For many local businesses, 2013 is the year that internet will finally be considered a part of the generic umbrella of marketing.  It used to be that we talked about "online" being a separate line item in marketing.  It was handled by separate firms, had separate budgets, and overall was an operation independent of other forms of "traditional" or "offline" marketing.  Small business owners had almost zero understanding of what "online" marketing was, or how their website should look in Google's eyes, and were lost.  There were countless firms going around saying they were online "gurus".  How could any small business owner know who to work with?  Or, what was a fair price to pay for consulting or projects?  It was, truly, the wild wild west. It's time to tame that beast.  Here are some resolutions you should make for your business in 2013.  Make these happen, and your sales will grow.  Ignore them, and your competitors will leave you in the dust.  After all, it is dusty in the wild wild west. 1. Integrate your "online" and "offline" marketing initiatives.  This means that these 3 things have to work together:

1 - internal messaging and company practices 2 - Traditional marketing (direct mail, radio, TV, print, billboards, etc) 3 - Online marketing (SEO, PPC, social media, SEM)

"Online" and "Offline" work together to get results.  If you are working with a marketing partner who tries to sell one against the other... Run away.  Fast.  They are wasting your time and money. A reputable marketing firm will be able to handle both online andoffline marketing, and they will have established which online "gurus" really are the good guys. 2.  Get a mobile website, if you don't you could be turning customers away. 3.  Get creative with online marketing platforms such as Yelp, Yelpdeals, Google places, Social media, remarketing, and Youtube. 4.  Execute your plan flawlessly, through every employee on your staff.