Finally, the day has arrived.
After countless hours of copywriting, research and editing I am quite happy to announce that Barcelona Experience has launched its new website: www.barcelonaexperience.com.
Everything's changed from the old site to the new. Drab blacks and golds gave way to refreshing blues, yellows and whites. It's quite the makeover.
I'm most excited about the copy, naturally. The analytics are encouraging...many of our services are listed on the first page of search results. The proof, they say, is in the pudding.
Take a look at the site! My favorite sections are the "About Barcelona" section (I'm quite happy with the descriptions of Girona and Tarragona) and the "Shore Excursion" section.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Sunday, April 27, 2014
5 Tips for Writing: I've Only Got One
Be the subject.
That's it. Sure, practice and good grammar make for smooth reading. But a good story is more than practice and good grammar.
A good story is empathy. And maybe empathy is not the right word. Becoming your focus; yes, becoming the very person or people or event about which you write.
That's where the transcendence emerges.
Here's a an example of empathetic writing. It's a rough example. It tells the story of my visit to a violin shop almost 10 years ago:
I called the post, "The Violin Maker."
“It’s sad when you begin to lose your sight and your hearing.”
He just got done telling me about the house he had in the mountains. The pictures were spread across the workbench. There were pictures of the blue sky in the mountains and of the rock and slate house. There were other pictures of a smoky sky, and still others of the charred rock and the missing roof. He lost thirty violins in the fire. He lost the only guitar he ever made. He made it for his son.
“You don’t have to see to make a violin though. Most of it is just feel.”
He pointed to the pale spruce leaned up against the wall. A corner of it had been smoothed. The feeling was unreal; it felt fake because it was so slick. It was natural though: no lacquer. “You can feel that; you don’t have to see what you’re doing.”
His loft was split in half. The front of it was filled with side lit violins and bows. I saw the violins from the street one evening. The back half was the workshop. Beautiful hand tools lined the walls. Their handles were made with all types of wood, some dark, some light. He gave me a hand plane.
“Once you see them you have to touch them.”
It was heavy because of the brass. Feeling the weight was like magic, like the feeling you get when you meet an old relative and their handshake is warm and soft and strong.
A 4x6 of sitka spruce leaned up against the wall.
“It’s fifty years old. They were going to use it for a mast or a boom.”
“Like on a ship?”
“Yes, they like to use it for the mast because it’s strong and light.”
I think I used the word fantastic half a dozen times while I was there.
“Its more aromatic than the Englelmann spruce.”
I smell wood by habit. The Engelmann used for the top of the violin was subtle.
“So does this wood get darker with age?”
He pointed up to an unfinished violin.
“Maple ages really well. It gets red.”
Red wood is an instant antiquity, especially if its used for something elegant like a violin.
“You have to let the wood age for at least five years before you use it. Once the violin is made, they usually hang it out in the sun for a week. The ultraviolet rays darken it.”
I wondered if anyone had the audacity to play a white violin. Audacity isn’t really the right word because there was nothing audacious about the soul of the wood that lay in the open ceiling of his workshop.
When I said things too quietly he would nod and say yes; the bad hearing was only a problem if I didn’t speak up.
“Sometimes I’m in the restaurant and I answer yes to things and then they bring me food I don’t want.”
He reminded me of Beethoven, who made my favorite composition when he was deaf and ridiculed.
Enchanting is a good word to use when the place you are in or the people you meet are disarming and honest like good violins. He was all three.
That's it. Sure, practice and good grammar make for smooth reading. But a good story is more than practice and good grammar.
A good story is empathy. And maybe empathy is not the right word. Becoming your focus; yes, becoming the very person or people or event about which you write.
That's where the transcendence emerges.
Here's a an example of empathetic writing. It's a rough example. It tells the story of my visit to a violin shop almost 10 years ago:
I called the post, "The Violin Maker."
“It’s sad when you begin to lose your sight and your hearing.”
He just got done telling me about the house he had in the mountains. The pictures were spread across the workbench. There were pictures of the blue sky in the mountains and of the rock and slate house. There were other pictures of a smoky sky, and still others of the charred rock and the missing roof. He lost thirty violins in the fire. He lost the only guitar he ever made. He made it for his son.
“You don’t have to see to make a violin though. Most of it is just feel.”
He pointed to the pale spruce leaned up against the wall. A corner of it had been smoothed. The feeling was unreal; it felt fake because it was so slick. It was natural though: no lacquer. “You can feel that; you don’t have to see what you’re doing.”
His loft was split in half. The front of it was filled with side lit violins and bows. I saw the violins from the street one evening. The back half was the workshop. Beautiful hand tools lined the walls. Their handles were made with all types of wood, some dark, some light. He gave me a hand plane.
“Once you see them you have to touch them.”
It was heavy because of the brass. Feeling the weight was like magic, like the feeling you get when you meet an old relative and their handshake is warm and soft and strong.
A 4x6 of sitka spruce leaned up against the wall.
“It’s fifty years old. They were going to use it for a mast or a boom.”
“Like on a ship?”
“Yes, they like to use it for the mast because it’s strong and light.”
I think I used the word fantastic half a dozen times while I was there.
“Its more aromatic than the Englelmann spruce.”
I smell wood by habit. The Engelmann used for the top of the violin was subtle.
“So does this wood get darker with age?”
He pointed up to an unfinished violin.
“Maple ages really well. It gets red.”
Red wood is an instant antiquity, especially if its used for something elegant like a violin.
“You have to let the wood age for at least five years before you use it. Once the violin is made, they usually hang it out in the sun for a week. The ultraviolet rays darken it.”
I wondered if anyone had the audacity to play a white violin. Audacity isn’t really the right word because there was nothing audacious about the soul of the wood that lay in the open ceiling of his workshop.
When I said things too quietly he would nod and say yes; the bad hearing was only a problem if I didn’t speak up.
“Sometimes I’m in the restaurant and I answer yes to things and then they bring me food I don’t want.”
He reminded me of Beethoven, who made my favorite composition when he was deaf and ridiculed.
Enchanting is a good word to use when the place you are in or the people you meet are disarming and honest like good violins. He was all three.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Featured in The #Copywriting Daily
Good news! This morning I found out a piece I wrote about Barcelona made it into The #Copywriting Daily, an online publication that features good copywriting from a variety of genres! Here's the link to the publication: http://paper.li/UK_Marketer/1302636249 . Here's the link to the actual post: www.bcnexp.blogspot.com.
Here's little teaser to the story:
Try the bar's vermouth, a sweet herbal drink that's all the rage in Barcelona. If vermouth isn't your cup of tea, you can never go wrong with a cold canyeta, Barcelona-speak for a small glass of beer (usually Estrella Damm or San Miguel). The bar's menu is pretty reasonable...here's a sampling from a few days ago:
When you've had your fill of the local swill and you're ready for a substantial meal, stop by Mucci's/The Burger Club, a combo restaurant that serves pizza, empanadas and other fare on one side and a a menu full of tasty hamburgers on the other side. The Burger Club offers a great midday special: burger, fries and a drink for 7.99€. Mucci's offers slices of pizza (porcio), whole pizzas, salads, empanadas and the usual tapas. The restaurant has menus in English, Spanish and Catala. Go at night, during the week, and you'll encounter far less tourists than you will in restaurants closer to or on Las Ramblas.
Here's little teaser to the story:
When you're ready for a drink, stop for a spell at La Llibertaria, a bar well-liked among locals and college students. The bar features an affordable list of local drinks that will whet your whistle and loosen you up for good conversation.
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| A local abuelo puffs a cigar in front of La Llibertaria |
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| The usual suspects |
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Wine Country Wonders: Weekly Wrap-up
Wine; it's everywhere in Spain.
"Rioja isn’t the only horse in the Iberian Peninsula’s vineyard stable.
The rolling hills and open plains of the province of Tarragona’s wine country are glimmering with evidence that Spain’s mundo del vino isn’t a one-trick pony. Earlier this month, my wife and I joined some friends for an overnight trip to three wineries: Celler Mas Foraster in Montblanc, Rendé Masdeu in l’Espulga d’Francoli and Celler Mas Vicenc in Cabra del Camp.
This trip was our first Spanish winery experience. The drive from Barcelona to our accommodations in l’Espulga d’Francoli was relaxing. A mildly busy freeway snaked its way through valleys and hills as wineries and villages dotted the passing landscape.
Two hours later, we pulled into the gravel parking lot of Hotel Villa Engracia, a cluster of apartment-like suites huddle up against a chocolate green ride of pine trees rising up behind the tiny town of l’Espulga d’Francoli. We checked in, dropped off our stuff and hopped back into the car for the fifteen-minute drive to Mas Foraster..."
Click here to read the rest of the article on Spain Buddy's website.
A few months ago my wife and I traveled with some friends to Tarragona's wine country. It was a pretty amazing experience, so much so that I submitted a story to www.SpainBuddy.com on behalf of Barcelona Experience. This past weekend they posted the story, "Bottled Beauty - An Adventure in Tarragona's Wine Country." Here's a teaser:
"Rioja isn’t the only horse in the Iberian Peninsula’s vineyard stable.
The rolling hills and open plains of the province of Tarragona’s wine country are glimmering with evidence that Spain’s mundo del vino isn’t a one-trick pony. Earlier this month, my wife and I joined some friends for an overnight trip to three wineries: Celler Mas Foraster in Montblanc, Rendé Masdeu in l’Espulga d’Francoli and Celler Mas Vicenc in Cabra del Camp.
This trip was our first Spanish winery experience. The drive from Barcelona to our accommodations in l’Espulga d’Francoli was relaxing. A mildly busy freeway snaked its way through valleys and hills as wineries and villages dotted the passing landscape.
Two hours later, we pulled into the gravel parking lot of Hotel Villa Engracia, a cluster of apartment-like suites huddle up against a chocolate green ride of pine trees rising up behind the tiny town of l’Espulga d’Francoli. We checked in, dropped off our stuff and hopped back into the car for the fifteen-minute drive to Mas Foraster..."
Click here to read the rest of the article on Spain Buddy's website.
Friday, March 21, 2014
8 Days Without SEO: Weekly Wrap-Up
Copywriting is an interesting beast. The more you write copy, the more you find your pace. The more you find your pace, the quicker the website words roll off your keyboard with descriptive flair and SEO finesse.
Take a break, and you could lose all your momentum.
This past week, my family came to visit Heather and I. My dad, mom and brother followed me around Barcelona as I showed them the best sites. Lots of walking. Lots of talking. Not a lot of SEO, SERP's, keywords or any of that good stuff.
It was a nice break. We were sad to see my family go. A beautiful city like Barcelona often is best experienced in the company of the ones you love.
Back to the office on Monday!
Take a break, and you could lose all your momentum.
This past week, my family came to visit Heather and I. My dad, mom and brother followed me around Barcelona as I showed them the best sites. Lots of walking. Lots of talking. Not a lot of SEO, SERP's, keywords or any of that good stuff.
 |
| Me and the family at Sagrada Familia |
It was a nice break. We were sad to see my family go. A beautiful city like Barcelona often is best experienced in the company of the ones you love.
Back to the office on Monday!
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Weekly Wrap-Up : Lessons Learned
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| The early days, before I dove into the writing world's UnSagrada Familia... |
The copywriting world is a wild one.
Writers always looking for an edge. Marketers always looking for an advantage. Spiders always looking for a match.
I entered this crazy world, in earnest, about four months ago in an office apartment in Barcelona.
My boss, a veteran in the Barcelona tour guide business, hired me on to write copy for his new website. More than 150 written pages of copy, to be exact.
When I started with him, I was as green as you could get in the SEO landscape. My only perception of copywriting was this: the field ruins the art of writing because it knocks artistry off the winner's podium and crams a greasy, half-drunk uncle in its place.
I've realized that turning that greasy, half-drunk copywriting uncle into a pristine first-page angel is an art in itself.
Some bastardize that art. You know who I'm talking about, Cram-a-bunch-of-keywords-into-the-bottom-of-the-page-in-a-font-that-blends-in-with-your-background-image guy.
Beware, Page-redirect-for-the-sake-of-false-site-visits guy.
And let's not even begin with I've-got-four-different-websites-with-almost-the-exact-same-copy-and-keywords guy.
These dark arts give a bad name to the business. My mission is a to give the business a good name, and make a few bucks while I'm at it.
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