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- Herausgeber: Books on Demand
- Kategorie: Fachliteratur
- Sprache: Englisch
There are amazing companies out there producing amazing technical products. Components, machines, services and systems that enable people to survive catastrophic diseases, reduce energy consumption, remove toxic emissions, simplify life at work, and many other things. However, getting the wording right is the key to success. Not least for technical products sold from one business to another (B2B), as this usually means complex offerings, long buyer journeys, many decision-makers and a high risk. "Words that change the world" shows you how to craft marketing texts for technical B2B products. You get hands-on advice to find out what to write about, create a creative concept and find the words that make people think, trust and take action.
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Seitenzahl: 69
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
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Special thanks to ...
Bengt Anderson
… for teaching me B2B branding and copywriting virtually every day for six years. Without you, this book wouldn’t exist.
Lotta Boman
… for guiding me forward with excellent coaching.
Without you, this book wouldn’t exist.
Cintia Hansson
… for our life together and for saving my life that day.
Without you, this book wouldn’t exist.
“My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go”
From Hamlet by William Shakespeare
What this book is about
Get ready to write the future
Similar but not the same
1. Learn
What is the problem?
Get to know the business
Who are you up against?
Picture who you are writing for
Understand what motivates people
The right message for every touchpoint
2. Create
A framework for your creativity
How to dig up the creative gold
When you get creative block
Words and images need each other
How to judge creative proposals
What shall we call it?
3. Write
Bringing the bits and pieces together
The most important part of your text
Time to let your words flow
The details make the difference
Everything has to be correct
Even better than the master version
The basics of B2B branding
How much is your text worth?
Inspiration for this book
Get ready to write the future
There are amazing companies out there producing amazing technical products. Components, machines, services and systems that enable people to survive catastrophic diseases, reduce energy consumption, remove toxic emissions, simplify life at work, and many other things. However, not all of these companies become the success they could have been.
Why? Because they struggle to express what they do, for whom and why. They have everything in place to change the world but the words. Without the right words, they can't convey the value of their products to the people who could benefit from them. They are depending on what other people say.
Finding the right words is a challenge for all companies, especially for those selling to other companies or organizations, so called business-to-business or B2B for short. B2B purchases usually mean complex offerings and long buyer journeys where the information search starts way before contacting potential suppliers.
In this book, you will learn how to craft marketing texts about technical B2B products. It is practically oriented and aimed at writers, business developers, marketing managers, entrepreneurs, innovators and, last but not least, students and teachers within branding, communications and marketing. The methods work for any media, and you can also apply them when targeting investors and talents.
The book is divided into three sections: Learn, create and write. You need all three to produce marketing texts for technical B2B products. The word “craft” is deliberately chosen over “write” to clarify that preparation, thinking and decision-making are just as important as grammar, structure and style. If you use AI (Artificial Intelligence) writing tools, this way of working increases your chances of feeding the systems with something useful – so that you can get something useful in return.
Your words can change the world. They can make prospects discover the value of new technology. They can kickstart sales cycles, generate leads, shorten sales processes and help close deals. They can arouse interest and create confidence in start-up businesses. They can bring sleeping corporations and proven products to life. They can keep partners close and competitors away.
They can do whatever you want them to.
> Shorter time-to-market
The sooner potential customers realize the value of a technical B2B product, the sooner they will evaluate it and hopefully buy it. With the right words, you make people understand and take action.
> What is a technical B2B product?
A component, machine, service or system in a technical context that is sold from one business to another business or organization. The product could be anything from a driveshaft for an excavator to a decoupling capacitor for a semiconductor; proven and trusted for decades or disruptive and ready to conquer the world.
Component • Machine • Service • System
> Who are “you” in this book?
A professional writer working as a consultant for a client. The reason for picking a certain role is to simplify reading. However, you can easily translate this role into your current position or the job of your dreams within fields such as advertising, business, communications, entrepreneurship, innovation, marketing, product development and sales.
> The toolbox
This is it. This is what every writer has to work with. A fantastic set of tools. The amount of combinations is endless. The only limit is your imagination.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z
> Numbers also evoke feelings
Not least for people with an engineering background and an interest in mathematics. They are used to communicating with numbers in graphs and tables. Sometimes numbers are more persuasive than words.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Similar but not the same
There is no sharp line between B2B (Business-to-Business) and B2C (Business-to-Consumer) products, but there is a sharp difference between the buyers’ mindsets. When you buy something with your private money, on your own, you are in charge of all decisions. If the product doesn’t meet your expectations, you can easily choose another brand the next time.
Not so when you are buying with your company’s funds with other people. When dealing with complex, costly and technical products that are critical for operations, everything has to be right. Sometimes, making the wrong decision can destroy a career or ruin a company’s reputation. This is vital to understand when you write marketing texts for technical B2B products.
Books about branding, communications and marketing often focus on emotional B2C purchases. However, B2B purchases can be just as emotional, and the emotions grow with the level of risk and the size of the deal. B2B purchases also typically involve deeper H2H/P2P (Human-to-Human/ People-to-People) interaction between the buyer and the seller, adding another emotional dimension.
Writing is always about touching the heart and mind of a reader, whether for B2C or B2B target audiences. We are all humans, after all. So don’t fall into the trap and think that B2C is fun and emotional and B2B is boring and rational. Instead, find the drama that is built into the B2B buying process and make the most out of it.
> What kind of decision is it?
As you move to the right of the products listed below, the likelihood increases that the buyer is a company or organization and that the purchase involves more people, time and money. A product can be sold in both a B2C and a B2B context, but the buyer’s mindset may vary. Buying a private car is not the same as being responsible for a company’s car fleet.
Pizza • Phone • Door • Car • Heating system • Wind power plant
> How often do they buy?
Many technical B2B products have long sales cycles. However, even if the cycle is long, there is normally a continuous need for support, service and spare parts. These are great opportunities to stay in touch with the buyers between the big purchases.
1 year • 2 years • 5 years • 10 years • 25 years
> Considered purchase or not?
This is another way to describe a purchase. Not all B2C products are fast-moving consumer goods. When you buy an apartment, for example, you will consider many options before signing the contract. Some B2B products, such as spare parts, are bought online without a sales representative or much research. However, the purchase can still be critical.
Commodity B2C products
Technical B2B products
Usually a
simple
buying process
Usually a
complex
buying process
Private money
Corporate money
Impulse purchase
Planned purchase
Nice to have
Need to have
Single item
Total package
One-stage process
Multiple-step process
Small purchase
Large purchase
Low-risk investment
High-risk investment
No investment calculation
Investment calculation needed
Informal buying process
Formal buying process
Many potential suppliers
Few potential suppliers
Commodity B2C products
Technical B2B products
Usually a
simple
