Here’s a hand list of content marketing ideas and tips provided by Small Business Trends:

1. Create a free course on a topic related to your business and invite people in your neighborhood to attend. For example, if you’re a caterer, maybe it’s how to host the perfect dinner party. If you’re an accountant, maybe it’s on what you need to know before filing your taxes this year. Promote the event using both local print and online resources.
2. Send out a direct mailing thanking your customers for their patronage in 2011 and sharing what you hope to bring them in 2012. Make sure you’re top of mind as the New Year hits.
3. Compile your 20 best/most trafficked/most commented on blog posts into an ebook and offer them as a free download.
4. Participate in industry-specific Q&A sites and help solve others problems. Don’t promote your business, but do include a link to your website in your profile so people can find it on their own should they be interested.
5. Dedicate 30 minutes a week to commenting on relevant blogs to build relationships, get your name out there and create authority.
6. Creating a buying guide related to your industry. If you sell a product, focus on the different specs, installation, uses, etc. If you offer a service, focus on the best questions to ask when evaluating a vendor, the different types of services, etc.
7. Start an industry-specific Twitter chat. Invite guests to co-host with you.
8. Put together an informative blog series (maybe three posts long) tocapture traffic for a competitive keyword phrase show expertise in a particular area. Later, bundle the posts together and turn them into an ebook.
9. Create a video interview series where you chat with influential people in your industry or community and post the videos on your website.
10. Start an email newsletter.
11. Host a weekly Google+ hangout to talk about timely issues and topics.
12. Be a guest on a podcast.
13. Get other local business owners together and hold a workshop on a hot issue in your industry. Or, get together with other business owners in different industries and talk about how you’ve used the Internet/Facebook/Twitter to increase business.
14. Write guest posts for other blogs in your industry.
15. Review products/services/books you like.
16. Write case studies for your website. Promote them.
17. Create a tool to help your community. If you’re a tax preparer, maybe it’s a deduction finder or a planning worksheet. If you’re a social media consultant, maybe it’s a list of Twitter conversation starters for people not sure how to jump in.
18. Write a white paper detailing a specific issue affecting your industry, what it means and your take on it. Get other experts to share their opinions as well. Include them in the whitepaper.
19. Speak at your local Chamber of Commerce. Create a PowerPoint presentation to go along with it and then post it on your website.
20. Start a video grab bag series where you answer common questions on YouTube and post the videos on your blog.

2. Go mobile. By 2015, more U.S. Internet users will access the web through mobile devices than through PCs. On average, 15% of all searches on Google today are from a mobile device. How well are you catering to this mobile population? Make 2012 the year you optimize your search marketing, email marketing and website to focus on this growing mobile community.

3. Go local. These mobile users are constantly interacting with things and places that physically surround them. Microsoft reported that 53% of mobile searches on Bing have a local intent. The online world has become an essential place for businesses to connect with their local community. Make sure your business has a local listing on key search engines: Google Places, Bing maps, and Yahoo maps.

4. Learn how to delegate and do more of it. When you’re just starting out and times are tough, it’s natural to tighten the purse strings. However, consider what you could gain by handing over certain tasks to contractors, virtual assistants or full-time employees. By relinquishing control of administrative tasks or company blog updates, you’ll free up time for what’s ultimately going to keep you in business: bringing in revenue.

5. Invest in one new customer touch point. Whether it’s blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, mobile coupons or QR codes, new ways to connect with customers seem to pop up daily. As a small business owner, you don’t have to excel in every new technology or network that comes along, but you should try to be wherever your customers are. Ask your current customers where/how they’d like to connect with you, then spend some time in 2012 to make it happen.

6. Refresh your website. In the race to master new social media tools, don’t overlook your own website. After all, social media efforts like Twitter campaigns end up driving traffic somewhere, right? It doesn’t make any sense to build a beautiful and savvy Facebook presence that funnels people to a boring, inaccurate, and out-of-date website. Keep it current and engaging!

7. Protect your assets with an LLC or corporation. While legal fine print may not be the most glamorous part of your business, forming an LLC or corporation can be critical to your business and personal financial health. These business structures protect your personal assets from any company liabilities. That is, if your business is sued or has bad debt, your personal property may be shielded from legal repercussions. Keep in mind that creditor judgments can last a total of 22 years, so you’re protecting not just what you own today, but whatever assets you’ll gain in the future.

8. Get your books ready for tax time early. Are you notorious for waiting until the last minute to organize and file your taxes? Do you find yourself wading through emails, or scrounging through your car to find stray business receipts? Don’t wait until April to start on your 2011 tax forms. Start fresh in 2012 by organizing your books from day one (even if that means outsourcing your accounting).

9. Social network in the real world. Whether the plumber recommends a carpenter or the web designer recommends a copywriter, business is driven by referrals and connections. In 2012, put some effort into networking by signing up for an industry conference or seeking out a local meetup group. These are invaluable ways to develop relationships and share advice with fellow entrepreneurs and small business owners.

10. Put time for you on the calendar. As an entrepreneur, remember that you’re solely responsible for your own motivation, productivity and well-being. There’s no boss to pat you on the back or give you a raise. It’s up to you to keep yourself motivated and inspired. In 2012 be sure to reward yourself for specific milestones like a big client win, meeting a tough deadline, or working “overtime” for multiple nights on end.

Sticking to 10 resolutions is a lofty goal for anyone. Follow the tips that ring true for your situation, and adjust as needed. Do you have other resolutions for your business in 2012?

Here are some tips to market your business online:

• Update your website regularly, add a content management system (CMS) to your site, and keep your “storefront” tidy
• Don’t have a facebook and twitter for the sake of having them. Develop proper content and engage readers
• Try to find more press, and if you can’t get any, use PRWeb. Don’t make your press an ego booster, talk about a topic that interests your business

I’ll be putting more tips out as I think them. Wanted to start somewhere!