Yes, you must have a clear USP. Unfortunately it’s easy to stop there. A USP is only the first step. The next step is using good B2B copywriting techniques so your USP resonates with your ideal buyer, and allows the personality of your company to shine through. This is where many companies fall short. Prospects are stuck in a world of “corporatese” that doesn’t talk about what they value and doesn’t help your salespeople with the sale.
Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:
“Our integrated suite of on-demand applications is relied upon by thousands of customers worldwide to align their businesses to their strategies, arm their organizations for success and incite their employees to greatness—every day. By focusing on two key elements of executional excellence, Business Alignment and People Performance, Company A helps organizations of all sizes realize maximal business results. Execution is the difference.™”
I haven’t told you what industry this company is in. Can you tell what they do? As a prospect, does that copy tell you why you’d want to do business with this company? I can tell you this company is a known leader in its space, but the copy isn’t helping them. It doesn’t reveal what they do, nor anything special about them. It doesn’t differentiate. It sounds like the “wah, wah, wah” of Charlie Brown’s teacher. It fades into the noise.
Don’t miss the opportunity to use your B2B copywriting to differentiate and make your company stand out. Here are some important techniques:
- Keep it Conversational — Let’s face it, no one says “integrated suite of on-demand applications.” If you can’t read your copy out loud and imagine those words coming out of someone’s mouth while they’re speaking, hit the delete key.
- Say What You Do — If you take your copy out of the context of your brand name or industry would anyone know what you do? If the answer isn’t a resounding yes, then you need to rewrite. Just say what you do in plain English. (If that’s hard, then you need to talk to your existing and potential buyers to find out what they think they’re buying from you.)
- Start with the Buyer — I’m not going to lie to you. This is the hardest part. It takes work and it takes research, but a good buyer persona will help make your copy resonate with the audience you are targeting. Keep the copy all about them (not you).
- Use Your Voice — All companies have a personality. Let that personality come through in your copy. It helps you stand out from the noise. Your buyers will get a sense of your personality as they go through the buying cycle anyway, so there’s no sense in keeping it buried in a bunch of corporatese.
Using these four B2B copywriting techniques will do wonders for the effectiveness of your copy. As an added bonus, it will also differentiate your company in the minds of your prospects and help your salespeople with the sale.