Let's Talk: Social Media for Book Bloggers

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?