More Business Stuff: Marketing Fluff

A couple of you asked about marketing fluff? So here's a quick run-down on my thoughts on that:

 Primary Fluff

Primary Fluff tells prospective readers/fans/customers why they might want to engage with the work, and is the most important fluff to get right/spend time on. Most of my primary fluff is about books, because books are my primary product.

• Cover Art - #1 thing, do good here first
• Tagline – The tagline is what you haul out when people ask what your story’s about. Coming up with one can help clarify your story’s purpose to you too! You should have a couple, one about the plot (“falling from Heaven was the hardest thing he’d ever done… until he tried to get back in.”) and one that tells people where it’s positioned in the market (“It’s like Guardians of the Galaxy, with furries!”).
• Blurb – Also should be good. I did a whole post on blurbing, though, I won’t repeat it here.
• Review Pull Quotes – If you have these from a reputable source, don’t be afraid to use ‘em!

Secondary Fluff

Secondary Fluff builds trust in your brand by adding polish/finishing touches that make it clear you care about details.

• Website – Yes, I know, everyone says this is super-important. And you should have one... but not at the expense of concentrating on the primary stuff. Lots of people will never hit your website after buying from you at a retailer. They’ll just go through your catalog there.
• Backmatter - I call this aftercare for readers. You’ve given them a great experience that put them in a totally different headspace. The backmatter is where you have a chance to gently guide them back into the real world. Doing this shows some respect for the story’s ability to take the reader away, and also care for the reader, because you understand they don’t want to abruptly be catapulted back into cold, cruel reality. Don’t forget the aftercare!
• Business Cards – If I had a penny for every creator who somehow never had a business card on them when I asked for one, I’d be buying myself sushi every night for a month. Don’t be this person. >.>
• Packaging – If you mail things, or give things to people, having brand packaging is a plus. I have branded stickers for my packaging, so when people open their mailboxes they go “oh hey a Jaguar package—DAY MADE.” Also, because designing this stuff is fun and frankly it's a nice reward for all the stuff you don't enjoy that you have to do anyway. >.>
• Freebies – Having slick fun stuff to give away, particularly to repeat customers/superfans, is always a plus. It makes them feel special, because you thought of pretty, fun things they might want to have and went through the trouble of making them. (They are special! So it always pays to put thought and trouble into these things.)

That's what I got off the top of my head here. If I think of anything else, I'll add it... but as usual, if you have questions, hit me!