A Hot New B2B Project You Should Know About
By Lisa Christoffel

Recently, I started to get questions from some copywriters in my B2B Writers International group about how to price a new kind of project they were being asked to take on.

A couple were small projects that were easy to price. But a couple were much bigger in scope.

It wasn’t until the third such request that I realized there might be something going on … a new trend in the market that spelled opportunity for B2B content writers.

So I did a little digging …

And here’s what I found.

Current State of B2B Content

When was the last time you scrolled past the first page of the Google search engine results?

And how often do you find your answer right there in the search results and never even click to the site or article that contained the content?

If you’re like most people, you rarely scroll for long, and often you don’t even click off the Google search page — the answer you’re looking for is right there.

B2B companies are well aware they need to create content that helps them be seen early in Google search results, or they just won’t be found.

And for much of the time they’ve been building the content library on their websites, they’ve probably been concerned about its page ranking as much as, or more than, its impact on readers.

Which can lead to … well … mediocre content.

That is, content that might provide a bit of value but is really there for the search engine algorithm rather than for the reader.

And customers have noticed.

They’re starting to leave companies that deliver only mediocre content … and gravitate toward companies going the extra mile to deliver the high-quality information they need.

What Are B2B Customers Looking For?

A common misconception about B2B customers is that they’re “all business,” making completely rational decisions based on logic and fact.

But we all know, as copywriters, that customers are people, and people make decisions based on emotion, and use logic and facts to justify the purchase.

They want to be the heroes at their company by making a smart purchase that saves money or time in the workplace.

They want to solve problems to make their own work lives easier.

Basically, they want valuable information that will help them make smart buying decisions for their company. It needs to be well researched, insightful, and complete.

And they’re looking for it to be delivered in packages and formats more similar to what we’d traditionally think of as B2C messaging: stories, humor, and engaging content.

The bonus for B2B companies who deliver on that need?

Good B2B content can create strong long-term customer relationships and as much brand loyalty as any B2C brand.

How Much Content Are B2B Buyers Consuming?

A lot. I mean … a lot.

Emfluence says B2B buyers consume, on average, 13 pieces of content for every buying decision. I’ve seen other sources quoting even higher numbers … 16 … 18 … 27.

Of the 13, usually eight of those are company created.

And another five of those are third-party created, like articles comparing or analyzing industry solutions or even head-to-head comparison websites.

What does all this mean to you?

There’s never been more demand for content than right now.

Yes, all the traditional B2B content you know and love … case studies, blogs and articles, white papers, e-books, videos, product pages, and so on.

AND one new kind of project …

Companies are beginning to understand that their content can’t be mediocre.

It needs to be high-quality content that provides value to readers. It needs to persuade, educate, and deliver a know-like-trust element that creates long-term customer relationships.

Since much of the existing content doesn’t qualify as “high-quality” content, effective, trained B2B content writers are in demand for a new reason …

They’re being hired to convert mediocre content to good content.

Sometimes just a few key articles the company believes could be improved to deliver better results. Sometimes entire libraries of content need to be upgraded for SEO and quality.

And it pays as well as it would if they were writing new content.

You’re still going to get 75% or more of a typical article fee to up-level that article, but you don’t have to come up with topic ideas or do the “rough draft” writing.

You’re going in and improving the writing and the SEO with deeper research and more engaging elements.

Companies still want to rank at the beginning of the search results.

The articles still need to contain good SEO elements.

But they now also need to meet readers’ needs for high-quality information.

Which requires research, good writing and copyediting skills, and a good understanding of the market and of customers’ needs.

If you’re already writing for the B2B world and you haven’t been asked to upgrade content for a client, it’s probably only a matter of time until you are.

And now that you know how important it is for companies to have high-quality content, you have a new upsell opportunity to offer to existing or future clients.

With all the existing and new opportunities in B2B, there’s never been a better time to be a B2B copywriter.