A Marketer’s Guide to B2C Copywriting Feedback
A critical component of any successful client/copywriter relationship is the ability to provide clear, direct feedback. Not only is it an essential part of any workplace relationship, good feedback ultimately creates better outcomes for marketers, writers, and the end-users interacting with the content produced.
Sometimes marketers err on the side of too much feedback — overwhelming writers to the point where working together might not seem like a good fit. Likewise, sometimes marketers provide too little feedback and end up leaving with the feeling that they didn't get their money’s worth.
To help marketers strike the balance between the two, this blog dives into the nuances of B2B vs. B2C copywriting, how to provide effective feedback to writers, and some best practices for circumventing common feedback problems altogether.
First Things First: The Difference Between B2B and B2C Copywriting
To understand how to give great feedback, start by recognizing what kind of content your writers are working with. Copywriters are typically hired to help in one of two areas: B2B content or B2C content.
B2B, Business to Business: B2B content is typically information-heavy and longer, geared toward specific buyers/businesses (insurance providers, dentists, etc.), and relies more heavily on logic and reason to encourage buyers to make a purchase.
B2C, Business to Consumer: B2C content is usually shorter and more creative, geared toward audiences in broader groups (such as women, pet owners, etc.), and relies on emotional and exciting language to persuade buyers to make a purchase.
Because of these differences, copywriting for each will have unique nuances in tone, the number of buyers the content is trying to reach, and how the writing accomplishes this through style, delivery methods, and more.
Keeping in mind the end goal for your content, be it B2B or B2C, will help you narrow your focus as you give feedback to your copywriters. For the purpose of this blog, we’ll focus on B2C copywriting feedback specifically.
3 Best Practices for Providing Copywriting Feedback
If you’re bringing on a copywriting agency or team to help with content, chances are you’re already well-versed in giving feedback to members of your own team. While there are some principles that translate over well, your feedback will be more effective when you consider those best practices as they relate specifically to B2C copywriters.
1. Choose Your Feedback Environment Intentionally.
Not all feedback is created equal, and sometimes some deeper feedback requires a face-to-face meeting versus a fiery email. Knowing when to set up a meeting, a call, or simply write a longer comment in a draft will help you set yourself up for success to be heard and understood.
2. Be Direct and Clear
For B2C writing, in particular, it’s important to provide feedback that is clear and direct so that an outside copywriter can nail your brand voice and tone. This is especially true when it comes to small comments during the editing phase of a project.
For example, instead of saying “This sounds off,” consider expounding on your why a little bit more: “This sounds off because our brand’s editorial style is more friendly and fun than this sentence makes us sound.”
You don’t have to go out of your way to re-write anything, but you do need to fully explain your feedback so your intentions are clear and the writer knows what specifically needs fixing.
3. Help Your Writer Ask Better Questions.
Finally, since most contracted B2C writers aren't subject matter experts in your niche, make it easier for them to ask follow-up questions after your feedback is given. A simple way to do this is to ask if there’s anything else they need from you to succeed in implementing your feedback.
That way you avoid any misunderstandings about what your feedback was in the first place and show that you’re willing to support them as they go about making changes.
Set Your Copywriters Up for Success
Ultimately, doing the work to avoid situations where tough feedback is necessary at all is the best approach for both marketers and copywriters. Indeed, it’s been proven that learning best happens when we understand what we’re doing well, not when we receive feedback about what went wrong.
Using these three best practices from the Harvard Business Review can help marketers set their copywriters up for success.
Point out what’s working, and often! Our brains are literally wired to improve quicker at things we already do well and actually see critical feedback as a threat. Nudging your writers in the right direction with praise will do more good than constantly criticizing.
Make your feedback less about binary judgments and more about your reaction. People respond better to feedback that describes an experience versus a judgment. Instead of saying, “this is wrong,” try saying, “I feel like this is off because…”
Give feedback for the present, past, then future. Great B2C writers will come to you for feedback before you even provide it. When this happens, give feedback first about how they could improve in the present, next how they could have improved in the past, and finally how they can succeed in the future. This framework will help you give concrete feedback at any moment.
At Comma, we’ve embedded receiving feedback into the DNA of our writing process. Our team of B2B and B2C writers provides content that receives an outside round of edits before it even reaches your eyes.
If you’re looking for agency help without the hassle of endless edits and feedback, learn more about our process and vision here.
