How to Get B2B Clients: A Primer for Copywriters
May 1, 2009 by sidekick
Filed under Copywriting, Writing
In more than 20 years of copywriting for both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) clients, I have found mid-size and large B2B clients to be generally easier to work with, and more professional than B2C. (I do not recommend working for small
business in either B2B or B2C.)
In my experience, B2B companies tend be more “corporate” and less entrepreneurial in their thinking and procedures than B2C companies. For instance, B2B clients are more likely to use creative briefs, meet deadlines, and pay on time.
The marketing departments of B2B clients also tend to be more sophisticated in their approach to marketing; this is nice for the copywriter who wants to have more say in testing, offers, and other elements of a response campaign.
The more process-driven a marketing department is, the easier it is to get winning promotions, as well as information on the results of promotions, work samples, and other data that helps a copywriter build his business.
Winning a B2B Client
Because B2B clients are by nature more oriented to “professional” processes and thinking, the copywriter who wants to win their business must also appear professional. Here’s what you’ll need in order to successfully approach a mid-size, large, or enterprise-level
B2B client:
• Professional-quality letterhead, envelopes, and business cards are a must. You don’t have to be exotic or fancy; graphic designers need flash and dazzle but copywriters don’t. Don’t fret about design…but do make sure your most basic business tools look professional. If you can’t afford a designer’s help, opt for simple and straightforward.
• Know what you stand for. It pays to create your own unique selling proposition (USP). These days both B2C and B2B clients want to know why you are the best copywriter for them. Once you determine what sets you apart, you should create a tag line that appears on your business cards and letterhead.
For instance, the tagline I helped one of my coaching students create is “Helping your build and maintain profitable long-term customers.”
• Go to a niche market. Related to the advice above, you will do well to go to a niche market for which you have a connection…a point of differentiation that sets you apart. Many experts will tell you that you can find your point of differentiation in your work history. But this is only partly true.
With my coaching students I regularly help them discover what makes them unique and special not only in their work history, but in their passions, and their talents.
For instance, one of my students wanted to use her literary talent to sell her copywriting; so we carved out a unique copywriting market that would appreciate — and benefit from — the power of her written talent for storytelling.
• You must have a Web site. And it had better be professional. A professional Web site for the corporate market must exhibit obvious elements of good lead-generation.
The elements of a good lead-generating Web site are many; however, for the purposes of this primer, I will touch on the most important four elements:
1. Your Web site must have “you” orientation. It’s not about you, it’s about them. Your Home Page headline must acknowledge a pain of your audience, and offer a solution. One example from one of my coaching students: “Are you a software marketer looking for a steadier stream of qualified software leads?”
Contrast this with this “me oriented” Home Page headline of another copywriter: “Bill S., Freelance Advertising Copywriter.” Even the lead-in sentence was me oriented: “I’m an advertising copywriter, which is why my website utterly lacks graphics.”
2. Your Web site must have an offer. Direct marketing without an offer is not direct marketing. If you are a copywriter who wants to make a great income, then you must let your potential clients
know that you will bring in more than you cost.
You offer should in some way convey that. In lead-generation, which is what your freelance business depends on, one of the best offers you can advance is free information in the form of a report, or other valuable information product.
3. Your Web site must have either a very clean, orderly, and simple but sophisticated design…or it must be designed by a graphic designer.
If designed by a direct response designer, your Web site will exhibit signs of high level branding and direct response design “magic”…all of which will impress a B2B audience.
An aside: In my experience, Webmasters are excellent at what they do, but they do not have direct marketing graphic design skills — even though they usually think they do!
If you’re going to build your Web site yourself, take the time to learn about direct response design; otherwise, invest a small sum in having a direct response designer create a design template that you can follow…or have her design the full site herself.
4. Post samples. Samples are the equivalent of showing a portfolio. For new copywriters, this is a tough one. But there are lots of ways to work this to your advantage.
First, understand that no potential client wants to see more than three samples; then understand that you can post a “spec” sample that never mailed; and third, know that you can even post
a sample that was never entirely finished…
If, for instance, you did a critique of a potential client’s campaign, you can post that critique on your Web site — as long as you gained permission to do so.
A note on testimonials:
Yes, they’re important. But I was lazy in this department. Instead, I concentrated on getting response rates and writing case studies of my winners. Not having testimonials on my Web site never hurt me. However, one day I wanted to diversify into coaching and other copywriting related pursuits…and then I became concerned. So my advice to you is to be vigilant about collecting testimonials.
The moment your client says something positive about your work is the moment to say “can I quote that?”
• You must have business processes. Once again, because of their professional nature, B2B companies work best with copywriters who use fee agreements, creative briefs, meet deadlines, and nail down exactly what it is they’re expected to do (right down to the size and fold of the brochure), put it in writing, and then do it.
Many copywriters work without fee agreements, “set in stone” timelines, and like the “handshake” approach to doing business. But not only is this a sure path to disappointment, it’s also a red flag to corporate clients that the copywriter is insecure, a poor business
person, or both. Having a clear process for how you do business will not only make your business more profitable, but it will make the B2B client more confident in your abilities.
• Be a salesman. Whether their marketing is lead-generating or order-generating, B2B clients are very efficient at salesmanship and closing. Don’t shy away from mailing sales letters to them and then following up. They do it, and understand that it’s “just business” to be on the receiving end.
In fact, I’ve found it much easier to market to B2B companies than B2C. If you’ve done a good job of targeting — you’ve created a niche or USP that matches you with your target — then you should enjoy at least a 1% conversion rate to your marketing efforts. B2B companies
are generally accepting and interested in your call, as long as you’ve done your homework to determine why you’re the best copywriter for them.
Chris Marlow, all rights reserved
* * * * *
Chris Marlow shows copywriters and other freelancers how to land the
high-value, high-quality clients through her popular Coaching Program
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Technical Writing Services Business
When most people think of Freelance Writing they think of writing for magazines and newspapers and maybe for the Internet. The first thing that comes to mind is NOT technical writing.
Yet, technical writing is a highly sought after and paid for skill.
Technical writers are employed to explain the details of a topic in a way that is easily understood by the readers. If it is done right, it looks easy. But if it is done wrong everyone knows it. Have you ever got a package with something you had to assemble and had to fight your way through the instructions! Have you ever said to yourself … “I could have written this WAY better”?
In todays information age, technical writing jobs are increasingly common. Your home-based technical writing company probably has a better chance for success today than at any time in the past. Business plans, technical report writing, grant writing, instruction manuals, user manuals, white papers and business correspondence are just a few of the typical technical writing jobs available. By becoming skilled with any of these (and other) topics, you can make an extremely good income.
Phone around and find out what your competition is charging. Prices vary depending on location, though you DO have access to an International market place. Set a reasonable hourly rate for yourself, such as $15 – $30 per hour to start. As you gain more experience and speed, this rate will increase. Base the estimates for your clients on this rate. Be very careful in estimating the time and resources a project will require. Your clients will expect to pay your quoted price, no matter how much time you actually spend on the project.
Prices are always a delicate issue. You want to ensure the maximum profit for yourself, but pricing your services too high could prevent a profitable, long-term relationship with a customer.
- Respond to help wanted advertisements seeking technical writers.
- Become affiliated with industry associations which may list you in their directories.
- For a fee, online services will connect you with clients offering a variety of technical writing jobs.
- Contact your competitors to see if they need backup or overflow help.
You should have a decent computer with quality word processing software installed. Access to a good source of reference material will be very useful. Technical writing can normally be done from your home office. Some companies may require your presence onsite and it may be necessary to travel to a work site for resources and interviews.
Depending on the level of technical writing you pursue, you should think about taking some additional training. Big businesses often use very specialized software to keep track of technical material and data. You may be asked if you are familiar with using this software when bidding on a job. The more versatile you are, the more contracts you will get.
- $10,000 to $200,000 (part-time to full-time)
- At first, your income will be limited by the number of clients you can find. As you build your exposure and reputation, you might find yourself with more potential clients than you can handle. At this point you can set your rates to focus on more profitable projects, greatly increasing your income potential.
There are many markets that fall under the technical writing umbrella. Some of the more common situations you will encounter are:
- Companies needing accurate and understandable training manuals for their employees.
- Manufacturers needing useful instruction manuals for their products. This can range from a small easy to explain gizmo to the hundreds of thousands of pages of technical backup material for operating an aircraft.
- Entrepreneurs needing clear and focused business plans that appeal to investors and banks.
- Researchers needing influential grant proposals to secure funding for their research.
Study and study some more. Analyze publications similar to those you plan on producing. Be critical, ask how the document could be improved.
Practice. Write a user manual for something in your home. Find a particularly bad instruction sheet or booklet and rewrite it.
Technical writing requiresknowledge of linguistics and grammatical rules. Professional technical writers often have a degree in English or some sort of post-secondary training related to technical writing. Unless you are already an expert in a technical field and limit the scope of your writing to that, you will probably be required to quickly learn the details of certain processes – even entire industries. Research and evaluation skills are important. You must know where to look for all kinds of information and how to interpret the information once you have it.
Get some specific training. There are one-off courses and whole curriculums aimed at technical writing. Upgrade your skills when you have the time and money.
