We can’t fault you for focusing on adding customers to grow your business. In fact, it speaks to the ambition that drove your business to the success you currently enjoy. But as the year wraps up and you’re running out of time to sign new customers, we’d like to redirect your focus to the people writing your paycheck each month—your current customers.

We’ve all heard over and over again that it costs more to add new customers than to keep existing ones. That makes upselling to your current customers critical to keeping your business in the black. Upselling keeps you relevant to customers even after you solve the problems they initially came to you with, and it makes your business relationship more profitable.

So rein in your marketing efforts toward the client you already have. Keep reading for four tips on increasing sales with upselling.

Be Inclusive
If you assume that your customers are aware of all of your products and services, you’re only hurting yourself. It’s not their job to assess what they need from your business’s suite of services. It’s yours. So don’t just market new services to leads. Include current customers in your mailing list when promoting a special. Alert clients to the new product you just rolled out. Never underestimate the potential for new business in an old client.

Happy and In It for the Long-Haul
Not losing current clients is too humble a goal. Not only do you need to keep them, you need to keep them happy. Offer customers training and support to help them get the most out of the products and services you sold them. The trust you’ll build by taking the time to educate them will prove invaluable when their looking for upgrades down the road.

Just Checking In
Make it a priority to stay on current customers’ radar, because so much of the upsell depends on your being attuned clients’ every wish or need. Keep in touch to stay in the know about the challenges they face, their changing target audience and their biggest worries as a business. Talk to customers regularly. The conversation should be a low-pressure, sales pitch-free discussion about their problems. Listen to them carefully then identify upselling opportunities consistent with their needs.

An Elephant Never Forgets (But Clients Do)
Remind customers of all your company offers to help their business grow. Write a personal letter to clients in whom you see potential for spending more on your services. Include a list of everything your business offers, with the products they’ve already purchased checked off. It’s a subtle way to show clients that you can fulfill more of their business needs, even ones they might have missed.

Share these ideas for increasing revenue through current clients with your sales and marketing team. Focus on the art of the upsell for a last-minute boost for your 2011 income.

As for social media sites, LinkedIn is too boring to bear for many individuals. But for businesses, the professional networking site is a goldmine. That is, it’s a goldmine for businesses that know how to use it. Keep reading for four ways your business can use LinkedIn for greater lead generation.

#4 All Aboard
Encourage your staff to participate in your LinkedIn marketing push for the best results. Your company’s visibility will be higher when more professionals associate with your company on the site. Tell your staff to claim their own vanity URL so that it includes their names rather than random letters and numbers no one will remember. Make sure your staff maintains a professional image on LinkedIn, too.

Don’t let your team treat LinkedIn like Facebook or Twitter by sharing party pictures and silly personal information. Prospective leads will be unimpressed and far less likely to give you their business.

#3 Get the Word Out
With all of the effort you’re putting into marketing your business on social media, it’d be a shame to neglect publicizing your LinkedIn presence. Make a focused effort to spread the word about your availability on LinkedIn. You can promote your profile on your blog and Twitter feed. And print QR codes on the back of your business cards to drive traffic to your profile. And don’t forget to include a link to your profile in your email signature. Finally, add clients as connections to see their contacts (also known as your new prospects).

#2 Group Think
Position yourself as an expert and get noticed on LinkedIn by contributing to active group discussions. Don’t waste your time on groups with many members but little to no participation, either. Avoid discussions full of sales pitches—quality leads won’t waste their time there. Attract promising leads adding thoughtful, expert responses to questions. Don’t pitch your services on LinkedIn—save that for the follow-up.

#1 Follow Up
Using Google Analytics, track who’s viewing your company website. Then check
LinkedIn for executives you can pass along to your inside sales team. Likewise, track those viewing your LinkedIn profile and your staff’s—potential leads may already be researching your company. Keep leads interested and attentive by following up with a phone call, email or LinkedIn’s InMail.

Lead generation on LinkedIn definitely requires an investment of your time. But if you and your staff concentrate on engaging with professionals from relevant industries on the social media site, your list of prospects will grow and your sales will soar.

From the well-respected brand that has been around for ages to the small business that is just taking off, branding is a vital part any business. Whatever stage of life your company is in, video is a tool that could be utilized to brand and market your company. If you’re not a video pro, don’t stress. These tips will help you use video to reach consumers you’ve never found before.

Find an Angle
Finding your angle applies to video in two ways. Don’t do video because all the cool kids are doing it. Find an angle you could use to achieve your marketing goal. Whether you’re creating a demo or doing a special promotion, the video needs to serve a purpose with a clear reason for the viewer to do something as a result of watching. Also, consider the tone of your video and correlate it with your company culture. If you’re a fun group, you could make a humorous video. But if you’re seen as a prestigious company with a longstanding traditional brand, you’ll want to portray that in the video. Once you’ve found your angle, it’s time to find your angles with the camera.

Lights, Camera, Action
If you’ve never done a video to market your business, do some background research. Find some other companies to see what types of videos they’ve been producing and determine what you like and dislike about them. You should always shoot for professionalism, but you don’t necessarily need professional equipment. Many companies shoot their own videos these days. You probably have a budding videographer on your staff. You might find that investing in an outside business to help can be a good investment.

You Can YouTube
After you’ve made your video, it’s time to let the world see all of the great things your company can do. YouTube is a great resource for businesses. You’ve probably been shown funny videos, looked up music videos or watched clips from your favorite movies. But YouTube is also a great resource to market your business. Once you have it posted to YouTube, you should post it on your website and link to it in social media. If you can make your video noticeably different, then you will get more views and your popularity will grow. So get out there, think outside the box and shoot a video that your business can market and take pride in.