Ocean Crest Creative

Category: Web Log

  • Care and Feeding of your Copywriter

    Care and Feeding of your CopywriterIt’s great to have a freelance copywriter as part of your team, but what’s involved in the care and feeding of your copywriter? Clearly, they can’t know your plan, voice, and desires by osmosis. So, it goes without saying that you’ll have to throw them an informational bone once in a while. How to best work with your copywriter is going to depend on a number of factors.

    A copywriter’s specialty

    If you required a heart bypass, would you prefer to trust a General Practitioner or a Heart Surgeon? As I like to say, it is impossible for copywriters to be authorities in every subject. You just won’t find a copywriter who is a former restaurateur/engineer/manufacturer/landscaper/accountant.  But, that doesn’t mean you can’t locate a copywriter with an industry specialty.

    Here at Ocean Crest Creative, the forte is building custom, handcrafted content solutions for those involved in the travel and tourism industry. 32-years of buzz creation and copywriting experience in one particular industry allows us an edge over others who are just visiting the business.

    This goes for any other trade. Try to pair up with a writer who is already familiar with the overall challenges you face every day.

    Be clear about the who and what

    When you issue an assignment to your copywriter, make sure you let them know who the reader will be. The more specific you can be, the better. Also, let them know if the copy they are writing will be featured in, for example:

    Articles
    Blog posts
    Brochures
    Email campaigns
    Internal Communications
    Newsletters
    Press releases
    Sales pages
    Service descriptions
    Website copy

    Try to focus on only one area of use at a time. It allows the text to be more dynamic and will garner better results. Remember, you can always come back to your word artist and have them repurpose text that they have written.

    Be clear about the when

    Since most of the best freelance copywriters only work on a retainer, it allows them to truly get a feel for your desires and how your particular establishment operates. While some companies like to have and do provide a long-term project calendar, others work on a simple monthly assignment basis.

    In the monthly scenario, you may say you need three jobs created and completed with no other specifications other than “by the end of the month.” Alternatively, you may want Assignment #1 ready for review within the first week, and the balance by the end of the month. Whatever your approach, make sure your copywriter understands your requirements as they arise.

    Be open to and expect questions

    There is nothing worse than a copywriter who becomes a black hole to your time. Likewise, when crickets chirping and the monthly bill are the only things you hear out of your person, it may be a signal to look for a new relationship.

    Most copywriters will require at least some clarification on assignments such as details, resources, and what you would like to use as your call-to-action. Remember, it is the goal of every copywriter to lead the reader into some form of action that is beneficial to you and your organization.

    Reality checks

    How am I doing? Does the copy look the way you would like? Are we tracking towards fulfilling your wishes? If you are not getting questions like these from your copywriter on a regular basis, you have a problem. Your simple assignment sign-off is not enough.

    The person who you have hired to pen for you is, in effect, your ghostwriter. That which they write should sound like it came from you, not them. To accomplish this, they will need a reality check on their efforts periodically.

    Get help

    If you have an in-house team or use a public relations company to build your content, don’t be afraid to turbocharge their efforts with a contracted writer. No doubt they may feel a bit competitive and territorial regarding the addition, but remember, this is about your success and not their contentment.

    By adding a freelance copywriter to the pool, you will breathe fresh perspective and ideas into your copy. It will also allow your lead writers to focus on front-burner projects while your contractor picks up the slack.

    They are your happy, Labrador Retriever

    In general, freelance copywriters are an easygoing group, and like Labrador Retrievers, their tail never wags faster and harder than when they know they are making you happy. If you need someone to fetch your word-related balls, give a shout. To us, there is nothing better than delivering what you want again, and again, and again!

  • Writing and Promoting Your Weekly Blog Post

    Writing and Promoting Your Weekly Blog PostOne of the most frequent questions I get asked is, “How often should I create a blog submission and what’s the best way to promote it?” As a business, your goal should be to produce, publish, and promote at least one blog article per week. So, let’s discuss the fundamentals of writing and promoting your weekly blog post.

    Topic

    At first, the idea of writing at least one blog theme per week may seem daunting. However, in reality selecting fifty-two subjects should be pretty simple. Try to focus on challenges that those you serve commonly have. Balance this with a subtle but clear demonstration as to how you can be part of the solution.

    The all-important title and first paragraph

    It is important that your blog post has a title with a bit of “grab.” While your title doesn’t always have to have the hook of a top forty song, it must solidly address the challenge your readers face.

    Secondly, make sure that your title is included in the first paragraph of your piece. Did you notice the last sentence of the first paragraph of this post? Doing this each time is not only an important Search Engine Optimization (SEO) consideration, but it also immediately ties the header to the text.

    The body

    Regardless of your audience, try not to get too formal in your writing style. Why? Because a “web log,” aka “blog,” is your chance to converse with your reader on a one-on-one basis. When humans talk with each other, they rarely carry on in a manner reminiscent of a technical schematic or corporate white paper. There is a time and place for that, but it’s not on your blog.

    Also, keep your word count to a digestible number. 400 – 1,000 words per composition is a good guideline.

    Finally, round out your blog with a simple, straightforward call-to-action. Hopefully, you’ve given your reader some valuable ideas and solutions. Hence, don’t be afraid to let them know that there’s more where that came from.

    Weekly promotion

    Social media is still the go-to location for self-publishers. I start by building three tweets related to that week’s blog post. Each has a unique title, but the same shortened, trackable URL and promotional hash tags. For example, the tweets for this blog will be:

    1) Did you write your weekly #blog post? http://bit.ly/2elgumb #copywriting, #copywriter, #travelmarketing

    2) Writing & promoting your weekly #blog post http://bit.ly/2elgumb #copywriting, #copywriter, #travelmarketing

    3) Produce, publish & promote at least one #blog post per week http://bit.ly/2elgumb #copywriting, #copywriter, #travelmarketing

    Next, I like to utilize a tool called TweetDeck. It lets me post my tweets immediately or schedule them for a later date and time. Monday afternoon, Wednesday afternoon and Friday mid-morning are generally your best bets for releases.

    I also tie all of my Twitter tweets to my Facebook page so as to capture the maximum exposure. Likewise, I will make sure that my most recent post is loaded up to my LinkedIn page, another important social media conduit reaching my professional following.

    It’s important to remember that many social media outlets may fit your business’s information dissemination needs, but what I have cited covers the indispensable channels.

    Blog away!

    I hope that these ideas help you in writing and promoting your weekly blog post. If you find yourself challenged by ideas, time, or talent (here comes the call-to-action), know that I am here for you and, as a professional, freelance copywriter, would be honored to be a part of your success!

  • Meet at the World Travel Market, London Next Month!

    World Travel MarketAre you heading to what is arguably the most important travel industry gathering of the year?  Let’s meet at the World Travel Market, London next month! The 37th annual World Travel Market #WTMLDN is scheduled for 7 – 9 November 2016 and as president of Ocean Crest Creative, I wouldn’t miss it!  I’ve had the opportunity to attend the event nearly every year since I launched my business back in the early 90’s (I was actually featured on the front cover of their brochure one year).

    Held at London’s ExCeL exhibition and conference center every November, the meeting draws over 50,000 travel professionals from all corners of the globe.  I find “WTM” a must-attend-affair because it is frankly one-stop shopping.  It is a happening that guarantees the most up-to-date information along with a chance to catch-up with all the industry’s movers and shakers.  Over the years the event has grown from a relatively basic, cubicle-sized, stand oriented trade show, to a world-class affair featuring multi-level booths that have to be seen to be believed.

    As a professional copywriter with 32-years of experience in travel industry buzz creation, I look forward to sitting in on some the scheduled seminars.  Networking and meeting with those who are in need of a well-seasoned, travel wordsmith will also be right at the top of the priority list.

    If you are going to World Travel Market (#WTMLDN), let me know.  It would be a pleasure to catch-up!

  • New Changes Could Influence Website Security

    New Changes That May Challenge the Security of Your Website

    After September 30th, things could get interesting in the Internet world as new changes could influence website security could present themselves. That is because the United States government has chosen to release American control of ICANN and transfer it over to what has been described as a “multi-stakeholder community, which includes the technical community, businesses, civil society and governments.”

    Who is ICANN?

    Established in 1998, the Los Angeles-based Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), is the organization charged with the operational stability of the Internet. Most notably the group coordinates and maintains the Domain Name System (DNS). However, ICANN does more than just allocate and approve web domains. It also has a security component. A team called the Security and Stability Advisory Committee, “engages in ongoing threat assessment and risk analysis of the Internet naming and address allocation services to assess where the principal threats to stability and security lie, and advises the ICANN community accordingly.”

    Will domain security change after September 30th?

    A strong argument has been made that rogue nations could more easily infiltrate the entire Internet system should this change come to fruition. If ICANN does undergo this change, the security procedures taken to protect the legal owner of a website will also change. Opponents point out that currently if a website were to be commandeered, the path to recourse would involve law enforcement, your domain provider, and the American-based ICANN.

    Is there a need to worry?

    The United States Congress could still block the change, something that would be conceivable in a presidential election year. It is tough to tell if this transformation would spell disaster for the Internet, however, as the adage goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has proven successful at its job since the launch of the modern Internet. With so many government efforts seemingly in disorder, it seems a bit confusing as to why anyone would want to change that which works fine.

  • Welcome Autumn!

    The autumn solstice rolled into the continental United States at 10:21 a.m. EDT today!
    Join me in giving it a crisp welcome!

    The autumn solstice rolled into the continental United States at 10:21 a.m. EDT today!