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Are you ready for 12 ways to make extra money in your business in 2012 so you can jump start the New Year with a bang? Want to infuse a surge of motivation, profits and new customers into your online business right out the gate in 2012?

As we refocus, reset and reinvigorate ourselves going into 2012, this is perhaps the best time to get something new started. It’s a great time to break out of old habits and experiment with new potentially lucrative habits.

It’s also a great time to look back over the last year to relive our victories and recall lessons from our defeats. It’s a great time to reflect on what worked in 2011 and what didn’t work.

We can also take this time to scan the landscape of life and business to identify new opportunities to target and to go after them with vigor.

Over the next 3 blog post I’ll be sharing with you 12 ways to help you jump-start your online business to make extra money and “Excel in 2012!”

==> Way #1 of 12: Introduce a New Product

One of the best ways to bring in a surge of cash is to market a new product to an existing list or market.

If you already have a number of people on your mailing list, then a well-planned product launch may be all you need to jump-start your sales.

Not only will you bring in cash immediately from the buzz generated from the product launch, you’ll also have a new product to sell that will earn you cash throughout the year and beyond.

A successful product launch is about two things – creating a product that your market will want, and creating buzz and desire around the product before the launch date.

Creating the right product is about knowing your market and knowing what they want. You should be keeping close tabs on what the common questions and pain points in your market are.

Use surveys on Facebook is a great way to start getting insight into what you market needs, wants and wishes for.

Creating buzz and desire around a new product is about gradually revealing more and more about an upcoming product while building excitement – without giving away the product until the launch date.

Take an iPhone launch, for example. A feature is released a few months before, then maybe a few “unofficial” pictures, then maybe a few new technical improvements, then maybe some buzz about something that might just be in the phone…generating a lot of excitement, but nobody actually knows what the phone will be like until it comes out.

Video games like the recent record break release of Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3. Both used tons of in game pictures, in game video trailers and interviews with the developers to rile up the base.

In fact, the pre-launch it was so successful for Battlefield 3 that they sold over 3 millions units on pre-order and to day have sold over 8 million copies.

As exciting as that is for Battlefield 3, the launch of Modern Warfare 3 sucked in $775 MILLION dollars in just 5 DAYS of it’s release last month.

So consider your next new product for 2012 and how you will take it to market.

==> Way #2 of 12: Try a Different Revenue Model

Another way you excel in 2012 and make extra money in your business is to try a different revenue model.

A lot of online business owners get stuck with making money just one way. For example, they’ve gotten so used to making money selling eBooks that they haven’t really experimented with other ways of earning a living.

Different payment models can help you take advantage of all the different kinds of people who are in your customer base.

For example, if you started offering payment plans, you’ll be able to make your products affordable to your lower-income user base.

On the other hand, you might also want to experiment with releasing high ticket items. What can you build or package that can sell for over $1,000? This will allow you to tap into the high earners in your customer base.

If you’ve never sold products, try selling products. Usually you’ll make a lot more money on products than on advertising, AdSense or other CPM-based monetization methods.

If you’ve never tried doing coaching, you might want to try that. Group coaching or high end one-on-one coaching can be a great way to add revenue to the bottom line.

These are just a few ideas of different revenue models you can try. There are many different ways you can make money online and if you haven’t experimented with different revenue models, chances are you’re leaving money on the table.

==> Way #3 of 12: Pick Three New Marketing Strategies to Test in This Coming Year

Finding just one profitable new marketing strategy can increase your revenue and profit by 30% or more. In fact, if you find a large traffic source that’s profitable, you could even double your revenue.

Here are some strategies to think about:

•  AdWords – If you’ve never tried search engine marketing, now’s the time to start. It’s perhaps the most targeted way to reach customers on the internet.
•  Direct banner ads – Contact website owners in your industry and inquire about buying banner ads. Often times it’s cheaper than going through an ad network.
•  Network ad buys – If you have a profitable product line or sales funnel and want to get huge volumes quickly, network ad buys is the way to go.
•  Social media – Have you ever tested a social media campaign like Facebook ads? Social media can help you build your reputation among your existing users as well as expose you to new users.
•  Partnerships – What kind of partners can you find to help promote your products? Getting someone with a large list to promote your product can give you a nice instant credibility and  traffic boost.
•  Offline opportunities – Have you done public speaking? Or running events? Perhaps there are offline advertising opportunities, like radio or magazine ads, that you haven’t explored yet?

These are just a few ideas of advertising ideas to put to the test. Pick three ideas that you want to test this year and plan out when you want to roll them out.

==> Way #4 of 12: Revisit Your Vision and Goals

What do you want to achieve from your business? Where is your business headed in one year, five years and ten years from today?

What’s the all-important “why” behind what you’re doing? Has the reason changed from when you first started?

==>A book I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you read this year as we go into 2012 is a booked called “Start With Why” and you can click here to pick it up from Amazon in physical or Kindle format.

Knowing why you’re doing what you’re doing will help keep you motivated to stay on course. Having a clear vision statement will also help you motivate any employees you have towards a common goal.

If you haven’t written down your goals for the year yet, do so now. Your goals should be trackable and have set timeframes for when you want to achieve them.

Make sure you have both financial goals and non-financial goals. Non-financial goals might include spending less time at work, being more mobile, hiring your first employee, outsourcing your task and other important milestones.

Try to set at least one goal that’s extremely ambitious. Most of your goals should be realistic (within striking distance), but you can still have one or two “shoot for the stars” goals (gotta stretch to get it).

Okay, so that is the first 4 ways of 12. Come back tomorrow for the ways #5, #6, #7 and #8.