Old School: Stalker; New School: Target Market

One of the biggest changes to marketing over the last few year has been the rise of social media. Experts have decided that it's critical for businesses--including writers--to be involved in social media and blogging in order to market their products (books) and get their name "out there" via a strong web presence. Using social media, you can tap directly into your target market. And you have to start early--even before your book is published. You want people craving your book before it even hits the shelves--it works for every "i" product (i-pod, i-pad), right?

So today, some links to help other writers out with social media.

12 Places Authors Should Look to Develop a Strong Web Presence

How to Use Social Media to Bum Out Your Customers

12-part series on social media (this series is designed for vet practices, but a lot of the same rules & tips apply; if you're a writer writing about veterinary issues, double bonus!)

Should You Follow Back?

10 Ways to Increase Your Twitter Followers

6 Social Media Pain Points

A big caveat about social media: Don't overdue it. Trying to do unique blog posts (or status updates) on twenty different sites is damn near impossible. You're supposed to be writing, not spending all your time on the Internet. I mainly focus on Twitter and this blog, and then have other apps (like Hootsuite and Networked Blogs) feed my blog and my Twitter to the many other social media sites (like Facebook, MySpace, GoogleBuzz, etc.). This means I update two sites and the apps feed the rest. It makes me look like I'm everywhere while still leaving me time for writing. When I have a little extra time, I pop over to some of the other sites (like Facebook) and do a personal update. But writing always comes first.

Do you have any sites that helped you learn social media? Feel free to share in the comments section!