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There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all copywriting strategy when developing a B2B marketing campaign. The style and tone of your writing will vary depending on your product, market and overall strategic objectives.

However, essential to developing effective B2B marcom materials for your campaign is knowing what copywriting mistakes to avoid. Although there are many, here are eight common copywriting problems that can kill a B2B marketing campaign in its tracks.

Dwelling on features instead of benefits. A feature is a descriptive fact about a product. A benefit is the “yeah, so what’s in it for me?” aspect of your product—and it’s what your customers care about the most. A 2.60 GHz processor is a feature of the computer on which I’m writing this article. The benefit of this feature is that programs quickly load and commands are executed with lightning speed. Copy written about your products should always focus more on user benefits than product features.

Leaving out a call to action. All your marketing materials should have a clear call to action. In other words, tell your audience exactly what you want them to do next. As a general rule, your call to action should be the next step you want your customers to take in the buying process. Here are some common call-to-action lines:

• Order by December 31, 2007, and receive a 20% discount. Call today!

• For more information, call your local sales representative now.

• To order any product in this brochure, call us toll free at (800) 555-2424.

Don’t worry about using lines that sound cliché, like the ones above. Much of the research I have reviewed continually shows they work.

Using inappropriate jargon. Always know your audience, and never write copy loaded with jargon they will not understand. Marketing materials for technical products that are sold to Joe Public should be written in easy-to-understand language and be void of technical jargon. B2B materials for technical products sold to other high-tech companies can effectively utilize industry jargon because you can assume your audience is familiar with it. The same rule would apply to medical products, financial products, etc.

Cluttering your print ads. If you want your audience to focus on your print ads, your print ads must be focused. Avoid cluttering your ads with multiple feature/benefit combinations. If your product or service includes several benefits, create a series of ads that tout one or two benefits each and roll them out in a campaign that has a consistent creative direction. If your print ads are too cluttered with copy that touches on too many topics—there’s a good chance they won’t be read.

Writing a weak lead. Make an immediate impact on your reader. Hook them at the top. If you don’t state a benefit or promise in your headline, your first line or two of copy should. You only have a few seconds to compel your audience to read more—so don’t waste time being coy. Hit your readers with a special offer or a promise right up front, and write it with authority.

Delivering a voiceless message. Your campaign marketing messages should have a common and consistent tone. Don’t think of your writing as words on paper. Instead, think of your words as your campaign’s voice and personality. Depending on your audience and strategic objectives, your campaign should have a voice that emanates authority, confidence, wit, know-how, compassion, wisdom or insight. After you choose the appropriate voice, write all your campaign materials through it.

Leaving out the fear factor. People worry a lot. They fear being left behind, not being up to date and they fear not having the latest tools they need to compete. Take advantage of this. Read and listen to successful marketing campaigns and you’ll find them peppered with phrases like, “Can you really afford to know less than your competitor?” “Don’t you want the best for your child?” “Don’t wait until it’s too late to start planning for retirement.” Though subtle, fear is utilized in many winning campaigns. Don’t make the mistake of failing to consider how threading fear into your copy can work for you.

Failing to be persuasive. The underlying message of everything you write about your product should be, “here’s why you should buy it.” Think of your personal or business relationships. When you want people to do something for you, you use your vocal tones, expressions and body language to persuade and influence them before you make your request. Using your words, take the same approach with your writing and the sales materials you write will yield greater results. Never lie or be dishonest with your copy—but never assume people don’t need to know why they should buy your product. Be honest, be compelling, be persuasive and tell them.

Again, there are a lot of copywriting mistakes to avoid, but you will always benefit from checking your copy against these eight fatal flaws.

Casey Demchak is an independent copywriter and consultant who specializes in writing compelling B2B sales copy for the medical industry. He is also the author of the book, Essential Sales Writing Secrets. He can be reached at casey@caseydemchak.com; or at (303) 697-4793.