A guide to clearer B2B writing

Producing clear copywriting and content marketing can be a struggle for many B2B tech companies. 

Most B2B tech verticals have complex concepts and products that are always going to be difficult to explain in an accessible way.

However, I think this problem is often made worse by B2B marketers struggling to let go of the jargon they use in their jobs on a day-to-day basis. For this reason, the sight of a B2B company’s website with unreadable, dense copy is, unfortunately, a common one.

Unclear copy can be a big drag on the effectiveness of your content marketing efforts. So let’s discuss how best to create punchy copy and content that gets your message across.  

The importance of clear copywriting

Few would argue that concise, lucid writing isn’t a worthwhile goal. One study even indicated that using overly complex language results in being perceived as less, not more, intelligent.

So let’s break down exactly what clarity achieves in B2B copywriting and content marketing.

Grabbing people’s attention

In this hyper-connected world we live in, people are bombarded with more information than ever before, making it difficult to capture their attention. While the common belief that the average attention span of a reader is just 8 seconds has been debunked, there’s little doubt that the battle to gain people’s interest is fiercer than ever. 

Business audiences are no exception from the modern tendency to quickly scroll onto the next thing. It's crucial, therefore, for B2B tech copywriting to grab the reader's attention with a clear and concise message. 

Avoiding confusion

Even if they don’t click away, a reader is much more likely to come away confused about your product if you don’t write about it clearly. If people don’t understand what you do, you end up with problems such as generating leads that aren’t the right fit, causing frustration for your sales team as they explain what you actually do to someone who got the wrong end of the stick.

B2B marketing often involves communicating complex information, so avoiding confusion is arguably more pressing than with B2C companies. Making sure that your intended message is unambiguous, and hammering it home enough times to leave no doubt in people’s minds, is essential for avoiding confusion. 

Boosting trust and credibility 

By being concise and clear in their messaging, companies demonstrate the kind of credibility required to build trust with potential customers. This is because clarity in messaging shows that the company is knowledgeable, professional, and dedicated to properly informing its audience. 

By contrast, bad writing can damage your brand’s credibility. Unsurprisingly, websites with spelling mistakes on their landing pages have significantly higher bounce rates than those without. 

How to write clearer B2B copy

So now that we’ve established why clarity is so critical to effective B2B copy, let’s discuss how to achieve this.  

This list isn’t an exhaustive guide to writing more clearly, a subject worthy of a whole book. I recommend the Oxford Guide to Plain English to those looking to learn more. 

That being said, following these five key tips will put you well on your way to writing clearer B2B copy.

1) Eliminate unnecessary jargon

This is perhaps the most common mistake I see in B2B copywriting, 

When writing B2B content, it's easy to get caught up in complex language and industry jargon. Often, using technical terms is unavoidable - it’s hard to find a punchy way to say a term like “identity access management solution” without sacrificing accuracy.

However, jargon should be kept to a minimum and replaced with plainer language wherever possible. Even for the most knowledgeable, engaged people in your audience, staying focused while reading very dense language is a chore.

I’d also be careful with abbreviations, as not all of your readers will be familiar with particular ones. If you do use them, make sure to spell them out the first time.

2) Avoid tangents

Everything you write should tie back to the main message of the copy you’re writing. Avoid being sidetracked into tangents that might feel interesting to you, but actually detract from getting your point across. 

3) Shorten sentences 

Having too many long sentences in your writing makes it difficult to digest, so you should use shorter sentences wherever possible. Of course, you don’t want to overcompensate and write overly short sentences that compromise the quality of your writing. But on the whole, aiming for plenty of full stops is a good rule of thumb. 

4) Don’t overuse the passive voice

The passive voice is where the object of the sentence is made into the subject, while with the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. So “data security is desired by consumers” would be the passive voice, while “consumers desire data security” is the active voice. 

There are valid uses for the passive voice, for example in historical and scientific reports (Grammarly does a good job of breaking down the nuances of this here.) However, tending towards the active voice makes your content feel more direct and engaging, while the passive voice can often seem wordy and awkward by comparison. 

5) Use headlines, subheadings, and bullet points

Few things are more daunting to readers than a huge, dense block of text. Subheadings and bullet points are therefore crucial for making your copy more appealing and manageable for readers. 

As well as breaking down your writing into digestible chunks, subheadings and bullet points make it easier for readers who are scanning the page to obtain a certain piece of information. Research shows that 79% of readers always scan any new page they encounter, so this is a key consideration. 

Use subheadings to highlight the main points of your content. For highlighting benefits, features, or anything else conducive to a list format, use bulleted or numbered lists.

Need help with writing clearer copy?

Sometimes bringing in a fresh pair of eyes can go a long way in clarifying your messaging and creating more impactful copy. 

So if you’re looking for freelance copywriting and content marketing support for your B2B tech company, I might be the right person for you. 

I’ve worked with many different B2B tech companies to create content that is clear and engaging, without sacrificing accuracy or rigour. 

If you’d like to book a call to discuss how I could help your business build its brand with high-quality content, get in touch today.