Let's Talk: Social Media for Book Bloggers

Friday, September 6, 2013




Let's Talk is a weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.

And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!
What social media do you use for your blog and/or what do you wish you knew more about so you could?


When I first started book blogging, it was really just a hobby for me. I didn't so much care about the recognition or noticeability of my blog, and I didn't really think about how very interconnected the world of social media really is. After about a year of blogging though, I began to realize that as my blog continued to grow, so did the potential reach of my blog, as well.

That's a pretty tricky thing to balance though. To ensure that your blog has a high viewership, attracts the attention of authors and publishers and really stands out in the world of social media, I realized I really needed an active presence...just about everywhere.

Luckily enough, I got a job as a social media marketing manager, and I began to really started to piece it all together, as well as to search out new avenues to use in the promotion of my blog.

Today, I use Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+ and Pinterest to promote my blog. While I'm comfortable with most, I'll admit that Google+ is probably my least favourite of the sites that I use. In theory, it's the perfect way to promote your blog. If used correctly, you have the opportunity to begin to directly affect your search results, thus boosting your SEO potential. Sounds great, right? Right(isn). Here's the thing...I don't find it to be the most engaging platform and, frankly, though easy enough to use, it's also not that prominent in terms of reaching out to publishers and authors. 

I use it...but not nearly enough. I think that Twitter and Facebook have had the biggest impact on my blog, right behind Goodreads, which obviously made a huge difference for me. Plus, those three are all super user-friendly and entertaining. Pinterest is great to promote giveaways, covers, artwork...plus, let's be honest, I mostly pin recipes and travel on there anyway.

What about you? Which platforms do you use...and do you have a favourite/least favourite?


20 comments:

  1. I'm mostly on Goodreads, followed by Twitter. I do have a Facebook page that I auto share my blog posts to but I seldom interact there. I'm not a big fan of Google+ either and, other than adding people to circles, I don't do much with it at all. Goodreads is definitely my favorite.

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  2. I like the book blogging group I belong to on G+ which is the only thing I use it for. If I could find more awesome communities I'd join them.

    Tanya Patrice
    Girlxoxo.com

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  3. My two favourite social medias have to be Twitter and Goodreads, I love talking with other readers and crazy people!

    Awesome post, Melissa! <33

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  4. YAY! Someone else who works in marketing! I'm the digital marketing lead as well and I agree, I think if you want exposure to your blog you absolutely MUST be in social media. My favourite is definitely Goodreads, then Twitter, then Google+. I think Facebook has the least interaction surprisingly. I have no idea how to use Pinterest for my blog though?

    Thanks for a great discussion!

    Jeann @ Happy Indulgence

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  5. I just use Twitter and Goodreads, though I have a FB page as well. I also recently got an Instagram, so I'll probably begin using that more in terms of social media as well. Wonderful post, though, Melissa. I'll have to look into Google+ and Pinterest!(:

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  6. Even though I'd love to do a ton more with my blog in the way of promotion and getting myself out there, I just don't have the time to devote to that. However, I do hang out on Twitter a lot, review books on Goodreads (while avoiding all the ridiculous drama on it). I don't have a FB page for my blog, don't use/don't like Google+ and only have a personal Instagram. I like social media but I don't want it to seem like a job or chore.

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  7. Goodreads and Twitter are the two platforms I use the most. I like Pinterest, but I use it more for pinning things I like than promoting my blog. I have a facebook page I hardly use and I really don't care for Google +.

    Mel@thedailyprophecy.

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  8. I use Goodreads, Twitter and Facebook too and I think that's enough for me, there's so many different ways to promote your blog, but then so difficult to keep on top of everything. I have my blog linked to my Facebook page and Twitter so it's posts automatically when a new post comes up. But I love using Goodreads just to interact with all the bloggers that I know and discover 100's of new reads! Thanks for sharing another great discussion post with us Melissa!

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  9. I mainly use Twitter and Facebook to promote my blog. I do cross-post my reviews to Goodreads and Amazon. I can't get behind Google+ for some reason and Pinterest is hit and miss for me. I pinned a living room that got a ton of repins, but I pinned something else that nobody even looked at. I tend to use Pinterest on a very superficial level.

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  10. Twitter is definitely where I'm most active, followed by Goodreads. I'm not a huge Facebook fan - I actually log into my blogs Facebook page maybe once every fortnight (blog posts link there automatically). I don't use Google+ - I don't even know all that much about it. I'm so behind the times!

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  11. Goodreads and Twitter are my two favorites. I do promote my posts on G+ and Pinterest, but I don't think it matters much. And Facebook? I don't like Facebook...

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  12. Yeah, I utilize Twitter and Goodraeds the most. Facebook get's updated through my Network Blog account but I don't do much else on it. I'm kind of over Facebook in genreal :) I love the idea of Pinterest, and I have lots of blog related boards, but I have been letting that slide lately too. It is an awful lot to keep up with and sometimes I fall behind in updating:)

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  13. I am your 2000 follower on GFC!!! YAY

    Here is my Follow friday

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  14. Goodreads & Twitter are definitely my favorite social media sites to use for my blog. I've been meaning to start using Facebook for it, too, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. I occasionally use Pinterest, but really infrequently. I did have to laugh because I do social media for my job, too, and I HATE Google+. Like you said, it should be the best (in theory) but in reality? Ugh. It's so lame. And I feel like Google is trying to force everyone to use it by making all of their products so integrated.

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  15. I would definitely choose Twitter and Goodreads. Although I sucked so bad with tweeting, it's really a straightforward media. Just like texting. Goodreads, yeah. Not only you get to be informed a lot about books and read reviews but I also love the occasional (or regular) drama that erupts there.

    I have a pinterest account but didn't use it anymore. I am a camera shy person so it didn't work for me. :D

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  16. I'd probably say that Twitter is the biggest site for blog promotion. Basically everyone is on Twitter! I guess Facebook as well. And Goodreads to a certain extent. Do people actually use Google+? Because I pretty much never use it- the layout annoys me for some reason. It also always takes ages to load on my computer. I've considered using Pinterest, but I don't know, I just never got into it :)

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  17. nice post.new GFC follower
    hope you can visit my Follow Friday

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  18. When I first began blogging, I didn't really care much about social media either. But, I eventually decided to give Twitter a try - I still need to be more active on it - and found that it was great for not only increasing my pageviews but also for getting noticed by publishers, finding out about bookish events near me, and connecting with bloggers. I'm not on Facebook yet so I don't know how much it would impact my blog.

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  19. Goodreads and Twitter. I'm actually not that active on Twitter, but I'm trying. I only use Facebook for games (and under an assumed name!) so I'm really not interested in using it for my blog. I did recently create one for entering giveaways, though. I might eventually start using it for my blog. Maybe. I also have Pinterest (that I rarely remember to use) and was surprised to get some hits from it yesterday!

    I really don't like Google+.

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  20. I mostly use Goodreads and twitter (have my blog posts set up to automatically tweet). I have no interest in facebook and google+ for my blog-I may use them to stay in touch with friends but I don't want to post from my blog to there or vice versa.

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