Copywriting For Business Customers Vs For Consumers

There’s a big difference between copywriting when it comes to targeting businesses instead of consumers. I felt compelled to write this article because the lack of qualified authorities who are teaching this difference. Understanding this difference also helps you to use the similarities between business writing and consumer writing to your advantage. Let’s start with how B2B copywriting and B2C are based on the same principles, then we’ll get into the differences. 
The Motives Behind All Buying Decisions
People make purchases for the same reason they do anything in life, to fulfill the most pressing emotional need in their life. There are three basic emotional needs which all human beings have: the need for validation, the need for security and the need for excitement. And yes, this goes for business to business selling as well. For example, when a business owner is purchasing an accounting software solution so that they can grow their business, there’s a deeper motivation behind that decision.
They want to build their dream and create more opportunities to expand their vision, thus fulfilling their need for validation. They also want to know that the financial information of their customers will be safe, behind which is the need for validation. Finally, you have the need for excitement which is fulfilled by the growth that their business will experience and the new opportunities which it will create for them and their employees. Even if the person is not consciously aware, these are the emotional drives behind their purchase decisions.
Consumer spending is no different; it’s all about meeting emotional needs. For example, when someone purchases a car with 22 inch alloy rims and a stereo system that can shake an 8 block radius, they’re fulfilling their need for excitement and for validation. They purchase cars with five star safety ratings because it fulfills their emotional need for security. Again, EVERY purchasing decision can be related back to the three basic needs: validation, security and excitement.
The Difference Between B2B and B2C
There are only two differences between the way that you appeal to the emotional needs when it comes to selling to business owners as opposed to selling to consumers. First, the decision making process is much more multifaceted and less impulsive, so it’s more important to use trust, pressure and credibility builders than using urgency strategies as you would when selling to consumers. The second, and most important, thing is the language which you use to speak to the emotional needs.
You cannot be as personal when selling to businesses; you must dress your emotional language as logical language and give them lots of verifiable facts to support your claims as to how the product will meet the emotional needs. You need action verbs which create an experience rather than using language like: “imagine,” “how would it feel,” and other screamingly obvious emotional phrases. Finally, you need to communicate as an expert who builds trust based on their expertise rather than in a relational manner.
So remember, sell to the emotional needs, that’s the only way to create good copywriting. However, remember that the delivery is different when you’re speaking to businesses as opposed to consumers.