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Social Media for Authors

Posted on by Adam Kovitz
It used to be that authors would write their book, hand it to their agent, and let the publisher do the work of editing, publishing, distributing, and marketing it. Now, authors can use social media to perform the tasks of publishing, distributing, and marketing on their own more easily. This also enables new authors to self-publish when passed over by the traditional publishing companies.
Sadly, if you are not found online, you are functionally irrelevant. The same can be said about your work. Social media allows people to share and promote information by using the internet and other communications channels. Among those communications channels are your website, social media sites, email marketing and e-commerce. Searching the internet, you can find websites, social media sites and other content meant for any industry. Since I am presenting “Social Media for Authors” to the 2017 Winter Writers Weekend in New Hope, Pennsylvania on March 4, 2017, I chose to discuss this topic at this time.

Your Website
Writers (all professionals) must have a website. Today, more and more consumers use the internet to search for the products or services they need. Hence, your readers expect you to be there. A professional website gives you and your publications credibility. It’s your platform to demonstrate your interests, knowledge and expertise to your readers. If you and your work are not yet known, this is where people begin to find out about you.

Social Media Sites for Authors
Amazon – Amazon started as an online bookseller in 1994 via Amazon.com. It has since grown to become the largest internet-based retailer in the world. Amazon offers 2 self-publishing services:

  • Kindle Direct Publishing is a free program that helps authors self-publish their book as eBooks.
  • CreateSpace is a fast and easy way to self-publish paperbacks. It also offers on-demand printing, eliminating the need for you to maintain inventory.
goodreads is a social media site that lets users track and rate books, and network with other readers. The site is free for readers. Authors can also promote their books via pay-per-click advertising.
Issuu is a digital publishing platform for magazines, newspapers, portfolios, catalogs, corporate literature, DIY guides, community programs and more. It’s free to use with a publishing limit of 100MB, and paid subscriptions are available when you want to exceed the free limit.
Scribd is a digital documents library that allows users to publish, discover and discuss original writings and documents in various languages. The site is free to use and try for 30 days. Then, there is a moderate monthly subscription after the free period.
Email Marketing
Email Marketing is using email to send newsletters, offers, invitations, event notices and more to grow the visibility of your brand and business. If new to email marketing, start by using the email addresses of your friends, family and coworkers. Then add your networking contacts and people that ask to connect with you. Most people have email, and email is the most popular app on smart phones. Therfore, email marketing is less expensive and more effective than traditional mail campaigns. When using popular email marketing software such as MailChimp and Constant Contact (the two market leaders), you will have access to their analytical tools that will show you the performance of your email campaigns.

E-Commerce
E-commerce is the purchase and sale of products or services via electronic channels such as the internet. It’s also known as “online shopping”, and allows your customers to electronically buy goods and services from you with no barriers of time or distance. E-commerce can be implemented on your website, via your social media sites, or via one of the available e-commerce service providers such as ebay, Amazon.com, Shopify and many others.

To benefit from social media, you need to build a clear strategy that takes into account what you’re trying to achieve, who your customers are and what your competition is doing. As an author, use any or all of the tools I identified in this post. Start with your website. Then, add one social media communications channel. As you become comfortable using that one communications channel over time, consider adding another. Before you know it, you with have a robust social media strategy and have significantly grown your online presence.

Click here to contact me regarding this or any other blog post.

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How to Win in Today’s Job Market

Posted on by Adam Kovitz

It is well-known that in today’s economy, job seekers face unprecedented challenges. One of them is the large numbers of applicants chasing just a few openings, but another is their lack of understanding of the rules of the competition. Many discount the fact that employers use different methods of selecting final candidates by applying certain […]

The post How to Win in Today’s Job Market appeared first on Landing Expert Career Coaching.

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How Many LinkedIn Connections One Needs?

Posted on by Adam Kovitz

Many people ask me how many LinkedIn connections one needs.  I’m a huge proponent of increasing the number of connections on LinkedIn. I voice that strong opinion every time I make a public presentation on a relevant subject or speak with anyone looking for advice on finding a job. At times, I find opponents to […]

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How to Turn Networking into Interviews

Posted on by Adam Kovitz

People in transition know that 60 to 80 percent of job seekers get their next positions through networking. Consequently and whenever possible, they focus their daily activities on such networking. But despite their—sometimes admittedly awkward—efforts, nothing comes of it. The reason is that they don’t have an understanding of the actual purpose of networking and […]

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Monthly Meeting

Posted on by Adrienne Roman

The Breakfast Club NJ Presents: “How Recruiters Use LinkedIn”

Presented by Ed Han

Saturday March 11th 2017, at 8:00am ET

Synopsis:

Please share this with other groups you may be in. Join us on Meetup.com at: http://www.meetup.com/The-Breakfast-Club-NJ/ to RSVP for the meeting.

RSVP

Presentation:

“How Recruiters Use LinkedIn”

In this presentation, we will dive deep into the resources available to recruiters on LinkedIn and why you get weird invitations to connect. Please come with questions about this, and your craziest “I can’t believe a recruiter said/asked me this” stories. You’ll get answers: promise! And we will pull back the curtain on why recruiters are almost always late.

About the Speaker:
Ed Han

Ed Han

Ed Han

Ed Han is a recruiter and wordsmith with a passion for networking and helping professionals return to the workforce. As a veteran of several industries, including publishing, financial services and fashion, Ed has a keen understanding of and appreciation for the skills and traits valued in a wide range of environments, from Wall Street to a fashion to publishing.

Although he came to recruiting only in the past several years, Ed is active in the community where he helps facilitate the job search group NJ JobSeekers in Princeton NJ and has previously served as the Executive Chair of the PSG of Mercer County and as the online community manager for the HR networking group Whine & Dine.

Ed is the Recruiting Manager at Mercury Systems Inc., an IT solutions and staffing firm based in Princeton, NJ where he leads a terrific team of recruiters sourcing and selecting top-shelf talent for the firm’s clients. He finds the diversity of his prior work experience a boon in connecting with candidates and understanding the needs of clients.

The holder of a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Albright College (Reading, PA) awarded in 1993, Ed is an avid social media fiend.

@ed_han
google.com/+EdHan
https://www.linkedin.com/in/edmhan

About the Meeting:

Networking begins at 7:30 am, meeting starts promptly at 8:00 am.

There is a $10 fee at the door to cover the cost of the room.

Be sure to tell your friends and bring them along. Be a part of our growing network of Job Seekers, Hiring Managers, Recruiters, Career Coaches, and people who want to be able to help themselves and each other.

Event Location:

Days Hotel Conference Center

195 Rt. 18 South, East Brunswick, NJ 08816

732-828-6900

Meeting Format:

7:30 to 8:00 – Registration & Open Networking

8:00 to 8:15 – Welcome and housekeeping

8:15 to 9:15 – Presentation by the guest speaker – Limited to 60 minutes

9:15 to 10:15 – Elevator Pitch – 30 Seconds about yourself, who you are, what you are looking for, target companies (3-4), how we can help you, how you can help others. Follow the rule of the Three B’s of Public Speaking: Be informative; Be brief; Be seated.

10:15 until you choose to leave – Open Networking, follow up with people you are interested in meeting following their elevator pitch, exchange business cards, peruse the library, arrange follow up meetings, etc.

The Breakfast Club NJ – 10 Points for Good Member Citizenship

1) Attend meetings regularly to keep group strong and help pay back to others (meeting logistics on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)

2) Keep anti-virus on your machine up to date and run scan regularly

3) Review messages and if request for assistance please help whenever possible

4) Once you have received your invitation and joined our linked in group, connect to other members directly(questions see Gerry Peyton -gpeyton@ptd.net)

5) Join groups Facebook group, Google +, and connect to other members directly (questions see Adrienne Roman – adrienne1204@optonline.net)

6) Join groups twitter account (questions see George Pace – keeppace@gmail.com)

7) If you run across someone in transition invite them to join our group and sponsor them through process (details on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)

8) Sunday mornings listen to our radio show, “Your Career Is Calling”, at 8am ET either on radio at 107.7 or via internet 24/7 live or on demand at www.1077thebronc.com (as this is a call in show your calls help make it successful)

9) If you are in transition put your elevator pitch in writing to group, ask for help with job search issues or connecting to people at target companies, regularly post job opportunities (from email you joined the group – send email to thebreakfastclubnj@yahoogroups.com)

10) Help fellow members whenever possible

  1. Attend meetings regularly to keep group strong and help pay back to others (meeting logistics on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)
  2. Keep anti-virus on your machine up to date and run scan regularly
  3. Review messages and if request for assistance please help whenever possible
  4. Once you have received your invitation and joined our linked in group, connect to other members directly(questions see Gerry Peyton -gpeyton@ptd.net)
  5. Join groups Facebook group and connect to other members directly (questions see Adrienne Roman – adrienne1204@optonline.net)
  6. Join groups twitter account (questions see George Pace – keeppace@gmail.com)
  7. If you run across someone in transition invite them to join our group and sponsor them through process (details on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)
  8. Sunday mornings listen to our radio show, “Your Career Is Calling”, at 8am ET either on radio at 107.7 or via internet 24/7 live or on demand at www.1077thebronc.com (as this is a call in show your calls help make it successful)
  9. If you are in transition put your elevator pitch in writing to group, ask for help with job search issues or connecting to people at target companies, regularly post job opportunities (from email you joined the group – send email to thebreakfastclubnj@yahoogroups.com)
  10. Help fellow members whenever possible

RSVP

We look forward to seeing everyone let’s make this a great meeting for our members that are in transition and welcome those that have landed

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Email Marketing Best Practices

Posted on by Adam Kovitz
Email Marketing is when you use electronic mail as your means of communicating messages directly to an audience. It presents more opportunities for your business and drives a better return on investment than other forms of outbound marketing.

Here are some “best practices” to follow for you to create an effective email marketing campaign…
Know your Target Audience
Targeting a specific audience allows you to focus your campaigns on a specific group of people that is more likely to read your message and respond as intended. In addition, sending a message to the audience not within the target is likely to increase the number of recipients that mark your message as Spam or choose to unsubscribe. In that case, you will not be able to reach those recipients later when you send a message intended for them.
Communicate on all Devices
Email is the #1 app on mobile devices, read more here on how to make the best use of email marketing. As more than 50% of email opens are on mobile devices. So, your email messages and email marketing service must be able to deliver your messages in a mobile-friendly format. Some email service providers can accommodate presenting your message in the best format for the reader’s device.
Write a Great Subject Line
Your email subject line is often the first piece of information about your message that the reader will see. A successful campaign starts with a subject line that grabs the attention of your reader. As per Convince & Convert, 35% of email recipients open email based on the subject line alone.
Use a From Name & Email Address They Will Know
In addition to the subject line, the from name and email address of the sender are among the first information from your message that the reader will see. As per Convince & Convert, 43% of email recipients click the Spam button based on the email from name or email address.
Include a “Call to Action”
A “Call to Action” is the part of the message that requests the reader to take an immediate action, such as to sign up for a demo, call you for specials or direct the reader to your website. If your call to action is not clear, you may not get a good result from your campaign.
Limit Photos and Images
Some email hosting companies will mark in-coming messages as Spam when there is a high ratio of images to text. That is because some senders mask their inappropriate content by including it the image since Spam filters cannot “read” the content in the image. Additionally, the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 requires that each commercial email message have at least 1 written sentence.
Track Campaign Performance
Using an email marketing software product (e.g. MailChimp, Constant Contact, etc.) provides one key advantage over using your own email service provider. That is, you can monitor the performance of your campaign. These software tools allow you to track how many people opened your email campaigns and see exactly what they clicked. Then, you can make decisions about how to proceed with contacting your readers who have or have not opened or clicked on your email campaign.

Be Careful when Buying a List of Email Addresses
You need to be very careful when buying or renting lists of email addresses. Sometimes they are of sufficient low quality that a large number of the unsolicited messages you send will be marked as Spam. When that happens, some email providers will close or lock your account to prevent you from continuing to send Spam messages.

Where to Get Email Addresses
The best list of email addresses will be from the people you know, or have already started a professional relationship. Go through your own email address list of friends, family and business associates. Include the contacts you have from LinkedIn and other social media sites. Also, use the names and email addresses from business cards you collected.

Click here to contact me regarding this or any other blog post.

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The Job Offer Negotiation: Do You Understand It?

Posted on by Adam Kovitz

It takes three steps to get a great job. First, you need a good enough résumé and LinkedIn profile to be fished out from an ocean of candidates. Otherwise, you are invisible and irrelevant! Second, you need to beat your competition in the contest called interviewing. After all, there’s only one job, and applicants not […]

The post The Job Offer Negotiation: Do You Understand It? appeared first on Landing Expert Career Coaching.

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Monthly Meeting

Posted on by Adrienne Roman

The Breakfast Club NJ Presents: “A View From the Other Side of the Hiring Desk” 

Presented by Glenn Pasch

Saturday February 11th 2017, at 8:00am ET

Synopsis:

Please share this with other groups you may be in. Join us on Meetup.com at: http://www.meetup.com/The-Breakfast-Club-NJ/ to RSVP for the meeting.

RSVP

 

Presentation:

“A View From the Other Side of the Hiring Desk”

One of the struggles that I see when interviewing candidates for my company, is that people try to fit their experiences into what they think I am looking for. Even if they do not have the right skill set, they try to convince themselves that if they get in front of me, they will win me over. They plan strategies to adapt what they have done in the past and try to wedge it into the job I am looking to fill. This has never been successful and hurts their chances.

What makes a good match for me is having experience. For instance if I am looking for someone to manage a team of sales people, make sure that you have led a team of people face to face–maybe through managing a customer service team or restaurant staff. While it may not be a direct match, but sales, for example, is customer facing so look to that as a match. That is something I can talk with you about.

Everyone calls jobs by different names. Look past the title. Try to match what you think the job will be day to day with skills you have. This will position you to discuss how your experience can fit the job, not the title. Explain this in your cover letter. I have hired people for my company for a different position when they came in because of their confidence, knowing what my company did and how they could help me succeed.

Glenn Pasch, CEO of PCG Companies, will share his experiences of hiring mistakes and provide tips and strategies so that when you land the right interview for you, you present the right solution to the hiring manager.

 

About the Speaker:
Glenn Pasch

Glenn Pasch

Glenn Pasch

As the CEO of PCG Companies, Glenn works with clients to develop new marketing and training strategies that will enable their businesses to become more visible, efficient and profitable.

He also writes articles for industry publications and for his blog The New Normal (www.glennpasch.com) He co-authored the book, Selling Cars in the Digital Age, which has been translated into 4 languages.

Glenn is a member of The Association for Talent Development as well as the National Speakers Association.

About the Meeting:

Networking begins at 7:30 am, meeting starts promptly at 8:00 am.

There is a $10 fee at the door to cover the cost of the room.

Be sure to tell your friends and bring them along. Be a part of our growing network of Job Seekers, Hiring Managers, Recruiters, Career Coaches, and people who want to be able to help themselves and each other.

Event Location:

Days Hotel Conference Center

195 Rt. 18 South, East Brunswick, NJ 08816

732-828-6900

Meeting Format:

7:30 to 8:00 – Registration & Open Networking

8:00 to 8:15 – Welcome and housekeeping

8:15 to 9:15 – Presentation by the guest speaker – Limited to 60 minutes

9:15 to 10:15 – Elevator Pitch – 30 Seconds about yourself, who you are, what you are looking for, target companies (3-4), how we can help you, how you can help others. Follow the rule of the Three B’s of Public Speaking: Be informative; Be brief; Be seated.

10:15 until you choose to leave – Open Networking, follow up with people you are interested in meeting following their elevator pitch, exchange business cards, peruse the library, arrange follow up meetings, etc.

The Breakfast Club NJ – 10 Points for Good Member Citizenship

1) Attend meetings regularly to keep group strong and help pay back to others (meeting logistics on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)

2) Keep anti-virus on your machine up to date and run scan regularly

3) Review messages and if request for assistance please help whenever possible

4) Once you have received your invitation and joined our linked in group, connect to other members directly(questions see Gerry Peyton -gpeyton@ptd.net)

5) Join groups Facebook group, Google +, and connect to other members directly (questions see Adrienne Roman – adrienne1204@optonline.net)

6) Join groups twitter account (questions see George Pace – keeppace@gmail.com)

7) If you run across someone in transition invite them to join our group and sponsor them through process (details on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)

8) Sunday mornings listen to our radio show, “Your Career Is Calling”, at 8am ET either on radio at 107.7 or via internet 24/7 live or on demand at www.1077thebronc.com (as this is a call in show your calls help make it successful)

9) If you are in transition put your elevator pitch in writing to group, ask for help with job search issues or connecting to people at target companies, regularly post job opportunities (from email you joined the group – send email to thebreakfastclubnj@yahoogroups.com)

10) Help fellow members whenever possible

  1. Attend meetings regularly to keep group strong and help pay back to others (meeting logistics on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)
  2. Keep anti-virus on your machine up to date and run scan regularly
  3. Review messages and if request for assistance please help whenever possible
  4. Once you have received your invitation and joined our linked in group, connect to other members directly(questions see Gerry Peyton -gpeyton@ptd.net)
  5. Join groups Facebook group and connect to other members directly (questions see Adrienne Roman – adrienne1204@optonline.net)
  6. Join groups twitter account (questions see George Pace – keeppace@gmail.com)
  7. If you run across someone in transition invite them to join our group and sponsor them through process (details on our website www.thebreakfastclubnj.com)
  8. Sunday mornings listen to our radio show, “Your Career Is Calling”, at 8am ET either on radio at 107.7 or via internet 24/7 live or on demand at www.1077thebronc.com (as this is a call in show your calls help make it successful)
  9. If you are in transition put your elevator pitch in writing to group, ask for help with job search issues or connecting to people at target companies, regularly post job opportunities (from email you joined the group – send email to thebreakfastclubnj@yahoogroups.com)
  10. Help fellow members whenever possible

RSVP

We look forward to seeing everyone let’s make this a great meeting for our members that are in transition and welcome those that have landed

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The Interview Is Not a Chat But Trust Building

Posted on by Adam Kovitz

Even if you’re told the interview is just an informal chat, don’t believe it. The interview is a business transaction whereby both parties are exploring the opportunity to initiate a work relationship. But if you stop and think about what is at the core of that potential future work relationship, the logical answer is mutual […]

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Can You Describe Your Supervisor’s Personality?

Posted on by Adam Kovitz

I know from personal experience that when I reported to a boss I was aligned with ideologically and who trusted me, I performed very well and kept getting promoted and promoted. But there were other bosses with whom those alignments just were not there, and after a while we separated—at times voluntarily and at other […]

The post Can You Describe Your Supervisor’s Personality? appeared first on Landing Expert Career Coaching.

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