How does a writer make marketing their stories easier on themselves?

This week's blog-hop question has been set by L. P. Robinson this week.  "How does a writer make marketing their stories easier on themselves?"

'By the seat of their pants,' would be the facetious answer, but the reality is, with a great deal of hard work.

Yes Facebook, twitter and other networking sites are essential to get your message across.  But stop for a moment and ask yourself, 'who is your target market?  Are you connecting with the 'right' people, the right targets?

The people you are looking for are readers.  And not just readers, but those who enjoy your genre.  You can have ten thousand followers, but if none of them are interested in what you write, then you are not focussing in on your target market. Consider, for a minute.  Where do you go when you want to buy a pair of shoes?   And if you are looking for a specific brand and style of shoes, yes, your choices narrow down, but you are more likely to find what you are looking for.  And if they enjoy your book they will spread your fame by the strongest promotional tool out there -- word of mouth.

And yet... you still need to think outside the box, find sites that have connections, however slight.  If, as I have in my current novel, Duty Calls, you have a character who has had cancer, then look around similar sites and see if you can blog for them, or give a talk.  This is not everyone's idea of a good day out.  I happen to be one of those. But if you have the savvy to target potential readers who may otherwise be 'outside' your normal marketing box, then give it a go.