People tend to get overwhelmed when thinking about online marketing. There are so many options for them and it's tough to know just where to begin. If you aren't careful you can very quickly become overwhelmed by all your options and attempts to do too much. So I am going to start breaking down a 12 month process to help you work through the best way to build your online presence. 

Month 1: LISTEN!
This month, focus on listening to your clients/customers/target audience. By listening to them you will figure out the best way to appeal to their needs. You can listen through:
- Google Alerts
- Twitter Lists
- Hootsuite/Tweetdeck (or a Google Reader)
- Rapoortive Browser/Outlook Social Connector
- Sprout Social/Mention Account

I do not suggest trying to use all of these resoucres at the same time, especially if you are a small business. Pick one or two of the above options and focus your efforts there. Listen to what people are saying about you, about other business and about themselves. By listening to them you will be able to figure out what they are looking for and then later on down the road the best way to appeal to them.