Steinar Knutsen » blogging

My first blog post from the iPad 3G

Steinar — Sat, 01 May 2010 02:04:04 +0000

So, I’ve had my iPad 3G for a couple hours and thought it was only appropriate to kick things off with a blog post using the WordPress app. Actually I already posted a couple videos on YouTube, including the Fedex delivery man dropping off my iPad and another video of the all important unboxing.

I’m an avid Apple user so the iPad is really a very logical extension of my regular workflow. I especially like the ability to boot up immediately and get straight to work vs. waiting for my Macbook to warm up. Plus the battery lasts up to 10 hours so it’s great in terms of working in remote locations and while on the go.

I’m most interested in the productivity elements of the iPad. Quick access, remote computing, connectivity to my home desktop. With 3G access, I’ll be able to do this literally from the highway. Plus if I need to show something online to a client in a pinch, it’s much faster and impressive to do so on the iPad vs the iPhone or MacBook.

Some of the apps I’m starting with include WordPress, Twitteriffic and Audio Boo. These allow me to publish text and audio based blog posts and engage folks on Twitter. With MobileMe and Safari, I can quickly find and share content online using Ping.fm in my bookmarks. It’s really a great experience.

So, that’s it for now. How are you using your iPad? What business apps do you recommend?

Start a new blog on a shoestring

Steinar — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:09:08 +0000

Blogs are a great way to share your ideas and content online, maintain control over that content, and network with others within your niche. The good news is there are several ways to start a new blog on a shoestring.

The thought of setting up and managing your own blog may at first seem overwhelming and even unnecessary to some, but the truth is it’s quite simple.

If you’re looking for a free solution check out Blogger, WordPress.com, Tumblr or Weebly. These platforms have tons of great features and you can literally be up and running in minutes. The downside is you won’t have complete control over every aspect of the site, including the URL (which you can personalize for a fee).

Two great paid solutions include WordPress and TypePad. WordPress is the most popular mainly because of the plugins and support community. Both are specifically designed for blogging, so the admin capabilities cater to ease of use and it’s very easy to add new content on a regular basis.

If you choose to download and install WordPress on your own server or domain, you’ll need a hosting package. I use Bluehost, but several other options exist. You’ll also need an FTP client such as CyberDuck, which allows you to easilly upload files, images, themes, etc.

Again, most of the functionality and features to get started are built in, but for those of you that want a more customized approach, WordPress is probably your best bet.

Any other good options you recommend to start a new blog on a shoestring?

Improve Productivity with the iPad – More Focus, Less Multi-Tasking

Steinar — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:33:08 +0000

With the upcoming iPad release, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how exactly I could use the new device in my daily routine. I already have an iMac, MacBook Pro and iPhone, so the questions for me as a business owner is will the iPad help improve productivity?

Many have criticized the iPad for its lack of Adobe Flash and inability to run multiple application simultaneously, unlike Windows or Mac OSX which allow you to multi-task and easily share your desktop among several apps at once.

I actually see the single app iPad limitation as an advantageous feature to help me focus on a single task and ultimately help drive productivity in some situations. Of course, there are exceptions, but with the right iPad apps, I believe this will be a good thing.

“When people try to perform two or more related tasks either at the same time or alternating rapidly between them, errors go way up, and it takes far longer — often double the time or more — to get the jobs done than if they were done sequentially.” — David E. Meyer, director of the Brain, Cognition, and Action Laboratory at the University of Michigan

via 4 Steps for Managing Social Media Attention.

A good example is writing blog posts. Many times, we spend a disproportionate amount of time researching a new entry rather than actually writing. It’s not that the inspiration is difficult to find, it’s that we easily get distracted during our research by tangential subtopics, comments, and related posts from source material … I’m sure you can all relate.

On the iPad, however, I’ll be forced to stick to one app to write my post – at least the initial draft. Without the distraction of Twitter, email, and the web looming off to the side, I can spend some serious quality time focusing on my writing.

And yes, I have a few wireless Mac keyboards handy, so the physical typing part will be easy and familiar.

Of course, this sounds good in theory, but I won’t really know until I have the iPad in my hands.

What do you think? Will the iPad improve productivity? Is the lack of multi-tasking across apps a limitation or feature?

Top 5 Reasons Not to Blog

Steinar — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 04:05:36 +0000

I work with all types of businesses and I always recommend that my clients start a blog. It is a bit selfish I suppose, because I find blogging fun and rewarding and secretly wish others would too. But the fact is, in my experience, most people don’t want to blog.

These are the top 5 reasons people tell me they do not want to blog:

I’m too busy to blog and just don’t have the time
I don’t know how to blog
I don’t know what I would say on my blog
Blogging is a waste of time with low ROI
I don’t want others to see what I’m doing

Most people don’t mention the fear of blogging, but we all know it’s there, so we should probably add it to the list too.

My job is to help my clients overcome some of these hurdles – some are technical or may be addressed with the right process or tools. The tough part, however, is to actually get people to blog and do it well.

I stumbled upon this quote from Josh Hanagarne on CopyBlogger which pretty much sums things up:

… there is one secret ingredient to the great blog recipe. And that secret ingredient is you.

via The Secret Ingredient to an Irresistible Blog | Copyblogger.

The point is, no matter how much training or coaching we take, how many great tools and systems we have set up to make blogging easy and effective, if you’re not into it, it’s just not going to work.

For me, it’s about writing and sharing content that I find interesting. It’s exciting to discover something new, see people visit my site and interact with them along the way. Oh, and it drives a lot of business.

What do you think? Just because someone doesn’t want to blog, should they exclude it from their internet marketing strategy?

Tactics to Drive More Targeted Search Engine Traffic to Your Blog

Steinar — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:58:05 +0000

If you’re marketing your brand, service, or products online, one of your goals should be to drive more targeted search engine traffic to your blog. An overall increase in traffic is fine, but it really boils down to who is visiting your sight, why they are visiting and what the call to action is once they consume your content.

If you are not speaking to a particular niche, you might find that although overall traffic volume is high, engagement is low.

Here are 5 tactics to drive more targeted search engine traffic:

Use a long-tail keyword strategy when creating your content. Think about what someone might use to find your content in Google and incorporate those phrases into your content. For a more scientific approach use a tool like Google Keyword Search Tool or Market Samurai.
Consistently add new content. Google likes new content and if you publish on a frequent basis, Google tends to index your site more regularly because you’re seen as more relavent. Set up Google Webmaster Tools to monitor the rate with which Google indexes your site.
Add images to your posts and optimize them so Google Images can index them. This not only adds visual interest to your posts but provides the necessary information so people can find your images when searching on Google.
Comment on other blogs and link back to related pages within your blog. Many people make the mistake of only linking back to their home page. Take the extra 10 seconds to link to an individual post instead so that Google has the opportunity to index backlinks to multiple pages throughout your site. Try to comment on blogs that have a high Google PageRank and Follow tags. Again, Market Samurai can help find these blogs.
Leverage your content and RSS feed by submitting posts to Friendfeed, Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon, Technorati and other leading blog indexing sites. Google tends to rank results from these sites higher in search results, thus giving you and edge on the competition.

These aren’t all inclusive, but do you think these tactics would help drive more targeted search engine traffic to your blog?

Finding your Rhythm for Blogging, Social Media and Engaging Customers Online

Steinar — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:38:51 +0000

Whether you are new to blogging and social media or have been at it for a while, finding your rhythm can be a challenge and something that requires continuous improvement. This is especially true as the tools and platforms change in relation to your marketing strategy for engaging customers online.

This is my 100th post on this blog, so I thought it would be fitting to review my daily process. Let’s start with my goals.

My blogging and social media goals:

Stay informed of the latest news, trends and topics within my niche
Connect with other marketers, customers, and folks I find interesting
Share my thoughts and those of others with my network
Deliver valuable content to build my network, engage my market and grow my business online

Daily blogging, social media, and market engagement process:

I use Google Reader to find the latest news and keep my finger on the pulse of what happening within my niche. I subscribe to dozens of news sources, popular blogs and Google searches to find relevant articles, with which I can share, comment on, or use as inspiration for my next blog post. I usually check Google Reader 2-3 times a day for 5 minutes each and complete 1-2 actions as a result.
I use this blog as the main source for content creation and distribution. Creating content on my own domain allows me to maintain full control. Sure I post information on Facebook and Twitter, but anything with substantial content resides on my blog. I publish new posts every 1-2 days.
I use the WordPress ping.fm plugin to automatically share my blog RSS feed with Facebook, Twitter, Delicious, and a few other popular social media and bookmarking sites. Again, this allows me to maintain control rather than setting up 3rd party sites to receive my RSS feed. If I ever want to turn off my stream, I can control this from one central dashboard in ping.fm. Not everything flows through ping.fm – only content that I want to share with my entire network.
My iPhone is my Internet Marketing Remote Control. I can manage Twitter, check Google Reader, update WordPress posts, reply to comments on my blog, check in with Facebook friends and fans, snap images and record & publish podcast episodes from my iPhone with the click of a button. Of course, I can also use email and talk on the phone.
At night, I like to use Google Reader to answer questions on Twitter from people looking for help. I have several dozen search queries set up and RSS feeds organized in Google Reader to make this simple. Answering people’s questions on Twitter allows my to meet new people, learn something new, and share content I find helpful.

Keys to Success with Blogging and Social Media

The keys to successfull blogging and social media vary, depending on your particular situation. Here are a few things I find helpful:

Write original content. It’s OK to quote others, but the majority of your content should be original.
Find a frequency of engagement that suits you and be consistent.
Reply to comments, messages, and mentions quickly.
Write as if you were talking with your reader, but keep search engine optimization in mind.
Proactively promote your content by leveraging your RSS feed and providing links for people to find you.
Have a content creation strategy to help define what you will talk about and how that unfolds over time.

I hope you find this helpful as you continue to define or improve your process for blogging and engaging your market online through social media.

Any thoughts? What tools and process do you follow to increase your efficiency and effectiveness?

9 Ways to Find New Content Ideas for Your Blog, Podcast or Videos

Steinar — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:32:54 +0000

Searching for new content ideas for your blog, podcast or videos? I just listened to a great podcast from Jason Van Orden and here are my notes and personal comments.

First, set up a capture system to catch ideas when they happen.

MindMap – I use http://bubbl.us/ which is a great free online tool for collaborative mind maps.
Notebook – I use my Pulse Livescribe, which also captures audio. Voted one of the best new products in 2009.
Mobile Recorder – I use my iPhone Recorder app to either capture ideas or create podcasts on the fly
Google Docs – this is great especially if you are working with a team. I use Apple Works (Pages, KeyNote, or Numbers).
or whatever other system works for you

Categorize your ideas. For me these include video, audio, stories, blog post, etc. Don’t get stuck trying to figure out what to write when it’s actually time to sit down and type it out.

9 Ways to Find New Content Ideas for Your Blog …

5 x 5 – what are the 5 questions people always ask me within my niche? What are the 5 questions people should ask me? Create content that answers these ten questions. Better yet, make this 10×10 or more …
Keyword research tools - goal is to create content that people want, especially when searching on search engines. A good tool, for example, is the Google search-based keyword tool. Find out which terms are being searched most often, but have little competition.
Fill your feed reader – sign up for a free Google Reader account and start subscribing to popular bloggers or podcasters in your niche. Use the information you find to generate new ideas and create new content either in response to or in addition to relevant discussions you run across.
Ethically borrow – see what content is popular on other blogs and adapt that approach to your niche. Do not copy their content, but seek to understand what it is about that content that’s engaging and borrow what works. If you can, give credit to the author with a link back to their site.
Technorati – this is a great RSS aggregator that has a vast collection of blog posts in one place – all categorized and searchable.
Google Alerts - this allows you to save a search from Google and receive an email whenever your search returns new results. The frequency can be as it happens, daily, weeekly basis. Check out Google Alerts.
Pre-filtered content - find what’s hot, what is most popular. Check delicious for example. If something has been bookmarked frequently then it might be content to consider. What’s trending in your niche and what do you have to say about it? Another choice might be Digg.
Re-purpose content – do you have old content that can be reformatted or repackaged and redistributed? Maybe an old blog post you can turn into a podcast episode or a few slides for a video on Youtube? Find your oldest, most popular content and post an update or reflection on what’s changed since the original post.
Ask your audience – ask on Twitter, Linkedin Answers, etc. Put together a quick survey on Survey Monkey and ask customers what they want. Send a simple email – “hey, I’m thinking about such and such … please reply and let me know your thoughts.”

Based on my experience this looks like a very good list. Pick one or two and see if you can come up with a list of 20 content ideas right now. I bet it’s easier than you think.

What do you think? Are these ideas you can use? How do you come up with ideas for new content?

Get Over It and Start Blogging (Audio)

Steinar — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:27:56 +0000

The most common question I get from business people is “What should I blog about?”. In this audio post I’ll talk about tactics to overcome your fear of blogging and how to leverage audio to create a library of ideas.

What Should I Blog About?

How do you come up with topics to blog about? What’s holding you back from blogging?

Does Audio or Video Really Engage Blog Readers? (Audio)

Steinar — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:20:11 +0000

In this audio post I discuss the benefits and drawbacks of using audio and video on your blog.

003-audio-versus-video.mp3

Advantages of Audio Blogging
•   Quicker to record and post
•   Fewer tools required
•   Faster download
•   Greater reach with MP3 players

Advantages of Video Blogging
•   Great to put a face with your name and voice
•   Good for presentations or tutorials
•   Good to leverage YouTube channel network
•   Most engaging web content according to studies

In either case, audio and video both add color to the standard text based blog, much like photos make your posts pop. Experiment with both and find which works best for you. You may find that video works in some cases, while audio is better for others.

What are your thoughts? Are you finding success with audio and/or video. Which seems to work best given the topic or situation?

Drive More Traffic to Your Blog and Engage Readers (Audio)

Steinar — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:10:25 +0000

In this audio post I’ll touch on a few techniques to drive more traffic to your blog and engage readers in a more meaningful way.

002-more-blog-followers.mp3

Topics Covered:
• Creating unique and compelling content
• Search Engine Optimization and long-tail keywords
• Commenting on third-party websites
• Leveraging Social Media

How are you attracting more readers? Which tactics are getting the best results?

Can You Avoid Copywriting Problems with Audio Blog Posts? (Audio)

Steinar — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:48:32 +0000

In this audio post I discuss how audio blogging can be more direct, simple, and straightforward versus text-based blogging.

005-avoid-copywriting-problems-with-audio-blog-posts.mp3

What are your thoughts? Is audio an effective method for blogging. Should you mix audio and text posts?