Showing posts with label ebooks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ebooks. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Book Review: Grossman’s “Guide to the Post-Pandemic Job Market” Highlights Challenges and Opportunities


The world is in a “demographic, healthcare, and technological revolution” writes Frank Grossman — founder of Resumes That Shine — in “Guide to the Post-Pandemic Job Market,” his new e-book about today's job search process. 

Those societal shifts — combined with challenges brought on by the global COVID-19 pandemic — mean that jobseekers will have to be more nimble in the the future. 

“Whether you are in school now or are in mid-career and plan to work another 10, 15, or 20 years, your skills could be obsolete if you don’t respond to change,” writes Grossman. The average jobseeker’s skills will have to be stronger than ever to earn a living wage — even for jobs that previously didn’t require college degrees. 

While Grossman says his guide isn’t “crystal-ball gazing,” it provides research on the hurdles applicants face in today’s job market, jobs that are on the “endangered species list,” the evolution of the job search, the virtues of enhancing career skills (both hard and soft), and new paradigms and opportunities in the job market. 

One of the more fascinating aspects of the “Guide to the Post-Pandemic Job Market” is Grossman’s focus on growth areas in the job market over the next decade (an aspect that is sometimes overlooked in today's social media zeitgeist). 

Various media outlets have recently focused on the rise of remote work (with some companies making a permanent paradigm shift) as well as the trend of workers leaving the workforce in what's been dubbed the Great Resignation. 


But according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) presented in Grossman's guide, the top 20 job categories between now and 2030 — with salaries ranging from $23,680 to $110,140 — are primarily in-person professions (“high-touch” jobs where one must be physically present to do the work are at — or near — the top of the list). 

The dichotomy between professions that will be “in demand” and those that are “desired” creates an interesting conundrum for jobseekers and career services professionals going forward. 

Jobseekers need to be practical. 

“It would be nice to look at the menu of jobs in demand for the post-pandemic 2020s and pick one that meets your criteria for a great opportunity,” writes Grossman. “This will not work for many of us because we must fit the job to be successful.”  

Since starting Resumes That Shine in 2004, Grossman has worked with a wide-ranging client base — tailoring resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, and job search strategies. He is a Certified Career Management Coach (CCMC) and a Nationally Certified Online Profile Expert (NCOPE). During the early stages of his business, Grossman served as a Work Readiness Trainer with the ResCare welfare-to-work program in Brooklyn, NY — writing, editing, and/or critiquing roughly 1,200 resumes in that role. 

Sprinkled with raw data and personal and professional anecdotes, Grossman’s “Guide to the Post-Pandemic Job Market” provides salient information and analysis for resume writers, career coaches, and jobseekers as they navigate the job search process. 


Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Why Content Is So Important to Attracting Resume Clients

From cave paintings to John Deer and even Jell-O, content marketing has been around for literally thousands of years. Anytime someone wanted to get the information out about anything, they could turn to content for the answers. Cookbooks are a great example of content marketing before the Internet. It was a list of products to buy. When combined in a particular way, it was delicious.

You could say the same is true for content marketing even today.

These days, content marketing is extra important because it's how you will get people to visit your website. It's also how you'll teach people about the issues that are important to them as a jobseeker, and hopefully turn them into a client.

  • Digital Search Content. All content is fodder for search engine traffic. Search engines use the information on your blogs, websites, and social media to send your customers your way. They do this with the terms used in the content or in the "alt" descriptions.
  • Social Media Content. Everything you put on social media is content. It doesn't matter if it's a meme, an image, words, a video, or something else; it is considered content. When you realize all that content encompasses, you quickly realize that yes, it is very important. It's not just a blog post or text; it is everything.

Content marketing can take on many shapes and forms. Some of these include:

  • Blogs. These need to go out on a regular basis to help your visitors find your website. You can also write original guest blog posts sometimes to bring other audiences to you.
  • Newsletters. These can be sent via email on a regular basis to keep your subscribers engaged and active.
  • Magazines. Today, you can create an online magazine to help with marketing and informing your audience. Or seek out digital or print magazines that reach your target client.
  • Podcasts. This is another way to put out information without having to type it. Instead you can record your thoughts and upload them to be listened to later. There are only a few podcasts on career topics, which is very surprising to me. There should be more. The breakthrough one will be the person who creates a call-in Q&A-type show like Dave Ramsey has for personal finance.
  • Videos. YouTube is a great example of the power of video to get the word out about anything and teach others something that requires visuals.
  • White Papers. These are long research documents that often compare and contrast the solutions to a problem discussed in depth. They are great for educating a wide audience without overtly advertising your solution. There's not enough independent research about career issues. Maybe you can be the person to change that.
  • Ebooks. Using books to build your expertise is a great way to teach an audience about something that requires a lot of information. Today, publishing on Kindle is simple and free.
  • Online Presentations. You can post PowerPoint slides on SlideShare.net and other presentation sharing sites as another way to keep your audience informed. Repurpose content by creating a short online presentation with its key points.
  • Webinars. Growing in popularity due to their live nature and the way the audience can interact with the hosts, webinars are a very effective form of content. (Teleseminars are also still growing, due in large part because they don't require the user to understand technology. All they need is a phone.)
  • Infographics. Often used on social media, infographics are a great way to help your audience picture important data visually.
  • Games. If you can create an online game that teaches or markets some aspect of the job search to your audience, then you will have some really awesome content that gets results. (Let me know when you create this. I would love to promote it!)
  • Branded Tools. Whether it's a job search app, a WordPress plugin or something else, creating a tool that your audience can use daily (even if ití' an old-fashioned planner) provides the type of content that will remind them that you're there.



As you see, content encompasses almost everything you do to market your resume writing business, inform people about your career services, and interact with people. That's why content is king. Content is the most important asset you own when it comes to digital marketing.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

I Published My First Ebook...Now What??

Yesterday, I received an email from Kristin Johnson of Profession Direction announcing the publication of her first ebook, "Target Your Resume to Win Over Applicant Tracking Systems."

She gifted me with a copy of the ebook in appreciation for my support and encouragement of her efforts to get her first ebook published.
Although getting an ebook published seems like it is the "hardest" part of the process, the real work begins once you have the product ready to sell. Now you have to get people to buy it!

I sent Kristin this five-step outline for increasing sales of her first ebook, and wanted to share these tips with you too.

Step 1: Solicit customer reviews to add to your sales page! Select 10-12 people and ask them if they'd be willing to check out your new ebook and write a review! These testimonials (especially excerpts) can really boost sales once people get to your page.

Step 2: Send out a news release -- not targeted to selling the book itself, but highlighting your expertise in understanding the ATS in the job search (from your position as an AUTHOR!) This may lead to interview requests from radio/tv/print, which will lead people to search for (and buy!) your book ... but also get you visibility and credibility with potential new clients!


Step 3: Let your current and past clients know about the book! (If you have an email list of your customers, this is easy to do. If you don't, it's time to start putting one together!) Get the word out to your "influencers" too -- folks who have referred to you in the past. (If they're someone who regularly sends business your way, gift them a complimentary copy of the ebook in appreciation for their referrals.)

Step 4: Spread the word on social media. This should include tweets, Facebook posts (both on your business page and personal page), adding the book to "Publications" in your LinkedIn profile (and writing a status update about it, with a link to the sales page).

Step 5: Repurpose the content! Offer a guest blog post and/or post an article on a major article directory site with a 200- to 500-word article on the topic (can be a direct excerpt or have your weblady take a section and write an article on it). In your resource box, link to your book sales page. (And then follow Step 4 to spread the word about the article.)

And, once you've completed those five steps, here is another blog post with even MORE ideas to increase sales of your ebook:
http://rwdigest.blogspot.com/2012/12/ideas-to-increase-sales-of-your-ebook.html

And here are some additional resources to help you get your first ebook published:
• Special Report: Making Money Writing Ebooks

Friday, December 7, 2012

Comparing Ebook Publishing Options

Continuing this week's theme on ebook publishing, check out this chart of popular ebook publishing platforms. Which platform you choose depends on a couple of different factors:
  • Ease of publishing. Platforms like Clickbank and E-Junkie allow you to use PDF formatted books. This saves you a lot of formatting hassles that you might encounter with ibooks or the Kindle platform.
  • Upfront fees. Some of the publishing platforms have initial fees. For example, Clickbank (which is an extremely popular platform for publishing information products) charges a $49.95 setup fee.
  • Payout thresholds. Always consider the payout threshold — you don't want to have to wait too long to get your money!
  • Do you need marketing help? Platforms that provide visibility for your ebooks — and/or an affiliate network — can help you sell more books. If you don't have an existing mailing list or "tribe" to sell your ebook to, consider a platform like Kindle that offers you additional exposure.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Ideas to Increase Sales of Your Ebook

One of the key principles of the "Turn Your Content Into Cash" teleseminar I'm doing next week for Bronze members of BeAResumeWriter.com is selling information products -- including ebooks.

Here are some ideas to market your ebook:

1. Get your book reviewed by review clubs. Each book store (E.g. Kindle store, Nook store, iBookstore,) has an active community of people who’re happy to review books for one another. 




2. Get bloggers to review your book. Pay them to review the book if necessary. (Note: This isn’t a bribe, as you’re only paying for the review, regardless of what the review actually says. However, they should disclose the fact that they’ve received a free copy of the book.)

3. Get on the radio. You can build your own media list, or buy an ad in the Radio Television Interview Report (RTIR) to promote yourself as an expert.

4. Contact career-related podcasts and offer to be interviewed. Send them a free copy of your ebook first so they can make sure they like what you have to say. You may be asked for a sample of you on audio so they know you sound good when recorded. Look at PodcastDirectory.com for some ideas.

5. Do a search for similar books. Look at who’s promoting them and contact those websites. Offer a generous affiliate payout if you’re selling on Clickbank, or try to find some other “in” with them.

6. Tap into a pre-existing community. For instance, if you’re selling an ebook for CIOs, get involved with online CIO associations and forums. Build a reputation for yourself, then promote your book.

7. Try to push your eBook to the top of your category, if you’re on an eReader platform. Have all your readers buy your book on one day and give them a bonus if they do so. This can send your book skyrocketing into the top charts, which gets you even more visibility.

8. Start your book cheap. Start your book at $0.99 cents, even if you eventually plan on selling it for $4.99. Starting it off cheap lets you get a bunch of reviews and initial traction right off the bat.

9. Buy ads on reader-oriented websites like Goodreads. This gets you in front of people active book lovers who’re already in the habit of buying books all the time.

10. Guest post on other blogs in the careers industry. Contact bloggers you know and ask if you can write a free article for them. If you don’t know many bloggers, write a brief line about yourself and what makes you credible and offer to do a free content piece for them. (For more posts about guest blogging, check out this page.)



11. Create a compelling affiliate program for your book. Be unusually generous. For example, offer a 100% payout for the first 3 books, or offer a $50 bonus to anyone who sells ten books. This can attract a lot of new affiliate talent towards your book.

12. Comb your LinkedIn and Facebook network. Look for people you know that have audiences, host events, or have a large online presence. See if they’d be willing to promote your book. Make sure to phrase it as a win for them as well by offering to help them in some way.

13. Send your first chapter to BookDaily (http://www.bookdaily.com/). This site gives avid readers one free chapter every day, on books topics they’re interested in. If you wrote a business book for instance, your first chapter can be sent out to everyone who’s interested in business.

14. Lookup conventions and conferences in your industry. Go to all of them. Meet other influencers in your niche and see if you can work together to promote one another. Who knows? You might also sell a few book copies.

15. Head to Twitter and search for questions that someone who needs your book might ask. For example, if you have a book about improving cover letters, you might type in “need a cover letter” or “do I need a cover letter” and so on in Twitter. Find people who recently asked relevant questions and shoot them a message.
16. Keep publishing! Publish lead-in books. If your main book is a $6.99 book, consider publishing a slew of $0.99 or free books just to get more traction and to build more of a brand. All of those sales will feed into the sales of your larger book.

17. If you’re publishing the book on Clickbank, try driving some traffic from Google AdWords and from other sources, like ads on Facebook. Paid traffic can convert extremely well. This works much better for Clickbank than Kindle, because Clickbank books tend to sell for a lot more money.

18. As a long term strategy, create a blog. Post high quality content to that blog every week. Get ranked in the search engines and build a loyal following. This is a great way to sell books on a recurring basis, as well as a great way to launch new books.

19. Create a competition. The competition should be related to content within your book. Prizes can include free consultations with you, two copies of your book (one for the winner and one for them to give to a friend), your help on their next project, a personalized plan for their project, etc.

20. Use Google Alerts to keep tabs on your topic. If someone writes a new blog post about something related to your book, be one of the very first people to respond to the post. Link to your Kindle book from your “name” and “website” field.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Getting Ebook Ideas from Magazines (Third Part in a Three-Part Series)

This is the third post in a three-part guest series of articles by Jimmy D. Brown. This post focuses on getting e-book ideas from magazines... using Magazines.com.

After visiting the world's largest search engine and the world's largest bookstore, it's time to take a quick stop at the world's largest periodical store, Magazines.com.

You'll find every imaginable magazine listed at this site. The interesting part (and useful to you as a research tool) is this: you'll also find the COVER of usually a recent copy of each magazine.

There aren't a ton of magazines (any??) geared towards the job search, but browsing through the categories of magazines on the site, you can find some magazines that will spur some ebook ideas. For example, looking through the "Women's" category, I came across "Working Mother" with this cover tease: "Get That Job: Surprising Interview Tips." Your ebook could be on "Surprise Your Job Interviewer With Your Preparation" and it could cover how to research the interviewer and the company using free Internet resources.

Each of the "cover stories" you find represent an idea for your next ebook.

The best part about it is this: the publishers of these magazines have done the research for you! They've measured the level of interest for these ideas and found it high enough to warrant not only writing content about them, but referencing that content on the cover of the magazine!

That's your hint: People want this information.

So, there you have it in this blog series -- three "idea hangouts" where you can find ready-made, in-demand, red-hot topics for your next ebook for your job seeking clients.

Happy hunting!

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Jimmy D. Brown is the author of, "5 Keys To A Big-Profit, 
S.M.A.L.L. Reports Business."  To download your free copy, 

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Getting E-Book Ideas from Amazon (Second in Three-Part Series)

This is the second in a three-part series of blog posts designed to help you get ideas for e-books to supplement your income as a resume writer. The first post in the series focused on Google.

Next up: Amazon.com

From the world's largest search engine we move to the world's largest bookstore.  At Amazon.com you'll really get your creative juices fired up.

Again, you'll want to search the listings by entering a keyword or keyphrase into the search box on the main page at Amazon.com.

You'll get a returned listing of numerous books, courses and other periodicals. Search these listed items for ideas for your own ebook.

--- Example ---

If you were to search for "Job Interview," you'd find a variety of ideas just waiting in the listing of books 
available, including: an ebook with common interview questions & answers, how to research an employer before a job interview, preparing for an interview using LinkedIn, creating a portfolio to use in a job interview, preparing for a virtual job interview (Skype, by phone, etc.), and avoiding the most common job interview mistakes.

Any of these ideas (and the dozens of others listed) would be great ideas for the topic of your next ebook.

Pay particular attention to the first page of the listing.  Amazon ranks their listings based on popularity of actual sales volume.  In other words, #1 is a better seller than #50.  This is a ready-made indicator of demand!





















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Jimmy D. Brown is the author of, "5 Keys To A Big-Profit, 
S.M.A.L.L. Reports Business."  To download your free copy, 
-------------------

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Getting E-Book Ideas (First in Three-Part Series)

This is the first in a three-part guest-author series on coming up with ideas for e-books. Resume writers who only trade their time for dollars (the "time-for-dollars trap!") are missing out on the opportunity to made additional income. The blog post series is by Jimmy D. Brown.

I've always been impressed with those who seem to always be ahead of the pack when it comes to new ideas.

When I first started publishing information products online, I thought that certain people had a crystal ball they gazed into.  Or some top-secret contact who was providing them with inside information.

Over time, I realized that it wasn't magic that allowed these people to come up with red-hot ideas on demand.  It was simply that they knew where to look.

I soon discovered many places where ideas seemed to always be found.  I call these places "idea hangouts."  In this blog series (this is the first of three posts), I'd like to share three of my favorites "idea hangouts" where you can find ideas for your next ebook anytime you want.  Almost like a genie granting you three wishes...

Today's blog post focuses on Google.com.

Google is the ultimate "idea hangout."  There are so many ways to mine the gold in Google's amazing search database that it would take another article to graze the surface of this enormous iceberg.

What I want to mention are just two quick ways to find ideas by searching Google.

- Identify Listings.

Search for a broad topic related to your area of interest or expertise  (i.e., "resume writing" or "job search" or "job interview"). Look at all of the web sites listed in the index of returned results.  You'll likely find some ideas for information products right there in the first couple of pages.

Here's some e-books I came up with when I Googled "job search":

  • "Find a Job Faster Using Job Boards"
  • "Ten Tips for Getting a Federal Job"
  • "Using Social Media to Find Your Next Job"
  • "How to Successfully Change Careers"
  • "Find Your Next Job Using Craigslist"

- Identify Advertisers.

You'll probably notice small ads on Google -- either at the top of the page or to the right of the page (or both!).  These advertisers represent your competition.  They also represent your thermometer for taking the temperature of your market and gauging interest in specific topics. Chances are, what they're selling, you should be selling.

In both of these examples, you can click through to the web pages of the sites listed and study their respective sales pages.  Look specifically at the "bullet points."  Each of these represents a potential idea for your next ebook.

Here were some of the products/services being advertised with "Job Search" on Google:


Next up: Getting E-Book Ideas from Amazon.com (Part two in a three-part series.)

----------------
Jimmy D. Brown is the author of, "5 Keys To A Big-Profit,
S.M.A.L.L. Reports Business."  To download your free copy,
visit http://www.SmallReportsFortune.com.
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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Guest Blog Post: The K.E.Y. To Becoming a Successful Ebook Writer

By Jimmy D. Brown

There must be some reason why certain ebook writers are successful and others are not.

In other words, why do some authors make hundreds -- or thousands of dollars each month -- and others barely make enough to cover their credit card processing fees?

There must be some reason for the difference in level of success, right?

There is.

In fact, there are three "reasons" why that I want to share with you now. I've used the word "K.E.Y." as an acronym to reveal these three elements of successful ebook publishing.

1. K = KEEP it concise.  

One of the biggest mistakes ebook writers make is starting their project with the idea in mind that their ebook must be a certain number of pages in length.

That is, they assume the ebook should be 50 pages or 100 pages or even 200 pages in order to be desirable to consumers.

Wrong.  Ding. Thanks for playing.

Much more important than QUANTITY is QUALITY.  Almost every potential customer in your target market is considerably more interested in learning something useful than they are reading a bunch of commentary that has little or no real value to them.

The ability to concisely (yet comprehensively) share content that is practical is a must if you want to be successful in the information business.  No fluff.  No filler.  No fat.  Just the meat.

That's what readers want.  Especially today in our fast-paced, instant, I-want-it-now society.

And chances are you are much more likely to write a 30-page manual to help your clients create an online profile for job searching and get it done than you are to slave over trying to measure up to a 200-page masterpiece.

Your first key to success is "keep it concise." Share what you need to share in the least amount of pages as possible. It doesn't have to be the great American novel.  This isn't Hemingway.  

2. E = ENJOY yourself.

I simply must mention that if you enjoy your "work" then you are exponentially more likely to complete your ebooks than those who reluctantly or grudgingly write.

Seriously, don't underestimate what I'm saying here. You'll get much more done as a writer by having fun with your subject matter.

That's the beauty of information publishing.  YOU get to pick the topic.  A topic of interest -- of passion -- to you as the author.  Something you find enjoyable, even exhilarating.

To be sure, you want to choose topics that are in demand and have a ready-made audience awaiting who are willing to purchase them.  But, at the same time, you can look for those marketable topics that appeal to your interests and expertise.

(It's a natural that resume writers have lots of topics that will be of interest to job seekers.)

I don't care how "profitable" a subject may be, I'd never take it on as a project of mine unless I got some sense of satisfaction or enjoyment in writing about it.

Instead, look for those things that you are already talking about anyway.  And then write what you've been talking about.

3. Y = YIELD results.

Finally, I must exhort you to "yield results."  That is, you simply must stick to it and finish the job.

I cannot tell you how many people that I've met online who struggle with the affliction "short-of-the-finish-line-itis."

They begin running the race with gusto.  They pick their topic like it was a Nike outfit.  They outline their ebook like they just heard the starting gun fire.  They come up with ideas to include in their work like they were sprinting down the track.

And when they round the first corner, they start slowing down.  Before they know it, they're up in the stands watching others cross the finish line.

That's why I am adamant about telling you the golden rule of ebook content:
Never start something you can't finish in 30 days.

With any new ebook you are planning on writing, choose the topic and outline it in such a way that you can complete the content within one calendar month.  Anything that goes beyond that period of time is likely going to be discarded somewhere past the starting gate and before the finish line.

It's important that you set for your goal a reasonable, reachable amount of pages for your ebook ... such as 30 pages.  Then, divide that goal number of pages into your 30 days.  In this example, it would mean writing just ONE page per day (very realistic!) for 30 days and your ebook will be completed.

Victory!  The finish line!

Certainly there are a wide variety of other "keys" to being successful as an ebook writer (choosing the right topics, learning to outline well, brainstorming ideas, marketing, etc.) but these three form a solid foundation for you to build upon as you continue to learn more about information publishing.

K = KEEP it concise.
E = ENJOY yourself.
Y = YIELD results.

See you on your victory lap!

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Jimmy D. Brown is the author of, "5 Keys To A Big-Profit, S.M.A.L.L. Reports Business."  To download your free copy, visit http://www.SmallReportsFortune.com

Clipart courtesy of http://www.freeclipartnow.com