What marketing strategies work for you?

All right, I try to market my work, but it never seems to work as well as I'd hope. Here are the things I've tried:

-Blog about my work
-Link to my blog posts from social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus -- should I link to my posts from LinkedIn, as well?)
-Goodreads ads
-Contest/giveaway (I've only done this once)

What strategies have you all found to be most effective?

Hi Samantha! I am rather new to the publishing world, and so I've been learning as I go. However, I do tend to read lots of articles on book promotion and do my research.

I have tried some of what you've done, though probably not very diligently, if I'm honest. But one thing that really works for me is just talking about it to friends, family, co-workers, and anybody I encounter that seems interested. Honestly, I'm just so excited and 'in to' my story that I can't help talking about it! Even though it isn't officially published yet, I already have several people asking me when they can buy it.

I've often read that building your local fan-base is important. A good friend of mine who has published a couple of works told me I should think about throwing a book party, maybe at a local book store or other store where people could learn about it, and investing in local advertising such as radio announcements. Granted, if I only sell to the local market it's not exactly mainstream, but it's a start and I definitely can't wait to get that start

It's a little early to honestly share what has "worked", but here are some things I am trying:

* contact local radio, tv, newspapers and ask if they are interested in a story
* weekly newsletter (I use mailchimp to send out a letter to subscribers - who get on the list via my website). I provide a very short piece of fiction each week and announcements about publishing dates
* printed flyers (vistaprint) and put them around town - coffee shops, bookstores, etc.

I could use some advice too. My first novel comes out in a couple weeks. These are the things I'm working on currently.