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B2B Copywriting Tip: Answer the Question "What's In It For Me?"

I read somewhere that instead of telling customers you are selling 1/4" drill bits, tell them you have a tool that lets them drill 1/4" holes.

An important distinction - and one that many B-to-B marketers tend to forget. When you're close to your company's product or service, it's hard to tell the difference between its features and benefits. And, it's natural to think that what you find important - namely information about your company - your customers will, too. But what your customers really want to know is how will your product or service benefit them and why should they use it?

Answering the question, "What's in it for me?" is easy once you learn a few tricks:

1. Think differently

Does the following company description sound familiar?

"Our strategic approach to quality allows us to guarantee the delivery of quality products. We're committed to hiring the best people and investing in equipment and processes that enable increased efficiencies."

Besides being vague and boring, the copy doesn't say how the company differs from all the others out there. Don't most companies say they deliver quality products?

Energize your copy by banishing tired phrasing. Get a fresh perspective by talking to those on "frontline": salespeople, service technicians, and telephone operators. You'll quickly learn how people really view your product or service.

2. Know your customer's pain points

It's much easier to write copy that tells your customer how your product or service will benefit them (and overcome their resistance, too!) if you know the problems they routinely face. The more information you have, the more specific your copy. When talking to your frontline people, ask these and other questions:

What is our customer's work environments like?
Is current technology difficult to use? What do people need to do their jobs more simply?
How does our product improve our customer's bottom line? Make their jobs easier?

3. It's all about "you"

One of the biggest mistakes companies make when writing collateral is focusing on "we" (your company) rather than "you" (your customer). As you write, reduce or eliminate "we" and "our" and use instead "you" and "your." Your copy will naturally become more benefits-focused.

For example, change this feature-based statement, "Acme Software features a unique built-in server for remote control operation," to one that explains the benefit: "You'll spend 33% less time at the computer with Acme Software's new remote control capability."

4. Write like you talk

When I recommend to clients that they reduce jargon, they inevitably reply, "But our customers are educated. They'll understand it." Not true. For most companies, there exists an average of four buying influences - only one of who may be the actual user. If your products' sales cycles include multiple decision makers, you want to make sure everyone, from CEO to the purchasing agent, understands your product and how it will benefit the company.

If you write like you talk, you won't say, "We manufacture scaleable integrated back office systems for enterprises." Instead, you'll say, "Acme software allows you to share information across your business, and you won't have to replace it as your company grows."

5. Be specific

Customers want to know details: Will your product or service reduce overhead? Eliminate downtime? Save money? Give your customers real information via percentages, numbers, dollar amounts or research statistics, as seen in the following examples:

Volkswagen Passat: "By inventing a new engine architecture, we found a way to fit 8 cylinders (and 270hp) in a space that used to fit only 6."
Xerox Phaser printer: "With an industry-leading first-page-out of only 9 seconds and 16 ppm full color, the Phaser 8200 is faster than 90% of today's office printers."
Schwab Advisor Network: Members of our network . . . have been in business an average of 17 years and manage an average of $500 million in assets."

6. Ask the right question

Getting back to that ¼" drill bit. A couple of years ago I wrote a brochure for a client who insisted one of the bullet points state, "minimal vibration." After wrestling with it, I finally asked, "Why is this important?" It turns out the users of this product worked in tight spaces with the product next to their research instruments, so any vibration would throw off their results. Ahhh . . . The feature was minimal vibration. The benefit was accurate results.

Writing benefits-oriented copy that answers the question, "What's in it for me?" is a proven strategy for increasing sales response. Connect with your audience by understanding their pain points, tell your story with a fresh perspective, and eliminate vague and boring copy. You'll add power and punch to your marketing materials.