.
Instead, write from the perspective of your reader.
“Manufacturers today face the same, persistent challenge…”
“Marketers in XYZ industry are all asking themselves the same question…”
If you've planned your content well, you are writing for a defined audience. Make sure this is easy to pick up from the content itself.
3. Use plain language
In complex, technical fields, it’s natural to write texts that are complex and technical. But, studies show that plain language text is more successful.
A survey of B2B health care professionals by the Content Marketing Institute showed that 80% of the respondents preferred plain language content. Not only that, respondents were much more likely to take action after reading plain language text than a more technical version.
Plain language content contains:
Short sentences
Simple words
Scannable text
Conversational tone
Not much jargon
Your readers are busy. Plain language means your readers can get the message and move on.
4. Use the active voice
Editors and English grammar teachers will say you should write in the active voice. That may be because sentences in the passive voice are considered more difficult to understand.
Sentences in the passive voice omit the subject, the doer of the verb, like this:
“Product XYZ is considered to be best-in-class for efficiency.”
Sentences in the active voice include a subject and are more specific:
“Manufacturing leaders consider Product XYZ to be best-in-class for efficiency.”
Linguistic research has pointed out that most readers understand sentences in the passive voice just fine. But, readers remember sentences in the active voice much better.
You don’t need to use the active voice 100% of the time (that would be awkward). Just use the active voice more often to improve readability and recall of your content.
5. Give descriptive examples
One of the best ways to bring your content to life is by using concrete, descriptive examples. Detailed examples help to apply more theoretical or abstract ideas to everyday situations. There are a few ways to do this.
A metaphor or analogy
A metaphor or analogy relates an abstract concept to something more tangible. For instance, comparing the gut microbiota to a rainforest full of plants and animals.
Practical visualization
Practical visualizations turn complex data into something relatable. For instance, tons of CO2 converted into car trips or trees planted.
A narrative example
A detailed story that puts the reader in the shoes of a customer—also known as a case study. It's powerful because it's relatable, and puts theory into action.
The bottom line
B2B sales processes are complex. Great B2B content helps prospects to see the value of your company and your solutions. The best way to create great B2B content is to write in a simple, logical, and accessible way.
I’ve made it my mission to help food companies tell their stories with clear, convincing content. Need help tuning your message? Give me a shout.
