In part one of this article series we began looking at Cruise Vacation Center site: a travel site whose copy was sorely lacking in emotional appeal and visual imagry. (You can see previous version of copy here: http://www.copywritingcourse.com/CruiseVacationCenter-Original.pdf.) In conclusion, you’ll see how all rewrite turned out and how exciting end results have been.

The Rewrite

It took me a while to get started on this copy. Before I began writing, I wanted to really be in mood. I played around on vacation search feature of CVC’s site and read all about some of places I have always wanted to go. I took my time and let my imagination run wild while reading about ports-of-call, activities, and ship’s amenities.

When people shop for vacations, they are typically interested in what they’ll get first and they worry about price second. They want to feel and sense experience of a vacation while reading about it on a website or in a brochure. It sort of falls into same category as copywriting for brides.

Getting married, for most people anyway, is a limited experience. It’s not something you do every day. While a bride may be working on a budget, she still loves to see $10,000 Donna Karan gowns and imagine herself in one. The same holds true for those planning a vacation.

You usually only go on one vacation/holiday a year. That’s why we dream. It’s a limited experience. Something we plan for and look forward to for months on end. So, while a vacation planner may not choose to buy king-sized, master, grand suite, all-inclusive, five-star vacation trip around world, s/he sure has fun reading about it and imagining it. Why do you think shows like “Lifestyles of Rich and Famous” are so popular?

Once I’d filled my mind with everything wonderful about cruise vacations, I was ready to tackle copy.

Keyphrase inclusion was simple on this page. There was just one keyphrase, cruise vacation. I used both singular and plural forms throughout text. My challenge with SEO aspect of copywriting was to keep balance.

Still unsure of what “call-to-action” is. Look at late night infomercials. Notice how they emphasize calling toll-free number with your check and/or credit card number handy. How they say if you call now, you’ll receive a free gift with your purchase, but only if you call within next few minutes.

There’s a reason why most infomercials follow this formula – it works of course. It’ll also work for you, whether you’re including it in your web copy or a print ad.

A call-to-action can be as simple as saying “order today” or as elaborate detailing a seven-step process. A good call-to-action ties in with goal of your copy. If you’re goal is to sell, don’t ask them to call you for more information, ask them to purchase your product today.

Other essentials elements include: