The swag for today's blog comes from the 2013 RWA National Conference. Nationals gave out a really great bag (which I'm realizing I don't have a photo of), but for the most part swag is put out on swag tables so people can grab what they want.
Check out the difference in items, just at first glance.
Yes, there are some paper products, but not nearly as much as in the previous swag bag. As a result, we can look at items a little bit more closely and things don't get lost in the shuffle.
These are all items that caught my friend Celeste's eye. Something about these made her pause and pick them up. Maybe it was because they were different and she hadn't seen anything like it before. Maybe because it was a fun, cute idea. Maybe it's as simple as she liked the color...some of this is a crap shoot as we know. There are so many unique items that I'm going to try to post the photos with minimum commentary about each one...unless I need to explain what they are due to my poor photography skills.
RWA gave out these water bottles to all attendees. Great idea for the weekend in Atlanta. It's always smart to carry some water around with you during conferences. Who knows when you'll have a chance to get a drink.
Celtic Heart chapter had a party where they handed these buttons and badge ribbons out. I'm a sucker for anything in a kilt (as are so many readers), so these are particularly clever. And it always feels funny not having any ribbons on your badge when attending a conference. This is a fun way to include readers and get your name out there.
Two different styles of drink koozies. I really like this idea, particularly for the Western Themed (based on the logo) series. And with backyard BBQ season in full swing, this is a great swag idea.
A stress ball. This little puppy is coming to the day job with me. A new take on an old classic...and no one else is doing it.
Trading card size magnets. She didn't grab a lot of these, but the few that caught her attention. I (being a conference chair) thought the magnet for the 2014 Spring Fling was a great way to advertise that conference. The thing about these: they are all the same size & shape. Nothing really makes them stand out from one another.
A pamphlet about an author and her series, but it includes a recipe in the back. Very cute. And, a spatula. I love this idea for a cooking series. This is something that will be kept and used again and again.
A couple different notepads. (The green heart one was on the tables during a meal, not at the swag table.)
Colorful label flags (is that what they're called??) I use these all the time, so this will be on my desk.
Tattoo sleeves, perfect for every Rock-n-Roll series. So fun. And the fact that the label is specialty made to fit the series is awesome.
a coin purse
bath tea
a paper coaster with a writing quote
bookmarks
I couldn't get good pics of these items. Pens, a USB drive, odd sized/shaped bookmarks.
the trading cards with little goodies attached to help them stand out a bit.
beach ball
Great idea and ties right in with her title.
A glasses cleaning cloth. I'm always in need of these! The other side has her business card/trading card.
bracelets
I think this is a great idea for ebook authors. You can't give out free books, but what about a post card offering a free download? or coupon code. This was given out in the session the author gave to those that were interested.
teas and sachets
buttons
Really bad photo, sorry. Matches.
I hope these give authors some ideas for different ways to use their promo dollars and really help their name stand out from the crowd. If you see something on the table you want a closer look at, let me know. I've got the bag of goodies here and I'll do my best to get a better photo and post it. :-)
Are there any vendors that authors would recommend for promo materials? Any fun ideas?
Thanks for stopping by!
Lots of great ideas there. And an awesome blog post! Thank you. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Angel! There are so many ideas out there, I think we get stuck with the bookmarks and trading cards ideas at times. Hopefully seeing everything laid out will inspire even more awesome swag ideas.
DeleteThanks for the close up photos and commentary. So useful! I'm wondering when is a good time to create swag. I only have 1 romance novella out as part of an anthology. Maybe I should wait until I have multiple titles out. My next novella will be out in December. Any advice? Thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Beth,
DeleteI'm so glad you found the photos (even with my poor photog skills) helpful! In my opinion, you need to think about what you're hoping to achieve before creating some swag and how you are going to get those items into the hands of/in front of readers. Do you have an opportunity to provide swag for a local conference or readers group? If so, do it! The biggest pro in getting your swag out there is name recognition. Chances are readers won't go buy your book/novella based on swag alone. What they will do is remember your name so when they are searching the shelves or looking for something and come across your name, they'll pick up the book and give it a try. (I've done this more times than I can count!)
For your situation specifically, being part of an anthology, I wouldn't hesitate to start creating my own swag to get my name out there, but I'd be careful about tying it in too specifically to the anthology...and I'd want a single title to be coming out soon.
This is, of course, just my opinion. There is no science behind this other than what I've found myself doing. :-)
I hope that helps.
Thanks for stopping by!
I'm glad you did this blog, Carmen. At RWA the swag filled an entire room and a lot of it was never even touched. That's not because it was badly done but simply because there was so much of it. The ones that caught my eye were unusual - they stood out. And a lot of these weren't even expensive. Some were as simple as a couple of Hershey's kisses in a tiny bag with a business-card book cover. The lesson I took away was that whatever you do, make it stand out!
ReplyDeleteThanks Celeste! And thanks again for bringing me back the goodies to go through from Nationals!
DeleteThat's it exactly, we need to figure out ways to stand out from the crowd. And it can be difficult because the crowd is FULL of awesome.
I found this through http://blog.jenniferdecuir.com/?p=188 and I am so honored you featured my swag in this post (the label flags). I chose them because I wanted to share something functional. Glad you enjoyed them.
ReplyDeleteHi Lola. I'm so glad you came over here to comment (and extra thanks to Jenn DeCuir for featuring my swag posts) and reach out. Those label flags are fabulous. Or I should say were...I used them all. ;-)
DeleteIt's always fun to see what the swag is at these things. I know I use some I get from conferences and conventions years after I pick them up!
ReplyDelete