Copywriting Cafe

Web & Blog Writing - The Art & Science

2008-11-15T10:19:00.000-08:00

I have been blogging for tourism operators of late, and helping them refresh the language on their websites and write informative online newsletters.

I coach them on welcoming words, of course, but also and more importantly on descriptions and listings. I get some of my best inspirations from billboards all around me in airports - where I spend a lot of time, by the way.

Here are some of the more memorable ones.

Luxury Apartment Ad:

360 degree view

180 degrees from ordinary

Zoom Media & Marketing creative for ANZ on a mirror!

"Excuse us for saying, but you look like you could use a summer vacation in NZ.

Book now and start your rejuvenation..."

Marriot Rewards billboard with woman in hammock on a beach

"Hard Earned, Well Spent"

And here are some of my postings relates to this topic.
Tourism International. Leaders in Gay and Lesbian Tourism Marketing.

11/8/08
How to Judge a Hotel by Its Website
Hopping online and looking for accommodations is the way most leisure travelers do it now.

Is your website the one that will get them to click and book?

If the design is outdated, has misleading photos, probably not. If it’s inviting, easy to navigate and has a booking system, probably yes.

Over the years, I have read thousands of hotel and tour descriptions. Some were memorable and mouthwatering, but most of them needed work. Especially the mainstream ones that want to reach out to LGBT travelers.
- - - - -

As an internet coach, I have compiled a short list of No Nos.

How about your site? Is it gay-welcoming?

Is it accurate, up to date, and full of LGBT information?

Do the images say a thousand words about your hotel or your trip?

And, most importantly, are the photos appropriate with same-same couples and individuals (not overused, generic stock photos of non-gays, families, suits etc).

I judge a hotel or tour operator’s website by the quality of its photos. A hotel with no photos makes me wary as do floral bedspreads and plastic balcony furniture.

Website quality.
Language and images are critical.

1. Pay close attention to how navigable (easy to surf) your site is.

Are there dead links or outdated prices or seasonal specials?

Does the home page look like it was designed in 1997?

Lack of attention to detail on the web - like typos and inappropriate language - just might translate into lack of detail during guest’s visit.

2. Read between the lines. Your prospective, discerning guests are.

You should also pay very close attention to descriptions of the accommodation.

"A short walk to the beach" means the hotel is definitely not on the beach;

"convenient airport location" means you might be in earshot of the terminal;

and "complimentary continental breakfast from six to seven in the lobby" generally means a Styrofoam cup of coffee and a stale danish.

3. Watch out for certain buzzwords as well, that just might be misleading.

"Charming" can be a nice way to describe "old," and "cozy" nearly always just means "small."

Cozy and charming in the same sentence in New York City means you're probably looking at a flip down Murphy bed and a Gideon's Bible.
Posted by Proud as a Peacock at 6:45 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: Content and Images, Gay Welcoming, Home Page, Web 101, websites for dummies
10/25/08

- - - -
Part 1: What Every Tourism Operator Needs
Part 1: Sites & Blogs First

It's not too late to be up and running with a re-imagined website, accompanying blog, maybe a vlog by the end of the year.
Rainbow Tourism operators can benefit from customizing our eTourism Kit, created by our marketing division, Peacock Tourism Marketing. It is online marketing with a twist - being LGBT audience-oriented.
If you want to reach OUT to the traveling LGBT community, we can help you earn your "gay welcoming" communications badge - quicker and more affordable than you might think.

How to use the internet to your advantage - and where the LGBT sticky sites are.

How to change the content of your site and blog to be more gay welcoming.

Making your message conform to email etiquette and LGBT interests.

How to use social media for tourism.

Online booking basics and how to sell your product to discerning LGBT travelers.

Which version of the Rainbow Flag to use! (8 colors)

Give us a call from whatever continent; we have toll-free numbers in many places listed on the sites: RainbowTourism.com and PeacockTourismMarketing.com.

Part 2:
Part 2: E-Newsletter 101

Not ready for videos on Facebook or photos on Plaxo? How about a terrific, customer-friendly eNewsletter in either living photo color or plain text?

There are plenty of free templates available (like the ones I use on ConstantContact.com) or you can create your own to match your logo and website. Either way, you want to keep in touch with customers on a regular basis - say every other month, with perhaps a press release or sale alert in between.

Peacock Tourism Marketing selects images and writes origbinal LGBT travel content for your newsletter, written by a former travel agent who owned one of the earliest LGBT dedicated agencies and is now a travel journalist and digital photographer with experience in North and Central America and DownUnder in Australia and New Zealand.

Menu from the CopywritingCafe.com for custom articles and blog postings:
Destination pages

Tours & Attractions

Escorted Tours

G&L Travel Content

Accommodation descriptions

GeoTourism and VolunTourism: Copywriters get it right

2008-10-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

New Additions to the Travel Lexicon: "Geotourism" and "Voluntourism."

“Geotourism” is a term describing travel that “focuses on a destination’s unique culture and history and aims to have visitors help enrich those qualities.” Coined several years ago by the National Geographic Society, the term hasn’t yet caught on among most travelers. But it’s on the lips of travel professionals who describe it as a step beyond the better-known environmentally friendly "ecotourism." While geotourism encourages treading lightly on nature, it’s also about authenticity and making a place better by visiting and spending money.
However you want to define it, it’s clear that travelers are becoming increasingly conscious of the impact they have.

Just this month, I discovered two "green" adventure companies in North America and an accommodation in Central America who have something to fit that bill. Yeah!

Many discerning travelers are taking up a form of travel that constitutes another recent addition to the travel lexicon: voluntourism.

Charlie Rounds of RSVP Vacations said it best at the recent CMI Tourism Conference, where he spoke of companies like his and the new Sweet cruise company who encourage their passengers to come early, help a cause and feel good about contributing their time and their money to the environment and the community.

Field Marketing & Representation

2008-10-11T20:37:00.000-07:00

Peacock Tourism Marketing is a new consulting firm specializing in gay and lesbian travel.

It is unique among such agencies because it goes on location and works exclusively for the client until the job is done. Sleeves rolled up and lots of elbow grease.

Web Content Management and Blogging are two services that found their buturing here in the Copywriting Cafe.

For more information, see PeacockTourismMarketing.com and gaytourismmarketing.blogspot.com.

Web Content - Refreshing & Relaunching Sites

2008-08-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

Since relocating to The Empire State (NY, the Big Apple), I have been working with a large, specialized travel agency on refreshing their advertising, creating a blog and customer newsletter, plus relaunching their gay and lesbian branded website. Kennedy Travel was an early leader and in gay and lesbian travel in the 8Os, and now more than ever is outreaching to discerning travelers the world over.

My copywriting cafe was hired to develop a strategy for Kennedy's foray into online marketing and aggressive advertising. In addition, they are now creating escorted tours for a new Latin Collection, starting with Brasil in '09.

Online marketing campaigns include emails to past and prospective clients, newsletter and press release distribution. I'm doing the copywriting on all of their advertising, PR, print brochures, as well.

Combining my writing skills, love of travel, and agency operations knowledge has all come together in this project. If you have a travel operation - agency, accommodation or tour - that needs help reaching the gay and lesbian travel niche, give me a call. The company, Peacock Tourism Marketing, is aligned with Rainbow Tourism International, and offers myriad marketing representation options.

Wine tasting, touring, and blogging

2008-04-19T18:16:00.000-07:00

One of my passions is pinot noir and touring the vineyards from whence the grape varietal thrives - pretty much all of Oregon. Naturally, I freelance my articles and photos to the regional and national gourmet media when I can, under the Copywriting Cafe's alter ego WineScribe.blogspot.com.

Soon I will be contributing and editing a site dedicated to wine bloggers. Yes, there's an international wine bloggers association and a US Wine Bloggers meeting is being set up in CA later this year.

The site, Travels With Wine, is the brainchild of a new client, Zephyr Adventures, which has some pretty intriguing multi-day, multi-sport wine adventures on the books for 2008. Not only are they bringing groups to Oregon, but they are also leading trips in the most popular wine touring regions of the world.
While Allan and Reno and the rests of the team are off sipping and savoring, I will be scribbling wine tasting notes to post on the blog and searching for other wine lovers who love to blog (usually while they are sipping).

If you are a blogger and want to contribute short blogs and photos as you travel to wineries and vineyards near and far, I'd like to hear from you ASAP. I'll send you our guidelines. Cheers.

Q. What does an Interactive/Marketing Copywriter do?

2008-04-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

A. A good copywriter has these skills:

- Ability to write clear, persuasive, original copy which speaks to the target audience

- Create and enforce copy standards including tone, voice, personality, terminology, across all marketing materials

- Collaborate with website, design, product and marketing teams to develop creative campaigns, including onsite promotions, new product launches, direct mail, email marketing, banner ads, etc.

- Proof copy written by other non-writers/editors, eg doctors, lawyers, engineers,
and the CEO

- Ensure consistency and accuracy of message across the media: nternet, direct response, print, trade show, press, video and digital media.

Portland Happenings

2008-03-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

I've added another moniker/business card to my portfolio collection.
In conjunction with the Third Tuesday Twilight Tastings I'm doing with West Cafe, I''ve been given the nickname Wine Diva.

More accurate is Wine Destinations Writer. I'm a diva about the best places for wine touring, and currently I'm writing about unique Oregon wine adventures and some of the innovative winemakers across the 5 distinct wine regions in the state.

Need a good gourmet travel copywriter? Just order off the menu at CopywritingCafe.com.

Turning A Wine & Food Tasting Into An Art

2008-03-02T20:41:00.000-08:00

West Cafe in Portland, OR is run by two guys who hail from my former college town and home state, Bucks County, PA. Sean and Doug have a corner cafe with Simply Inspired Food. They have asked me to do my special event planning thing to launch the Tuesday Twilight Tasting, starting on the Tuesday after Easter.
Fine wine and Sean's fine food will be paired, and 30 lucky gourmands will be invited to savor the food and wine during the twilight hours.

Copywriting Cafe is in charge of selecting the wine and theme of the monthly event, with promotions to its clientele handled by Sean & Co. Oregon wines will be showcased, of course, with local winemakers invited to talk with the group of wine afficionados. Because of Dee's personal experience as a food and wine tour operator in Australia and New Zealand, an upcoming TTT will compare 42 degrees south with wines from here @ 42 degrees north.

If interested, RSVP to dee@deetoursdownunder.com or eat@westcafepdx.com. If you need copywriting help with your event, call 503.784.4807 or dee@copywritingcafe.com.

The Laptop Cafe

2008-03-02T20:28:00.001-08:00

Welcome to my virtual cafe for copywriting services. Along with a great cuppa chai tea, the menu includes writing, editing and proofreading for every interactive/marketing/promotional campaign or project help with which you need professional help.

New Menu Items

2008-02-24T13:22:00.001-08:00

The Copywriting Cafe is now open for biz and soon will have it's own website.

In the interim, please visit this blog when you need a quick writing, editing, proofreading job done well at reasonable rates and email for a quote - or recipe for marketing strategy.

Specialties:

Event Planning - Food & Wine Networking Events
Travel Planning - We're Going Places Concierge
Web Content - Refreshing & Relaunching Sites

Cafe + Wine Bar?

2007-10-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

Why not combine my passions in one place? My cafe/wine bar offers copywriting, editing, proofreading AND food and wine tastings and links to the best Oregon has to proffer.

PS Taking a line from a new mentor, I am now an Oregonian by Choice, and have adopted the state slogan: Oregon Loves Dreamers. I have dreamed about owning a wine bar and running a cafe, so why not make the dream come true, even if it's virtual...

Today's Menu - Yummy Copy

2007-10-09T22:01:00.001-07:00

Video Snacks
Audio Snacks
Brochure Copy
Web Page Copy
Word Desserts

All items made to order... ask for .txt, .rtf, .doc or .pdf courses.

Dee's Content Cafe Opens

2007-10-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

I wanted this blog to be a hip wine bar with a cute name like Dee Does D'vine or a delicatessen named Detour Deli... but then I would have to explain that I've been away on a personal journey - DeeTours DownUnder - and living life as a wine tour operator and sampling some pretty nice vinos on my ventures.

I've recently returned to the US and dee-toured to Oregon where I plan to resume my former career as a compelling copywriter. Hence this content cafe where Writing, Editing & Proofreading are just a few of the appetizers.