new years fireworks resized 600With 2012 just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about your marketing strategy for the New Year. As more and more companies catch on to the most effective strategies for getting found online and generating more leads and customers, the future of inbound marketing is looking more competitive and fast-paced than ever. How will your business keep up?
Well here's the good news. Whether you already have a strong marketing campaign in place or you're just starting out, there are always ways to improve your strategy to drive better business. Here are 12 New Year's resolutions that will help you to really amp up your marketing. And, hey, no need to wait. Go ahead and tweet them now to show everyone that you're ready to take 2012 by storm.

12 New Year's Resolutions for an Awesome Marketing Strategy in 2012

1) I resolve to build a killer keyword strategy and get my business to rank higher in Google organic search results. (Tweet this resolution!)
Why make this resolution? We all know that when consumers look for a product or service, they turn to search engines for answers. In fact, hundreds of millions of search queries are conducted on search engines every day! A successfully optimized search campaign can help your business generate more leads and get found by potential customers. The key to successful SEO is concentrating on long-tail keywords, which are associated with more qualified traffic and users that are most likely further down their path of intent. It's crucial to craft your list of keywords carefully so you can optimize for search and ultimately rank higher in search results.
2) I resolve to build more inbound links into my website to really rock my off-page SEO. (Tweet this resolution!)
Why make this resolution? In search engine optimization, inbound links are a marketer's most powerful asset. In fact, off-page SEO (as opposed to on-page SEO) accounts for the majority of a web page's ability to rank for a particular keyword. Building authoritative and relevant links into your website from external sites is a critical part of your SEO strategy.
3) I resolve to take advantage of my business blog as a lead gen tool by writing tons more awesome, educational posts. (Tweet this resolution!)
Why make this resolution? Nearly 40% of US companies use blogs for marketing purposes. Companies that blog have 55% more website visitors. The facts speak for themselves. Marketing data clearly shows that blogging is a critical piece of the inbound marketing methodology and directly correlates to better business results.
4) I resolve to put super attractive calls-to-action in my blog posts, emails sends, and - well - almost anywhere else. (Tweet this resolution!)
Why make this resolution? In order to survive in today's attention economy, you need calls-to-action. They have the power to grab people’s attention and direct it to your offers. In other words, CTAs point traffic to your offers and help you generate leads.
5) I resolve to build stronger relationships with my prospects by engaging with them more in social media. (Tweet this resolution!)
Why make this resolution? Today, using social media to direct traffic to your website and generate new leads is an indispensable part of your marketing mix. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ all give you the opportunity to engage with your prospects and build relationships with them, making it more likely that you'll be able to convert them into leads for your business.
6) I resolve to optimize my website for mobile and learn more about how to make the most of mobile marketing. (Tweet this resolution!)
Why make this resolution? 85% of mobile devices will be web-enabled by next year, and it's likely that by 2013, the #1 way consumers will access the internet will be through their mobile devices. With such rapid growth, marketers simply can't afford to ignore mobile phone users.
7) I resolve to build some seriously stunning landing pages and optimize them for converting more visitors into leads. (Tweet this resolution!)
Why make this resolution? Landing pages are one of the most important elements of lead generation. In fact, according to MarketingSherpa's research, landing pages are effective for 94% of B2B and B2C companies. Building effective landing pages allows you to direct your website visitors to targeted pages and capture leads at a much higher rate.
8) I resolve to generate more leads for my sales team so we can get some crazy lead-to-customer conversion going. (Tweet this resolution!)
Why make this resolution? Well, this one should be pretty obvious. After all, what business doesn't want more revenue-generating customers? The way to get there is to drive as many qualified leads as possible with all sorts of tools, including social media, blogging, and content creation.
9) I resolve to make my lead nurturing campaigns more personal and relevant because, hey, my emails deserve to be read. (Tweet this resolution!)
Why make this resolution? 50% of leads are qualified but not ready to buy. So if you're not nurturing them, you are simply burning money. Lead nurturing is all about understanding the nuances of your leads' timing and needs, and it enables marketers to establish contact fast and stay top of mind for prospects.
10) I resolve to experiment with marketing automation and use it to provide helpful content, not sales pitches or spam. (Tweet this resolution!)
Why make this resolution? Marketing automation is an extremely powerful tool and one of the fastest growing parts of the industry, but still, many marketers abuse it. It's crucial to keep your emails customer-focused and relevant to their needs; not use them to pressure your leads to buy. When used correctly, marketing automation can drastically improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your lead nurturing strategy.
11) I resolve to A/B test my landing pages and email campaigns like a pro and keep finding new ways to optimize them. (Tweet this resolution!)
Why make this resolution? You spend a lot of time and effort designing websites, landing pages, forms, and email campaigns, so of course you'll want to optimize them for the best possible results. This is where the power of A/B testing comes in. By creating variations of your pages and emails to test various elements, you can collect useful data that will show you which one yields higher conversion rates.
12) I resolve to track my analytics closely and use them to make data-driven decisions to improve my marketing strategy. (Tweet this resolution!)
Why you should make this resolution: Analytics can provide amazing insight into your marketing campaigns and inform changes that could significantly improve your results. It's extremely important to track your progress so that, for every aspect of your inbound marketing strategy, you can figure out where you stand, where you want to stand, and what you need to do to get there.
Get started on these resolutions, and stay ahead of the curve by really focusing on your inbound marketing strategy in 2012. We know you can do it. Here's to a year full of abundant lead generation, happy customers, and better business!
What marketing tactics do you have planned for 2012? What's your top marketing resolution?