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With the New Year upon us, it’s once again time to look back and learn from the trials and tribulations of year past. Can you recall the goals you set this time last year? Do you feel confident that you accomplished what you set out to do? Is your team amped up for a successful new year?

No matter what size your company is, chances are, you have felt the recession in one way or another. Consumer confidence is low, spending is weak, and there is no shortage of bad news being reported by the media. Although history has shown that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, it seems as though there is no end in sight. Your goal, as a business owner, is to remain profitable now and be ahead of the pack when the economy turns the corner.

Now that we've identified the strengths of your small business (February) and discussed how to create a game plan that makes the most of those strengths (March), it's time to put that game plan into action.

Step 3. Execute and evolve that plan, and continue to build momentum.

Your game plan will be unique to your business, industry and personality type. Whether you're playing Monopoly, chess or LIFE (see March column), your plan can succeed only if it's actually carried out.

Last month, we talked about the first step in growing your business: identifying both your strengths and your opportunities. This month, we'll move on to the next step:

Step 2. Create a game plan that builds on those strengths and takes advantage of those opportunities.

Now that you know what elements of your business work for you and what objections your prospects may have about working with a small company, it's time to develop a profile of your company. Here's where we figure out if you're playing Monopoly, chess, or LIFE.

Factoid #1: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2006, there were about 13.6 million companies nationwide, employing almost 120 million Americans.

Factoid #2: More than five million of those companies have fewer than 20 workers each and -- all told -- these five million firms employ 21 million people.

Before going any further, let me make it clear that this article is not, in any way, condoning violence. (Sorry to disappoint you.) It won't talk about the neatest way to dispose of body parts, or help you figure out how to avoid jail time for opening up a can of whoop-a** on your neighbor.

However, after careful study, I've realized that what you need to promote your business effectively are the same things you need to commit the perfect murder. (Hypothetically, of course; remember, no humans were hurt in the creation of this article.)

Here's how...

Ever wondered how to get one of those short ads on the top or side of your Google, Yahoo or Bing search page? Those short pay-per-click (PPC) ads are related to the keywords you entered in the search field, and they circulate on a rotating basis.

The great news for you is that any business of any size can post those ads...and can get noticed!

How can you take advantage of this targeted ad placement? There are few key steps...

I'm only three degrees from Kevin Bacon. And I'm three degrees from Hillary Clinton. In fact, I'm only two degrees from Barack Obama. (Sadly, Cal Ripken, Jr. is out of my network.)

How do I know this? Because LinkedIn tells me so.

LinkedIn and other networking services like Facebook, Twitter, StartUp Nation, Qapacity, Classmates.com exist for one reason: to connect people with other people. The reason for the connection and the tone of the introduction may vary depending on the networking site, but the mission is still the same.

Since summer's soon winding to a close, it seems fitting to ask: how many former library geeks remember the Dewey Decimal System?

Bueller...? Bueller...?

The Dewey Decimal Classification (or "DDC" as it's called) is the basic system created in the late 1800s to categorize and organize public libraries. It uses an established structure to group information so it's easier to find.

In a similar way, bookmarks are a simple way you can organize information you look at on the Internet. On your browser window, you typically find a menu called "bookmarks" where you can create folders and save sites you want to go back to.

In light of the recent occurrences of the H1N1 (swine flu), it may seem counter-intuitive to think that contagion is ever a good thing.

My friend, you could not be more wrong.

As marketers in a digital world, we seek to be ever-contagious so that our clients, friends and fans (Facebook and otherwise) willingly spread the word to all who may need our services.