5 Tips to Hiring a Travel Copywriter

I’m anticipating many changes in the travel copywriting and content creation world in 2014. If you are a company in the travel and hospitality industries I would like to ask you a question.Is your content addressing the need of your ideal clients or are you still stuck with not knowing how to create content? Since returning from South America, I’ve done research and discussed with my clients about our travel copywriting services and strategies.Here are five tips to hiring a travel copywriter:One: Knows and understands your ideal client’s needsHiring a travel copywriter or content writer who can’t feel the emotions and hear the voice of your ideal client is not going to cut it. A travel copywriter who has not been overseas or never went through immigration and customs will not understand the hassle your ideal client may have to go through. So if you need content for tips to international travel or lessen your stress when traveling overseas – a travel copywriter who has not been through the experience may not be able to write effective content.For example, when I wrote for a wellness and travel company, one of the prerequisites was that I try out their products. I smelled and touched them, wore them on my body and used them. That was the only way to understand the products and successfully describe the texture, smell and anything that the ideal client needed to know and feel before making a purchase, which leads us to tip #2.Two: Knows the products or servicesJust like the tip above, I need to know the products or services that I write about. I have more authority and power in my copy and content when I know the products or services well.I’ve not been to Africa. When I was hired by Sandfield Travel to rewrite content on their website two years ago, I felt overwhelmed and charged way less than what I would have normally charged. I researched, studied the photos, watched videos and worked really hard in ensuring the content was SEO-friendly and keyword rich.In my opinion the content could have been better if I had walked the streets of Uganda or personally volunteered in the orphanages. I’m just being honest now that I have done more travel copywriting compared to two years ago.If you are marketing a destination and need someone to work on your blog, email newsletters and social media platforms, make sure you take this tip into consideration. This is connected to tip #3…Three: Have first hand experiences (in the travel and hospitality industries)
Not all travel copywriters have traveled to every country in the world but some of us travel more or less than others. After traveling to South America for eight months (39 countries in total), I know I can write better content on South America now compared to last year.All I had was just second-hand information. At the moment I know how it is like to have altitude sickness, I can describe in detail the city of Cuzco or Machu Picchu or the difference between the Otavalo Market in Ecuador and the Witches Market in Bolivia.Another crucial first hand experience that sets a travel copywriter apart from others is an experience in the travel industry. If we had time, I would sit with you over a cup of coffee or tea and tell you all the tales of being a travel agent/tour consultant/ticket agent/tour guide and more (12 years of tales!!). Nothing beats first hand experiences.Four: Understands WordPress Content Management System (CMS)WordPress is no longer just for bloggers. Companies like CNN, eBay and Oprah are using WordPress. I am referring to self-hosted WordPress websites. It is user-friendly, allows you to update or edit your content without the need to code, mess with html or hire a techie person to help you out.You can easily go into your back office to delete, add or update content, images or videos.Most travel and hospitality companies hire a travel copywriter because they don’t have the time to write, manage and publish content through blogging and other platforms. A travel copywriter that can do all the work for you and understands WordPress CMS will free up your time and let you focus on other money making activities.Within WordPress you need a travel copywriter that understands meta descriptions, focus keywords and other things related to producing and publishing relevant content on your website.Five: Knows how to seamlessly connect your blog content, e-newsletter and social media platforms
You are not optimizing your content marketing strategies if you are not connecting your blog with a newsletter and social media platforms. A travel copywriter that uses all these three channels constantly in his or her own business understands your needs as well.I believe in being consistent in writing my own blog posts, newsletters and engaging with followers on Twitter. I must admit I am not always consistent in my social media platforms but I’ve not stopped blogging and publishing my weekly newsletter since I started blogging in November 2010 even when I was traveling at sea and in the remote areas of Peru. That’s what it means by ‘walking the talk’!Finally, a travel copywriter that believes and sticks to deadlines and cares for your success.

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Need Auto Insurance? Find Out How Here

It is mandatory for all new car owners to get auto insurance. The Road Traffic Act stipulates that all motorists should be insured against liability and it declares driving a car without a minimum level of insurance is illegal. The violation can attract severe civil and criminal penalties. This can be easily avoided by securing a proper auto insurance cover for your vehicle as per your state’s demands. It is quite a simple process.Nowadays, there is so much dependence on vehicles that the best thing to do is to follow all stipulated guidelines religiously. Getting the right auto insurance cover is one of them.What Is Auto Insurance All About?Auto Insurance simply means a contract or an agreement between an auto owner and an insurance company. Under this contract, premium is paid to the insurer and in return he pays for any car related losses as detailed in the policy.Key Legal RequirementsIn order to get an insurance cover for your vehicle, you would need to fulfill the following requirements. It’s advisable to find out the requirements in your respective state since these may vary. However, these are the broad requirements for auto insurance.Firstly, you should be in possession of a valid driver’s license before you go in for registration or insuring your car. For your license you would need to approach your local DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). This is the primary requirement.You will also need to have an auto title. It is a legal certificate of ownership that confirms that you own the car. Most of the paperwork is already done when you purchase a gar from a dealer. Licensed dealers are needed to transfer the title of the car in your name. The title will list the owner’s name, address, make of the car, model and year of the car and the date of sale. This should be retained by you.Next, you need to get your car registered. You can apply for registration at the local DMV. The requirements may vary from state to state. In order to register your vehicle, you will require a valid driving license, signed certificate of title for the car, address of residence and proof of your insurance.The law also stipulates that that a vehicle more than three years old should have a valid MOT certificate. It is not possible to tax a vehicle without MOT and certificate of insurance and driving without them is an offence.It is also vital to keep the insurance company informed in case of any vehicle modifications and fixed penalties. Failing to do so is an offense and may affect any claim that you make.You are also legally obliged to take the basic level of auto insurance that will cover you against third party claims. Since the legal requirements for auto insurance vary from state to state, you will need to clarify the level of cover that you require while taking auto insurance. Only insuring the legal minimum isn’t necessarily the best choice to make.As a proof of your auto insurance, the company issues you the following documents – A Certificate of insurance which will also be required for buying your road tax; A cover note that will act as a temporary policy and certificate until your new insurance policy has been set up; and Policy documents which gives a detail of all that you are covered for. Read the documents carefully to understand your rights and obligations under the policy.Insurance companies have set up claim help lines and accident emergency recovery hotlines for ensuring a smoother process. In case of any ambiguity in terms of insurance or legal requirements, get your doubts cleared by talking to the company.

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Auto Insurance Quote Review

Have you thought about asking for a free auto insurance quote on the internet? Are you concerned because you may not know anything about the company providing the quote? Are you wondering how you can find out about the reputation of the company giving you a quote, especially when it comes to paying out claims?This article will tell you how to find out about insurance companies: their financial stability and how many consumer complaints they receive, how to ask for a quote so you can compare apples to apples, and results of online quotes from eight known auto insurance companies.How to find out the stability of an insurance companyThe financial stability of a company is rated by A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s. These companies provide an independent opinion of an insurance companies ability to meet its ongoing policy and contract obligations. The A.M. Best rating is expressed as a letter grade from A++ (the highest) to D. It is recommended that you do not work with companies rating B or lower. The Standard & Poor’s Ratings range from triple A (the highest) to CC. It is recommended that you do not work with companies rating lower than BBB.How to find out individual policy holder satisfaction with an insurance companyAnnually J.D. Power and Associates gathers data from policy holders nationwide regarding policy options, pricing, automated phone service and overall satisfaction, with the insurance company providing their insurance. The best rating is 5.How to Find Out the Number of Consumer Complaints The Department of Insurance for each state provides the general public with consumer complaint ratios. This ratio helps the consumer to identify the number of complaints per number of claims filed. A maximum of forty companies are compared. If more than forty insurance companies have complaints, only the forty companies with the most complaints will be compared. It is recommended that the complaint ratio be checked in three or more states to identify specific insurance company trends. A ratio of less than one hundred is better than average.How to ask for a quote so you can compare apples to applesA response to the following information must be decided before asking for an auto insurance quote:
Car make, model, year, current mileage
Deductible amount for collision, comprehension and liability
Coverage for medical
Purpose for using the car
Miles driven per year
Number of designated drivers
Drivers ages
What is the result of performing the above steps?The Auto Insurance companies used for this Auto Insurance Quote Review are 21st Century, Allstate, Esurance, Geico, Nationwide, Safeco, The Hartford. These companies were selected based on longevity in the business and their familiarity to consumers throughout the United States. The stability, consumer overall satisfaction (Sat.), policy options (Opt.), price (of premium) and automated phone service rated as follows.J.D. Power and AssociatesInsurance Co. AMBest S&P Sat. Opt. Price Phone21st Century A A 3 3 4 2
Allstate A+ AA- 3 3 3 3
Esurance A- n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Geico A++ 3As 3 4 4 3
Nationwide A+ A+ 3 3 2 3
Safeco A A- 3 2 2 3
The Hartford A AA- 3 3 4 3The number of consumer complaints for these auto insurance companies rated as follows in the states of Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas and Kentucky.The Complaint Ratio for Five StatesInsurance Co. IL MN MO TX KY21st Century n/a n/a n/a 199 n/a
Allstate 55 130 130 165 19
Esurance n/a 212 212 455 0
Geico 33 149 128 132 116
Nationwide n/a 76 76 131 0
Safeco 29 117 117 71 25
The Hartford 29 n/a 454 200 54The Auto Insurance Quote SampleThe following information was used for all quotes:
2006 Toyota Camry 4dr v6 engine LE
50,000 miles
Driven under 9000 miles per year
Used for pleasure
$100 Deductible for comprehensive and collision
$250,000/$500,000 Liability & collision
$10,000 medical
One car and two drivers
Auto Insurance QuotesThe following six month policy quotes were received from each of the companies listed below:Company Quote21st Century $237.68
AllState $392.00
Esurance $343.00
Geico $260.10
Nationwide $415.40
Safeco $281.00
The Hartford $375.00Ways To Lower The PremiumMost insurance companies will offer discounts for the following events:
Save driving record for 3 – 5 years
No minor infractions for 3 years
Anti lock devices installed in your vehicle
No DUI for the last 3 – 5 years
License not suspended for the past 3 years
Good credit rating
Car owned rather than leased or financed
A second vehicle is also insured
Other types of insurance is also purchased from them
High risk drivers can expect to have a higher premium. Not all insurance companies will insure them. In addition when a high risk driver has an accident, the insured can expect difficulty when attempting to get the vehicle repaired using car manufactured parts. Generally auto insurance companies will pay only for the cheapest parts available.Some insurance companies offer a lower premium for the first year as an enticement to encourage you to get your auto insurance coverage through them. So always ask about the second year premium price.Is It a Good Idea to Get a Free Auto Insurance Quote Online? Yes! Do It Now.It is a good idea. You have nothing to loose and much to gain. There is no charge to get a free auto insurance quote, except for the time it takes to ask for the quote. Do it today. You can find out for yourself how your current auto insurance premium compares to other auto insurance company premiums.

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