Marketing & Bookstagram: The Self Concept
Now, let’s get one thing straight: bookstagram is a labor of love. To have the dedication to post regularly towards this passion speaks of commitment to literature, and the bookish community is centered on authentic experiences with one another. We cultivate our pages to showcase how much we love reading — what else could be more pure? So when I talk about marketing in relation to bookstagram, I do not mean to undermine this appreciation as something easily quantifiable. Mind you, I’m only two weeks into bookstagram myself, but I still found this development to be something I wanted to share. Using business terminology and strategy towards this space feels icky, I agree, but as someone interested in marketing, I can’t very well ignore how I’m intrigued by the ways these two interests tie in together! I promise that this article won’t be as analytical as you would expect, more so loosely centered around a concept I learned in a marketing class. Above all, as I learn from classes and my own experience on bookstagram, I hope that these insights can be in some way helpful to you!
To start off with, I’d like to discuss “the self-concept.” One of my lessons from my Consumer Behavior class (UGBA 160 if you’re a Cal student!) discussed this at length when referring to market segmentation and personas. A simple overview of these terms: market segmentation places your consumers into segments based on similar needs or characteristics, while persona is the conscious presentation of yourself that you show the world. I think its easy to see how these two concepts tie in together when it comes to bookstagram; after all, the types of following we want to cultivate relates to the persona we put forth. This builds upon the three aesthetics I noticed from my last post, only in a more content driven manner. Should I be review heavy? Picture oriented? Do I include nature in my photos or keep to simple backgrounds? What do these choices say about who I am as a reader and creator? These are the sort of questions that ran through my mind when trying to develop a concept since I wanted a community of fellow readers who had similar interests as me. From this, I wanted to dive deep into how the persona we choose is inexplicably tied into the concept of market segmentation. Establishing the “self-concept” can help provide a framework for any new bookstagram/social media account. Let’s begin.
When “segmenting the market” of bookstagram (that feels so weird to say), it’s not as easy as you would think. On an analytical level, it asks us: what categories can we place our followers in? Are they following based on the types of books I read? Sure. My captions? Oh, yeah. Aesthetic? Definitely. The thing is, these decision making processes all intersect, and there are other things to take into consideration—are your potential followers people looking for the current popular read? Niche books? Nonfiction or classics or international? Or perhaps, they just want a blend of everything. It’s not an easy answer, and you end up trying to appeal to so many factors that its easy to lose sight of what you want to commit to. We contain multitudes, so I understand how difficult it is to pin down what is essential to us. This frenzy is doubled down by the need to read more and read faster. Finished reads equal more content, and this manifests as more pictures, reviews, recommendations, etc., until we’re trying to put out content but also feel anxiety that it’ll mess up our feed. I state these observations because they’re relevant to how I struggle still with my bookstagram account, and how, by developing a self-concept, I was able to gain a new sense of peace towards my content.
So, how do we segment this market? We actually don’t have to think too deeply or even go into the vague categories business pitches love to use (identity and seeking convenient categories to fit into is a topic for another day). Regarding the bookstagram community, it’s just a simple question of what value does my account bring to my followers? Stay with me here; I know that as dreamers and passion seekers, this mentality of “what I can provide” seems antithetical to art, to why reading is a personal experience. I get it. The reason why I bring up this nuance is because bookstagram is on social media, it’s about the community, so even when we’re discussing our personal relationship with books, we can’t avoid talking about followers and why they’re important to us. Why else are we posting for the world to see, if not the tenuous hope that our thoughts and souls can be recognized? In class, the example we used concerning developing brand and self-concept referenced an article written by Soumya Roy and Kathyn Gallant called “No One Cares About Your Brand.” To give a brief summary, their research was focused on how doctors chose medicine brands and prescriptions. Interestingly enough, what determined doctors’ choices wasn’t their perceptions of the brand itself or even what would be objectively best; their choices were driven by their own identities and journeys as doctors (e.g. doctors who were in it for the prestige/research opportunities versus those who just wanted to help people chose different medicine brands). This insight was super fascinating to me, because it goes to show how, as much as you can try to cultivate an outward “brand,” what matters is still, at its core, people. Their stories. When asking what value you bring, this really just means, how does your story connect to your followers? I find this approach to be much more human and empathetic when thinking about what look or persona you want to use for your bookstagram. As tempting as it may be to make your page look a certain way or post the “right” popular content, if it isn’t reflective of your story, then it won’t catch the attention of the community you want to be a part of. You’re going to end up wondering, what’s the point? By choosing to hone in on what you want to bring to the table, the stress about aesthetic/formatting can actually become less daunting, because it allows you to focus on a long term goal. So you don’t have to look at thie bookstagram “market” as just being a dichotomy between people who like your content and people who don’t; its much more than that. It’s about their stories and self concepts, just as much as it’s about your own. All you can do is best emulate the person you are and want to be, in both the content you create and the content you choose to engage with. Broadly, social media algorithms aren’t meant to push content to everyone on a mass communications scale; it’s geared to pushing you towards the niches you’re interested in, towards people who like similar content. In this way, what works best is consistency. Longevity on this app is important, so if you’re in the beginning stages, well, this is the best time for you to just explore! Discover! Post and learn! Find what is true to you and the communities you want to be part of because, with time, your community will come.
I’ll share my experience with developing a self-concept from this past week. I mentioned in my previous post that I wanted to utilize the concept of “renaissance woman” to be the center of my page. However, at the time, I was still uncertain by what I even meant by this nebulous term besides just posting multimedia work on writing, art, and books. I had to dig deeper than just the content itself. So, referring to my consumer behavior course, I asked what value my account could bring to the bookish community. I wanted this renaissance woman concept to mean more than just let me post multimedia; I wanted it to mean relentless curiosity, thoughtful reviews, productivity, diverse influences, and above all, a commitment to showcasing improvement. This steered me towards the direction that I’ve been trying to incorporate now: making my page a place to host conversations on media consumption. From clarifying this concept to myself, I’ve been able to hone in on what is most important to me, and the discussions I’ve had this past week have proven more fruitful and thought provoking than the random catalogue of thoughts I had been providing. That being said, knowing this was the concept I wanted to pursue didn’t mean I suddenly achieved “renaissance woman” status. I’m still a work in progress both in bookstagram and in real life, and that’s okay! But now, there was this driving goal, a fire in my belly, pulse in veins, that pushed me to want to post everyday for the conversation, not the numbers. Understanding market segmentations and personas made me realize that beneath it all, our past experiences and who we want to become are both integral to our present identity.
Yes, it’s discouraging to see work you’re proud of not do well, or disheartening when comparing your account to others. I’m still trying to care less about the numbers. But, what’s been the most rewarding lately has been the responses to my previous blog post. New bookstagrammers reached out about relating to my experiences, and veteran ones gave me advice and support, and wow, were these interactions everything I had ever wanted by joining this bookish space. It just proved to me that, in speaking my truth, I finally started being a part of the discussions important to me. This all has made me (1) more intentional with my individual posts and (2) less stressed about follower count/what constitutes the perfect bookstagram look. I know that even if my feed isn’t perfect now, I’ll be able to feel it out by just being consistent with posting and creating (I’m actually quite fond with where it is at right now compared to last week). In this way, I’m able to enjoy the conversations I have with the people who find me, while still working towards the overall persona I want to achieve. In fact, I really love it when you can tell accounts have matured their themes; I find this growth to be fascinating and inspiring. It’s okay to make mistakes and experiment with our pages (there’s the archive function after all)! But how can you know what works best for you unless you just do it? How can you find the right path without taking that first step? To bring everything back to self-concept, you don’t have to use tailor specific parts of yourself to match what people will want to follow. Authenticity, your story, speaks for itself.
Here’s where I would love to showcase some more excellent examples of accounts that have such incredible concepts tied into their bookish content! I find that these accounts have such distinct personality and insight, and I am deeply motivated by their content and creativity. These are the accounts I looked to when I felt adrift in this space, and I hope you can find inspiration from them as well!
First, let me show you @prideandpaperbacks! Oh gosh, this is probably one of the first accounts I followed as soon as I joined bookstagram. She has this unique way of presenting her books that almost makes me think of magic—a sleight of hand, a weightlessness, an elegance—and no post is like another. There’s a theme where she hides her face using a book, and even this anonymity speaks of her playful creativity, one that is bolstered by her thoughtful captions. An OG inspiration for me. I love how, though not everything blends in a seamless feed, you can still see how each post reflects another, threading a narrative throughout her entire page.
On the topic of creativity, it’s impossible to not mention @readbooks.servelooks. One look at his account, and you already know you’re in the presence of an incredibly creative and talented individual. His account features recreations of book covers, and there is such editing prowess in every single post — from striking the right post to capturing the essence of a cover to putting his own unique spin. There is really no one else like him in this space, and he rocks every. Single. Cover. Bold, beautiful, bright— I cannot express enough how much I love his account and concept. There is so much personality in his content that I couldn’t help but wish I could emulate him!
Even in the discussion of book covers, there are other facets and roles to explore! One of my favorite accounts is @designerandreader, who provides both book reviews and book cover reviews. I am not kidding when I say from her single week of content, I’ve learned more about the design of books than ever in my life. She provides incredible insight, both in her feed and IG stories, on book cover designs, and this is all complementary to incredibly poignant observations and reviews (not to mention the clean, cozy feel of their page!). Every post is an experience, and her account has inspired me to not only investigate the unsung histories of book covers, but also incorporate more essays into my reading diet. Informative and eloquent—@designerandreader is an amazing source of quality content.
Finally, take a look at @savannahlovesswords! Her art spreads were one of the first examples unifying art and reading that I saw in this space, and it proved to me that I didn’t have to separate these two in my own content, or even have to make another account for art. Her collages are these gorgeous compositions that feature quotes from the books she’s reading, and it made me realize how multiple passions can build on one another to become something even more meaningful. A wonderful display of how there is no need to pigeonhole yourself in what a bookstagram “should” be, and her art is lovely!
In all, these accounts were the first ones that came to mind for me while I was drafting this article. Though I highly doubt they have this entire question of ~marketing segmentation~ in their minds, these accounts nonetheless helped me understand how I can provide value in the bookstagram space through my experiences. Above all, I wanted to showcase different ways that bookish behavior can manifest. Even from just four examples, there is such diversity in the roles they inhabit, the stories they possess. Of course, if you’re out here posting whatever comes to mind or only want to do it for the aesthetic, all the more power to you! Again, there is no right way to bookstagram, and there is no universal concept that can be applied to every account. However, if you find yourself uncertain how to approach your concept, or wanting to find the right community, I hope this article and seeing these accounts proved helpful.
In conclusion, I found the market research on the enduring “self-concept” and market segmentation to be fascinating and reassuring, because it goes to show how voicing your truth is what people will best resonate with rather than trying to focus on brand appearance. The research article and lessons from my class backed up most of my personal observations, so it a relief to know that I was a little more grounded in my initial conclusions than I thought. It’s humbling to realize that even corporate businesses, who pay big bucks for brand strategy, get caught up in appearances, when data shows that’s not the only thing consumers base their decisions on. By understanding what role we want to play in this space—maybe its being an educator, an advocate for underrated books, or a curator of vintage works—we can let our hearts lead us. The rest, the aesthetic and caption formatting and readership, will follow. Have faith.
I hope you’ve been liking these bookstagram updates! I love researching marketing tactics and media, so let me know if this is something you would like to see more of — thinking of doing a mini marketing and bookstagram series diving deeper into consumer insight. This one was relatively conceptual, but I’ll be touching on more tangible marketing applications in the future (though right now, I’m just having fun experimenting with my account!). Feel free to message me any ideas or insights you’d like me to explore! Thank you again to @prideandpaperbacks, @readbooks.servelooks, @designerandreader, and @savannahlovesswords for doing consistently letting me reference your accounts in this article!
Join me on my journey @mytholoji <3
