As the year draws to a close, perhaps you have spent some time thinking about the highs and lows of your business year. Did you get that new client? What about your website? Have you made your site mobile-friendly? What business practices did you try, but deemed unsuccessful-or perhaps not as successful as you would have liked? Perhaps, this is your first year in business, and you have realized there is more involved in running a company or marketing than you realized. What would you change? What will you keep?

As we move into 2012 (Wow! Where did the time go? 😉 ), have you given any thought as to what your goals and resolutions are for the next year? If so, great! You are thinking ahead. If not, it’s a good time to begin. But you don’t have to decide on all of them by yourself. Here are 10 resolutions to get you started.

  1. Be social – If you aren’t using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ or other social media options, then now is the time to do so. Studies show that most Americans spend 40% of their day on Facebook. In addition, there is a user base of 200 million on Twitter and LinkedIn has recently broke 100 million. It is important to note that LinkedIn is quickly becoming the Facebook of business, so don’t overlook this important business resource!
  2. Meet and greet – While social media is important, don’t rely on it completely. Make it a point to meet with customers and vendors face to face. E-mail and phone calls are good, but there is much to be said for the personal touch.
  3. Be seen – Attend at least one major industry event. This will help you learn from the successes, and failures, of others, provide opportunities to network, attend classes/seminars, or perhaps brainstorm ways to be better at what you do.
  4. Get mobile – If your website is not set up for a mobile device, what are you waiting for? This is one of the best things you can do to ensure that people find you.
  5. What about SEO? – Even if you do have a mobile friendly site, is there anything you could change to make it rank better with Siri or in search engine results? This is also a good time to update your site’s SEO.
  6. Be informative – If you don’t have a blog on your website, why not? A blog not only keeps people informed, but by adding new web content, Google recognizes your site as viable search result. If you don’t enjoy writing, talk to Page Progressive about their copywriting service.
  7. Come apart or you will come apart – While it is important to go to conferences, promote your company online and other business building activities, it is equally and just as vitally important that you have some time away from work. Vacations are a good, healthy activity. Make it a point to spend at least one day of a vacation without being connected to your computer, so that you can take a total vacation from work. You will be more energized about work, when you allow yourself to “come apart” from the office and totally relax.
  8. Recognize your employees – Unless you are a one-person company, chances are, your employees contribute long hours to make the company successful. In fact, most likely, they are the secret to your success. Be sure to thank them from time to time for the hard work.
  9. Be repetitive – If you are going to have a newsletter, blog, marketing campaigns, etc. be consistent and not hit or miss. Don’t give up if the first one or two don’t seem to work. Critically analyze what you did, or if you use a newsletter service like awebber.com or mailchimp.com they have the tools to do this for you, so you can make tweaks where necessary, and keep posting until you find a formula that works well for you.
  10. The New normal – Don’t complain about the poor economy and how it is affecting your business. Rather, look for new ways/strategies for marketing your business. Consider asking your employees to meet outside of work (perhaps you could close a couple of hours early one day?) to brainstorm new ways to promote your business.

Making resolutions every year is common, but unfortunately, so is losing sight of those goals. Make this year the best business year you have ever had by putting these 10 resolutions into practice. And, if you need help with elements like mobile web design, copywriting, SEO other web related aspects, be sure to give Page Progressive a call. We’re here to help!