I love the start of a new year because it means you – and your business – have a clean slate. This clean slate results in positive thoughts for the future. Wouldn’t it be great if we could carry this enthusiasm throughout the rest of 2009? If you take a hard look at your business – and make any necessary adjustments now – you just might. So here are 10 ways to better marketing, messaging, and business in general for 2009.

Solidify your 2009 marketing plan. Ideally, this would have been something you thought about in Q4 of 2008. But the reality is this important to-do item often gets cast aside because of the holiday hubbub.

The best way to get started on your 09 marketing plan is by looking at last year’s marketing calendar (you do have one, right?) and evaluating which programs worked and why. What program had the biggest ROI? Were you able to effectively measure all your marketing efforts? If not, what can you do this year to make sure everything is measured properly? The marketing plan/calendar doesn’t need to be fancy—use a calendar program, Excel spreadsheet, whatever works. Make sure the key personnel in your organization have a copy, and identify who is in charge of what items. Revisiting your calendar at the end of each quarter is also a must.

If you don’t have a formal plan from last year, don’t worry—you wouldn’t be the first business. But let me repeat: marketing plans are important. After all, you’re already spending money marketing, even if you don’t realize it. Having a website is marketing. Having an email newsletter is marketing. Understanding how well each work and how much money you should invest in each is all part of your overall marketing plan. Here’s an article from Entrepreneur.com that you might find helpful.