Two Genres, One Promotional Piece

Morgan here with a Field Report from the 2013 RT Booklovers Convention in Kansas City, MO.

During the Samhain Safari reception, Gina Fluharty and I literally bumped into Nikki Duncan.  Nikki not only won me over with her charming and FUN personality, she also handed me a GREAT piece of marketing!  Since she writes both contemporary romance and romantic suspense, she created one double sided, oversized postcard to promote both of her genres.



The lighter side of Nikki Duncan!

Here's what makes this piece stand out from the PILE of collateral I received at RT:

• It is a well executed piece!  Notice how the color pallet for the 'contemporary' side is composed of light colors.  A flirty shot of female legs provides the base graphic, which suggests that Nikki's stories 'pack some heat.'  The font on this side is footed with soft edges and utilizes a cursive 'k.'  The 'suspense' side uses a dark, but warm pallet.  The font has a harder edge, no curves or swirls, and is unfooted.  The base graphic is a close up of a male character defiantly staring directly at you.  Note that both base graphics are cropped, close-ups of Nikki's covers - great recycle, reuse in action!
• The QR Code takes you directly to the BUY page for her latest releases on her website.
• Her name appears on the card 21 times!!
• Though she is relaying a ton of information by including each of her covers, the overall piece doesn't feel cluttered or overwhelming.  The covers and graphics speak for themselves, no catch phrases or other text is needed.  Any additional text would have detracted from her "BUY MY BOOKS, if you like contemporary or suspense" message.  And the reader now has an illustrated guide to find all of her books.
• Her contact information is on both sides.

The darker side of Nikki Duncan!

I asked Nikki why she lists all of her contact information (Website, Twitter, and Facebook) on her cards, instead of only listing her website. Her answer was simple, with the advent and pervasiveness of smart phones, her readers want to immediately link with her.  Some (me included) used the Twitter and Facebook smart phone apps to connect with her instantly...some even while chatting with her.  (Yup, that last part was me!)  For Nikki, this is a KEY point because her Twitter and Facebook names are "NDuncanWriter" not "Nikki Duncan."  Note that her website is still at the top of the list and shows more of Nikki's social media activities and ways to contact her that are not listed. She only listed the three contacts, with valid reasons, that relate to how she likes to connect with readers.

Remember, all your promotional materials are to entice interest in you from readers, who have their social media preferences but also buy a variety of book genres.  Urban fantasy can attract some sci-fi readers and vice versa.  The same can be said for mystery and suspense, contemporary and women's fiction, etc.  Erotica and young adult DO NOT MIX when producing your marketing collateral. However, American Westerns and Regency Romps can be cross-promoted.  

I will be sure to post more of my marketing adventures at RT in the coming weeks.