I hope you had a great holiday season and happy New Year. Most business owners, like myself, see a fresh year as a chance to ‘reset’ the clock and revisit our goals for the new year. All rested up after the days of holiday merriment, we are itching to dig in and start growing our businesses. Marketing and business plans are created or updated and goals are set.

Your online marketing should be a critical component to your marketing plan. What is going to be hot this year? Who know for sure but if I had to guess, here are a few predictions.

1. Mobile device usage will continue to surge. I recently read that something like 50% of all phone users in this country have a smartphone?? That is only going to grow. If you don’t have a mobile strategy, you had better get one and fast. Most web sites do not display very well on mobile devices and if your site uses any Flash, keep in mind that it will not display on iPhones or iPads.  Here are two action items. If you or someone you know has a smart phone, browse your web site and see what it looks like. Also, check out your Google Analytics and see how many people tried to visit your site with a mobile device. Now you will know what their experience was.

2. Businesses will continue to shift marketing dollars to inbound marketing. There is no denying the ROI for correctly done inbound marketing. Inbound marketing includes specialties like SEO, SEM, conversion rate optimization and social media marketing and more. Companies will start to realize that investing in these marketing channels not only has a high rate of return, but they are better able to target their ideal custom base and interact with prospects in ways never before imagined with traditional, outbound marketing.  Need help with an inbound marketing strategy? Now is a a great time to start.

Start 2012 off right and lets work together to grow your company. Contact us today and let us help you develop an online marketing strategy that helps you reach your goals.