Writer Wednesday – Always Spring For The Good Shirts #AmWriting #Marketing #Promo #WednesdayWisdom

Today we’re going to talk about something that’s just as important to successful writers as proper grammar and strong characterization: making a good first impression. This can be done in many ways, and several of them have nothing to do with the actual quality of your writing. Now, don’t for a moment think that I’m suggesting your writing should be anything but top notch, and polished until it’s and perfect as you can get it. But let’s face it, the writing isn’t always the first impression someone has of an author. There are many other ways to make contact with new readers, either via a website, social media, personal appearances, or swag. Yes, swag matters. A lot. Let me tell you about my husband. He’s a rock star (locally, anyway) which means that we have an abundance of band t-shirts in our house. You know the shirts I’m talking about – they start out black with vibrant designs silk screened onto them. After a few washes, the fabric  fades and possibly pills, and the design cracks and flakes off. Whenever that happens, you know the band settled for the cheap shirts. What difference does this make? Well, out of sight out of mind, for one; the main purpose of swag is so people have a handy little reminder of who you are, and what you do. And if your swag disintegrates or looks sub-par after regular use or wear, that doesn’t leave the best impression. Sometimes we hit the nail on the head, and get swag that is both well designed and long-lasting.  I worked at a liquor store over ten years ago, and one of the sales representatives gave me a Magic Hat shirt. I’ve been wearing that shirt almost weekly since then, and while the design is faded it’s still legible. Even better, the fabric hasn’t shrunk or thinned out to nothing. In short, Magic Hat sprung for the good shirts. What does this mean for us authors? First and foremost, swag should be well designed. If you know your way around graphic design programs there’s nothing wrong with designing things yourself. There’s also nothing wrong with hiring someone who knows what they’re doing—remember, you can reuse the same designs again and again, so consider that in your cost benefit analysis. As for printing, if you don’t have a nearby print shop a quick internet search will reveal a plethora of online retailers. Don’t be the author with the home-printed bookmarks and crooked logo. Trust me on this. By being choosy about our swag—and making it as professional-looking as possible—you strengthen your brand and appeal to a wider audience. There are all sorts of articles out there advising authors how to strengthen their brand, and professional, well-designed swag is an easy way to stand out from the crowd. What do you think about swag? Love it, hate it, or collect it? Tell me in the comments below!

Marketing: The Good, The Bad, The Swag

As some of you may know, in addition to writing I offer freelance marketing and editing services. (Want to check out my rates? Look here.) Today, let's talk about one of the most common marketing questions I get: what kind of swag should I order?

For those new to the publicity-sphere, swag is a catchall phrase for promo material intended to increase your brand awareness, such as bookmarks bearing an author's latest release, t-shirts with logos emblazoned across them, even those tire pressure gauges from your auto insurance company. You know, the fun little doodads given away at trade shows and conferences. Admit it, you know you love 'em.

Since most of my client's are writers, I usually deal with book related swag: bookmarks, postcards, posters, etc. While there's nothing intrinsically wrong with offering any of these, bear in mind that EVERY OTHER AUTHOR has bookmarks, postcards, etc. If you want your swag, and therefore your book, to stand out, you need to get a bit creative. 

True story: I once came home from a large science fiction/fantasy conference with an entire tote bag of bookmarks... and they all ended up in the trash. Really, after the tenth bookmark they all look alike. With a little imagination, it's not so hard (or expensive) to stand out from the crowd.

There are a few rules to swag: it must make you think of the brand/item it's promoting (easy enough by adding a logo or website info); it must somehow relate to your brand/item (re: don't order custom ice cube trays for a YA romance...unless it features Ice People or takes place in Antarctica); and it needs to cheap enough that you can give it away with abandon. 

Too much criteria? Trust me, it's not, and to prove it let's have a look at what arrived in my mailbox a few days ago.

Why yes, it's a tiny bottle of olive oil. Isn't it cute?

I am in no way affiliated with Goya, but c'mon, this little guy is adorable!

And, it came with a recipe book (in case I didn't know what to do with olive oil)! And a coupon!

In addition to the recipes (and sweet $1.50 coupon!) it advertised the other olive oils offered by Goya. That's called conversion marketing, peeps.

So, does this mean you should purchase teensy tiny bottles of olive oil with your logo emblazoned across the label? Not necessarily. But what Goya did with this presentation was something MEMORABLE. You want people to hang on to your swag, and remember your name. And, you know, buy your product. If the swag leads them to other products you have for sale, all the better.

I bet you're wondering if I put my money where my mouth is with swag for my upcoming release, Heir to the Sun. Worry not, I sure did. In addition to the standard bookmarks and postcards, I got magnets (everyone needs to decorate their fridge), mini books, and little spell bottles (which I ordered waaay before I got the Goya bottle. Really.). I'd like to do more swag, and I'm pricing out lip balm and travel sunscreens on key chains as we speak. I know, you're stoked.

Moral of the story: get something durable, something people will use for a few weeks or even months, long enough for them to remember your product. Don't forget to slap on a website or QR code, so they can buy that product. Other than that, let your imagination be your guide.

Have you ever ordered unique swag? Let me know in the comments below.

Heir to the Sun – available everywhere June 1, 2015. Add it to your GoodReads shelf here.

Like it on Facebook here.