If you had to pick one thing to focus on in your online business for 2011, what would that be? I asked myself that question this week. If I had to recommend one strategy to every business of every kind, what strategy would I recommend?

(Disclaimer: the above question runs counter to the way I normally think. I personally don’t believe that there is any such thing as a one-size-fits-all strategy for business, so I took this on as a creative challenge.)

I finally settled on something that seemed like it should have been obvious all along: reading. Not just reading, but effective information absorption and processing.

Google has already been thinking this way for quite some time now – as well as the other search engines. They have understood for a long time now that sifting through massive amounts of data (that someone else created) and presenting it in a convenient package for the person who needs it, when they need it, is worth big bucks. According to this 2009 blog post about Google interview questions, Google structures their employee interviews to ensure that new hires know how to think this way.

The company who makes the most noise will no longer win the game. It’s about who develops the strongest capacity to process, digest, and act upon relevant information quickly. Note: this is not about gluttonous, compulsive over-consumption of useless information (Trivial Pursuit, anyone?) It’s about applying the 80/20 rule to information. (These days, it’s more like the 99/1 rule.)

If you aren’t sure how to do that in your business, just start reading! If you don’t have time to read, quit doing something else and make the time. You found time to read this blog post, didn’t you?

One good resource that I specifically recommend is the PhotoReading Whole Mind System. I took this course back in 2001, and I found that the methodology really does create a quantum leap in the assimilation of new data. While I haven’t practiced the techniques consistently, what I learned from the course has made a lasting difference. I’ve even considering taking it back up again during the last few months.

There are a lot of needles to be found, and the internet keeps making bigger haystacks every day. Don’t add more hay. The more needles you find and share with the world, the faster you will beat your competitors.

Choose an eye-catching design.

One of the first things that people will see when they open up a newsletter via e-mail will be the design. Choose a format that will be user-friendly. This means paying attention to colors that are used as well as layout, etc. Spark their curiosity by making your newsletter something that will set itself apart from all of the other junk emails that may be in their inbox.

Be consistent with your design.

Of key importance will be choosing a design that is consistent every time someone opens their email. Choose clean lines and web-safe/friendly colors that won’t be too harsh on a person’s eyes. For example, you might choose to have one main header for your newsletter followed by 3 separated columns underneath and a footer. Whatever it is you decide to put into your design, keep your audience in mind. Experiment with different templates and ask for audience feedback if you are unsure. After all, they are going to be the ones who potentially read your newsletter. And remember, Consistency is what helps to organize and unify a good newsletter design!

Experiment with different font faces.

People hate to read through tons of text that looks exactly the same. Don’t be afraid to use different font faces such as serif and sans-serif in order to emphasize certain aspects of content that you want to highlight. The same goes for bold, italics and underlined text. For example, you may want to put the header in bold, the kicker in italics and subtitles in underlined fonts. Whatever you do, keep it consistent with each subsequent newsletter, and also be sure not to overuse any one font face as it may add to unnecessary visual clutter.

Choose content that your readers will actually read.

Content is and will always be king. The aforementioned points are simply tips and tricks to get your readers to the meat of the operation: the content of what you are trying to say. Therefore, it is important to take time out each time prior to composing a newsletter. Make sure that you actually have something worthwhile to say! Don’t be afraid to use photos or illustrations in your newsletters. Make use of quotations, and always give credit where credit is due. Invite reader responses, and perhaps make an effort to publish these responses in upcoming or future newsletters in a special section.

1. Miproapps-An application that allows users to design a fan page by simply dragging and dropping elements to the center of the page.
2. Tabfusion-An application that actually has an app for each tab that you want to add to your Facebook fan page. This application is free.
3. NorthSocial-A service (which comes with a 14-day free trial) that provides easy-to-use applications that enable users to quickly create and edit a custom Facebook page.
4. Static520-This service helps users create the illusion of having a mini-website inside of their Facebook fan page. Once you sign up for the service and add your content to their editor program, you will then be able to add a static FBML tab to your page where you will be able to copy the code. Users get 2 weeks worth of a free trial to see if they like the service, and then after that it’s $19/year.
5. Pagemodo-An application that allows users to create a ‘Welcome’ or ‘About’ tab on their Facebook fan page without any prior knowledge about Static FBML by using a generator that is simply to use. Click here to see Pagemodo in action.

For a continuation of this list, check out the link below to TechCrunch.

[Via: TechCrunch]