Extend the reach of your business! Harness the Internet for
greater profits, no matter what you sell! The Essential
Guide to Web Strategy for Entrepreneurs is the hype-free,
business-focused Web strategy guide for every entrepreneur.
Minimum cost/maximum profit ideas for business models,
hosting, design, content, security, databases, marketing,
and more! 2 bonus CD-ROMs: an amazing library of e-commerce
tutorials, resources, and software!
Table of Contents
CD-Rom Contents.
Preface.
Introduction.
I. GETTING STARTED IN
E-BUSINESS.
1. Responsible Email Targeting. Opt-In or Opt-Out? Why Not
Spam? Email List Development. Buying Lists. Renting Lists.
Building Lists.
2. Powerful Promotions Through Email. Direct Email Marketing.
Similarities. Differences. Email Promos. Email Newsletters.
Timing. Piggyback Email Marketing. Viral Marketing.
3. Improved Operations through Increased Email Use.
Making the Most of Email
in Your Business. Personal Email Systems. LAN-Based Email
Systems. PC-Based Personal Email Systems. ASP-Based Email
Systems. Choosing the Right Personal Email System. Mailing
Lists. Alternative Mailing List Tools. What Can You Do with
a Mailing List? Choose the Mailing List Tool that Best Fits
Your Strategy. Privacy in Business Email.
4. The Role of the Web in Your Business Information
System. Choosing the Right Kind of
Network. Intranet. Extranet. Virtual Private Networks.
Improving Operations. High-Touch Web-Based Customer Service
Through High Tech. Think Warmer! Order Tracking: Let
Customers Save You Money by Doing It Themselves! Customer
Help: Just Answer the Question!!!
5. Using a Brochure Web Site to Tell Your Story as it
Evolves. About Us. Contact Us.
Industry Overview. Product Pages: The Unique Selling
Proposition. Entry or Home Page. Making a Good First
Impression. What Not to Do. Telling Visitors Whose Site
They are Visiting. Providing Easy Access to Interior Pages
in the Web Site.
6. Web-Based Electronic Commerce. Security First. Hacker
Attacks on Your PC. Hacker Attacks on Your Web Site. Damage
or Loss of Business Data. Catalog Web Site: Is Online
Ordering Right for Your Business? Do Your Customers Want to
Order Online? Will Your Business System Support Online
Sales? Subscription Web Site: Will Customers Pay You for
Access? Download Web Site: If You Can Download it, Do it!
Application Service Provider (ASP) Web Site.
II. IMPLEMENTATION FIRST
STEPS: FAST, EASY, INEXPENSIVE, AND SAFE.
7. First Principles for Getting Started Using the
Internet in Your Small Business. The Project Must be Fast.
The Project Must be Easy. The Project Must be Inexpensive.
The Project Must be Safe. Lawyer Time!
8. Mailing List Marketing: Choose the Right Tool and
Develop a List. Three Choices in Mailing
List Tools: How They Work. PC-Based Mailing Lists. Free
Mailing Lists. Fee-Based ASP Mailing Lists. Acquire Email
Lists. Rent a List. Build a Prospect List: Think
Incrementally.
9. Mailing List Policies and Procedures: Getting it
Right. Overview Of Procedures.
Determine the purpose and goals of your mailing list
application. Manage your email lists. Subscribe New Members
to Your Discussion Group or Newsletter. Unsubscribe Members
who Wish to Leave Your Discussion Group or Stop Receiving
Your Newsletter. Honor Remove Requests. Delete Bounced
Messages. Manage the messages you send. Determine an
Appropriate Frequency for Sending Email. Design the
Message. Send Messages. Archive Messages. Manage responses.
Handling Email Responses. Moderate Discussion Postings.
Assess Mailing List Performance.
10. Developing a Web Infrastructure. Get Connected to an ISP.
Acquire a Domain Name of Your Own. Rent Host Space. Host
Space. Data Transfer Allowance. Microsoft FrontPage and FTP
Support. Web Site Statistics. Email Services from Your Host
Service Provider. Choose an E-commerce Service Provider.
Shopping Cart Systems. Secure Web Hosting. Online Payment
Processing.
11. Build Your Web Development Toolkit. HTML. MS FrontPage. WSFTP.
Graphics Tools.
12. Web Design Principles and Procedures. Decide What Exactly You
Want from Your Web Site. Decide on a Structure for Your
Site and Develop a Rough Site Plan. Decide What Interactive
Elements You Need. Decide What Graphics You Want to
Include. Write the Text for Each Page in Your Site.
Determine Your Budget and Timeframe for the Project.
Establish Your Web Infrastructure. Collect Your Toolkit.
Discuss Your Site Plan with at Least Three Developer
Candidates and Obtain Written Proposals. “What is the
smallest job you have done in the past year?”
“Who does the work: you or a staff member, and is
your staff member an employee or a sub-contractor?”
“What development tools do you use?”
“When could you start and finish my job?”
“What questions do you have for me?” Evaluate
the Developer Proposals and Select Your Developer. Monitor
the Development Progress. Establish Procedures for Ongoing
Site Maintenance.
13. Constructing the Elements of a Web Site. Template Pages. Page
Headers. Page Footers. Menubars. Don't Get Cute: Use Words
Rather than Icons. Make the Menubar Small and Put it Where
it Goes. Put The Whole Menubar on Every Page in the Web
Site. Repeat the Menubar at the Bottom of All Pages that
Require the Visitor to Scroll down to Get to the End. Make
Sure Your Menubar Takes Visitors to the Action Page with a
Single Click. Site Map. Interactive Forms. Content Mailers.
Discussion Forums. Newsletter/Discussion Group
Subscriptions. Order Forms and Shopping Carts. Search
Components. Appointment Scheduling. Connections to Other
Services.
14. Supporting and Refining Your Web Site. Managing Graphics For
Maximum Impact. Reuse and Resize Images. Use the Right
Image Format and Optimize. Animated GIFs. Flash Animations.
Using Enhancements to Promote Stickiness. Chat Rooms.
Message Boards. News Feeds. Counters. DHTML and CSS.
Streaming Audio and Video. Developing and Maintaining
Content. List the Kind of Content You will Provide.
Determine Who will Develop the Content. Consider How You
will Maintain Control over Quality. Consider How Often and
to What Extent Content will Need to be Updated. Estimate
the Host Space You will Need to House the Content.
Determine the Various Levels of Access to Content you Wish
to Provide. Determine the Extent of Your Distribution Plan.
Developing an E-Commerce Back-end.
15. Generating Traffic. Helping Prospects Find
You. Choosing an Appropriate Domain Name. Choosing an
Appropriate Host Service. Managing Search-Engine
Positioning. DirectHit. Pay-per-Click Services. Reciprocal
Links. Special-Interest Directory Listings. Driving
Prospects to Your Site. Banner Ad Systems. Email Promos and
Newsletters. Conventional Advertising. Affiliate Systems.
Integrated Marketing System.
III. MAKING SURE IT WORKS:
PLANNING, TUNING, AND BUDGETING.
16. Internet Marketing Basics. Personal Service
Businesses. Big-Decision Businesses. Shopping
Destinations.
17. Developing an Email Marketing Plan and Budget.
18. Developing a Web Marketing. Plan and Budget. Keeping
Tabs on Traffic. Budgeting.
Index.