In my newsletter last week I included a link to an article I recently read on one of my favorite blog sites, Copyblogger.com.

The article, "5 Ways to Kill Information Overload and Start Making Progress With Your Marketing" really engaged me.  One of my biggest personal struggles is focus.  I love to consume information (Strengthsfinder 2.0 puts "Learner" in my top 5) and it's easy for me to get caught up in the research stage of a project.  Formulating a plan and taking action is a step that is a challenge for me to get to when I'm having so much fun reading and studying.

The article helps readers address this very issue.  There is more information available now than ever, and much of it is free.  This abundance of information can make it even harder to know when to stop reading and get moving.  The article focuses on marketing, but the principles can be applied to anything.  I encourage you to read the article (and sign up for the Copyblogger email list), however in the meantime I want to share my main takeaways --

1.  Buy/Read each new book with a specific goal in mind.  When you decide to read a new business/self-help/marketing book, state the specific reason you want to read it.  For example: "To Learn about split testing in order to improve my article headlines."  If you can't come up with a specific reason, shelve the activity for some other time.  You can purchase/download the book in the future, when you really need it.

I've spent some time in the last two weeks thinking about what I did in 2011, where I succeeded and where I could have done a better job or made better choices.

It's been an interesting process.  Self-assessment is not the easiest thing to do for many people, and I am no exception.  Digging deep within myself to find my true path is not something that comes naturally to me.  My wonderful coach, Elaine, gave me an excercise to do which was very difficult, but which had incredible results for me.  It gave me some major insights into who I am, where I am going, and where I SHOULD be going.

She said that whenever one of her clients has a tough decision to make she tells them to answer 4 questions.  (For clarity's sake, let's assume the decision is whether I should hire a new employee.)  Note:  pay particular attention to the emphasis of the words in each question.

What would happen if I did (hire the employee)?

- Write down 6 answers to the question.

What would happen if I did not (hire the employee)?

- Write down 6 answers to the question.

What would not happen if I did (hire the employee)?

- Write down 6 answers to the question.

What would not happen if I did not (hire the employee)?

- Write down 6 answers to the question.

This might sound easy, but I assure you it is not. By the time I got to the 4th question, I was completely wrung out and could not think any more.  My brain just shut down and refused to cooperate.  She told me to take a break and come back to it the next day when I was fresh.

I hope you have spent some time thinking about how you want to grow your business in 2012.  Part of this plan should be your online marketing and advertising objectives.

2011 was a huge year for Internet marketing.  Here are a few of my own recent reflections...

1. Facebook and Google continued to dominate the Internet in terms of traffic and marketing.  
2. Engagement is the new B2C marketing model, and many businesses are finally starting to get it right.
3. The mobile landscape is exploding with tablets, smart phones, QR codes, mobile web sites, apps, and check-ins.
4. Consumers continue to be cautious with spending, looking for bargains and the best value.  This trend is not likely to pass any time soon.

Technology continues to travel at light speed.  Every year things change and evolve even faster than the year before.  Your field of competition is getting bigger and more global all the time.  Consider how your products and services can be offered by an off-shore firm, bigger and cheaper.

The fastest and most economical way to promote your business and make sure you stand out is by using online marketing methods.  How are you going to use the Internet as a tool to propel your business to the next level, and outshine your competition?

I found this NY Times article very interesting. Several people were interviewed about why they don't use Facebook at all. Some used to use it and stopped, and some just never started.

Personally I find Facebook to be a necessary evil. I don't like what it's becoming. Its ubiquity is invasive. I use it for two reasons: to keep in touch with distant relatives, and to build business relationships. Oddly, these two purposes almost seem at odds with each other. The fact that everybody I'm connected to can see everything I do means that both groups have to put up with my very public relationship-building efforts with the other.

But I digress, this is not about me. However, my comments reveal my conflict and explain why I so often choose Facebook as a topic in these blog posts.

Those interviewed in the article, surprisingly, tended to be on the young-ish side. There were three primary reasons for the dissing of Facebook.

Facebook is isolating. People who live in New York City often feel isolated. It's almost a paradox. But if you look into the psychology of this effect it makes complete sense. In the case of Facebook, it may be a feeling of overwhelm, as in "I have 1254 friends but I don't know any of them well." People need to feel close to others. They need intimate relationships. You can't have that on Facebook, and this leads to feelings of alienation. Like a thirsty man adrift at sea.

Ever since QR codes arrived on the mobile marketing landscape I've wondered about their ability to really become widely adopted.  People who understand their value are usually convinced that they are the next big wave in mobile marketing.  I'm not so sure.

As with anything, it will take wide adoption on both sides to become a really popular tool.  And as with most of these tools, their value and usage is misunderstood, at best.  Just like Facebook business pages, this is a medium that must be used with a purpose and not just because everyone else has one.  This is surely not the case with QR codes now, as most people I ask don't even know what they are.

I recently heard a comment that using a QR code is pain, from a consumer's perspective.  What that means to me is that the work involved in utilizing the code was not worth the value of using it.  "Liking" someone's business page is not really much work so even if there's no real value, people will do it anyway, just to be nice.

But the activity of using a business's QR code has to have some value for the consumer, because it's a lot more work than just clicking a button on a web site somewhere.  By value I don't mean that it calls up the business's web site home page.  That's not value, it's just self-serving to the business and has no meaning to the buyer.

Last week I was at a meeting with a client, going over the status of their website redesign project, which I've been working on for several months.  At that meeting, I made the comment, "This is a really nice web site, folks.  I'm proud to put my name on it."

They loved that comment, and it made me feel really good about what I do.

Clients are always a challenge in one way or another.  Each one is unique and has their own perspective, desires, needs, likes, dislikes, and personal and professional history.  As providers, the best we can do is give them our absolute best advice, help them make the right decisions, and deliver a quality product.  Exercise patience and grace, be flexible, and negotiate fairly but firmly.

Be able to say to your client, "You will be happy with this product and I'm proud to tell people I created it for you."  This is not self-aggrandizing or boastful, it should be the truth.  If you can't say this, then you should not be in business.

It's OK to be proud of your work.  It should be the ultimate goal, one which you strive to achieve for every client or customer, no matter what your business is.