BIIA director and chair of the marketing committee, Ruth P Stevens, forwarded her recommendations in how to appeal to business buyers:

To motivate business buyers—especially in digital channels, where you have just a few seconds to catch their interest—it helps to base your message on a powerful, proven copy platform.  A copy platform encapsulates the key benefit to the prospect.  It answers the questions, “Why should I care?” and “What’s in it for me?”  Business people are people, but in their buying roles, they represent their companies.  So marketers must appeal to them in terms that are meaningful to both the individual and the interests of their businesses.

I’ve been collecting effective B2B copy platforms over the years, from such authoritative sources as Susan K. Jones, Nancy Harhut, and Bob Hacker.  You can use these to kick off your strategic messaging.  They also make the basis of great email headlines and SEM ad copy.  Here’s the list.

  1. Save time. Get to market quicker.Ruth Stevens 1 web res
  2. Save money. Sell more. Spend less.
  3. Reduce risk. Stay out of regulatory trouble.
  4. Grow the business.  Penetrate new markets.
  5. Find new customers.  Sell them more.
  6. Job security.  Help you look good in your job.
  7. Increase efficiency or productivity.  Do more with less.
  8. Exclusivity. Be part of an elite group.
  9. Make money.  Increase sales.  Increase profits.
  10. Make your job easier. Avoid stress or hardship. Get the help you need.
  11. Fearof the unknown, or regulators, loss, or failure.

About Ruth Stevens

Ruth P. Stevens consults on customer acquisition and retention, and teaches marketing at companies and business schools in the U.S. and abroad. Crain’s BtoB magazine named Ruth one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Marketing. She is the author of Maximizing Lead Generation: The Complete Guide for B2B Marketers, and Trade Show and Event Marketing. Ruth serves as a director of Edmund Optics, Inc., the HIMMS Media Group, and the Business Information Industry Association. Learn more at www.ruthstevens.com.

This article was published in Biznology on June 02, 2016