Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies
5th Edition
Published on 30. January 2017
Book
Paperback/Softback
912 pages
978-1-119-31552-0 (ISBN)
Description
Start a successful online business--and be your own boss!
Being an online entrepreneur means more than just building a website--and this book breaks down everything you need to know to be successful. Inside, you'll get plain-English explanations and easy-to-follow instruction on online business basics, legal and accounting issues, website design, Internet security, boosting sales, e-commerce, and so much more.
While the ideas and concepts behind starting an online business are tried and true, the tools available to entrepreneurs change and evolve quickly--and often. Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies gets you up to speed on the best new tools, resources, and communities, and shows you how to best leverage them to up your chances of success.
* Discover your niche and create a business plan
* Design your website and storefront
* Increase your reach and market with social media
* Choose the best web host for your needs
If you're a budding entrepreneur with dreams of running your own online business, this book has everything you need to get started and grow your company to extraordinary heights!
Being an online entrepreneur means more than just building a website--and this book breaks down everything you need to know to be successful. Inside, you'll get plain-English explanations and easy-to-follow instruction on online business basics, legal and accounting issues, website design, Internet security, boosting sales, e-commerce, and so much more.
While the ideas and concepts behind starting an online business are tried and true, the tools available to entrepreneurs change and evolve quickly--and often. Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies gets you up to speed on the best new tools, resources, and communities, and shows you how to best leverage them to up your chances of success.
* Discover your niche and create a business plan
* Design your website and storefront
* Increase your reach and market with social media
* Choose the best web host for your needs
If you're a budding entrepreneur with dreams of running your own online business, this book has everything you need to get started and grow your company to extraordinary heights!
More details
Other editions
New editions
Shannon Belew | Joel Elad
Starting an Online Business All-In-One for Dummies
Book
04/2020
6th Edition
Wiley
€31.90
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Previous edition
Shannon Belew | Joel Elad
Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies
Book
08/2014
4th Edition
Wiley
€32.90
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Persons
Shannon Belew currently leads the digital marketing strategy for Digium, a global, open source communications company, and is a frequent guest speaker and freelance writer. Joel Elad is the head of Real Method Consulting, where he provides consulting and advice for e-commerce companies and entrepreneurs.
Content
Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 3
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 4
Where to Go from Here 4
Book 1: Start-Up Essentials 5
Chapter 1: Starting from Scratch 7
What Are You Waiting For? Start Your Business Now! 8
Choosing Just the Right Business 10
Getting Started 14
Chapter 2: Turning Ideas into a Viable Internet Business 17
Thinking Like an Online Entrepreneur 17
Putting Your Business Idea Under the Microscope 19
Identifying Your Market and Target Customer 26
Competing to Win: Analyzing Your Competition 28
Chapter 3: Getting Real: Creating a Usable Business Plan 31
Understanding the Value of a Plan 31
Recognizing That the Parts of the Plan Make a Whole 33
Getting Help to Write the Plan 35
Using a Business Plan Today, Tomorrow, and Always 38
Chapter 4: Funding Your Online Business 41
Bootstrapping the Low-Cost, No-Cost Site 42
Finding the Perfect Investor 46
Checking Out Alternative Financing 51
Taking a Shortcut: Purchasing an Existing Site 54
Chapter 5: Creating Policies to Protect Your Website and Customers 59
Taking Care of Customers 59
Putting Policies in Place 61
Delivering On Your Promises 66
Chapter 6: Setting Up Shop: What You Need for Online Efficiency 67
A Floor Plan for Success 68
Must-Have Equipment 70
Tools for Your Desktop 76
Your Essential Software Toolkit 80
Connectivity: Today's Internet Options and More 81
Book 2: Legal and Accounting 83
Chapter 1: Minding the Law 85
Keeping Your Business Legal 85
Zoning for Business (at Home) 91
Obtaining Business Licenses 93
Chapter 2: Choosing the Right Foundation: From Partnerships to Corporations 95
Strategizing for the Best Organization 96
Operating Alone as a Sole Proprietor 96
Sharing the Load with a Partnership 98
Limited Liability Company 99
Making It Official with Incorporation 100
Changing Your Organization as It Grows 102
Chapter 3: The Trademark-and-Copyright Two-Step 103
Understanding Why Trademarks and Copyrights Matter 103
Making Your (Trade)Mark 104
Protecting Your Investment with Copyrights 105
Establishing Registration Yourself 107
Retaining Professional Assistance 109
Chapter 4: Accounting for Taxes (and Then Some) 111
The Tax Man Cometh - Again and Again 112
By the Numbers: Accounting Basics 116
Choosing Software to Make Your Tasks Easy 122
Hiring a Professional 124
Following the Rules of Recordkeeping 130
Book 3: Website Functionality and Aesthetics 135
Chapter 1: What's in a (Domain) Name? 137
Choosing Your Online Identity 138
Registering the Perfect Name 141
Finding Out What to Do When Somebody Gets There First 144
All the Good Ones Are (Not) Taken 145
Chapter 2: Designing for User Experience 151
Understanding the Customer Experience 151
Maximizing Performance for Profitability 156
Guiding Website Traffic Flow 158
Looking Your Best 160
Choosing Substance Over Style 166
Chapter 3: Building a Site without Spending a Fortune 169
Mapping Your Route to a Successful Site 170
You Can Do It! Making a Build-It-Yourself Site 175
Creating Your Site with the Pros 184
Chapter 4: Finding the Host with the Most 193
Differentiating between an ISP and a Host 193
Determining What Makes the Difference for High-Performance Hosting 194
Sorting Out Your Website Host Options 197
Putting the Long-Term Contract in the Past 198
Serving Yourself: Don't Overlook Other Server Options 199
Chapter 5: Developing Content That Satisfies Visitors and Search Engines 201
Words Are Words - Right? Wrong! 202
Getting Ready to Write for the Web 205
Moved to Purchase: Turning Words into Action 212
Chapter 6: Going Beyond Beta and Launching Your Site 215
Some Things to Know Before You Start Uploading 215
Taking the Compatibility Test: Testing Screen Resolutions, Browsers, and Platforms 217
Taking a Trial Run 220
Three, Two, One - Take Off! 222
Book 4: Online and Operating 223
Chapter 1: Determining Your Revenue Model 225
Selling Tangible Products 225
Selling Your Professional Services 231
Selling Information 235
Placing Ads for Profit 237
Establishing an Affiliate Advertising Program 245
Putting It All Together: Multiple Revenue Streams 247
Chapter 2: Making Money with Affiliate Programs 249
Looking at How Affiliate Programs Work 250
Signing Up for an Affiliate Network 254
Avoiding Scams and Questionable Content 257
Chapter 3: Turning Information into Profit: From E-Books to Webinars 261
Creating Your Own Information Product 262
Providing E-Books 266
Creating Informational Videos for Profit 270
Putting Together a Webinar 271
Chapter 4: Paying with the Right Payment Options 275
Accepting Credit Card Payments 276
Offering Alternative Payment Options 282
Managing the Payment Process to Protect Your Income 284
Chapter 5: Putting the (Shopping) Cart before the Horse 285
Not All Carts Are Created Equal 286
Shopping Around for the Best Hosted Solution 292
Finding Stand-Alone Shopping Cart Software 297
Designing a Custom Cart 298
Chapter 6: Taking Inventory 301
Finding Out What's Popular 302
Putting Together All Your Research 304
Pricing Your Products 305
Building Your Inventory 306
Chapter 7: Fulfilling Expectations and Orders 309
Figuring Out the Logistics of Shipping 310
Developing an In-House Fulfillment Model 311
Deciding to Outsource Fulfillment 312
Shaping Up and Shipping Out 319
Maintaining the Back End 327
Book 5: Managing Security Risks 331
Chapter 1: Understanding Security and Your Risks 333
Legal Responsibility: The Merchant and the Customer 334
Defining Your Privacy Policy 338
Keeping Your Website Secure 339
Displaying Seals of Approval 340
Chapter 2: Developing a Plan: Security and Business Continuity 343
Making a Plan 344
Creating a Budget for Your Plan 354
Finding Security Resources 355
Chapter 3: Spotting and Thwarting Hackers and Net-Thieves 357
Fending Off Denial-of-Service Attacks 358
Deterring Hackers 360
Avoiding Viruses and Other Malware 362
Keeping Your Domain Name Safe 364
Staying Away from E-Mail Scams 367
Mobile Security Risks 370
Understanding How a Wireless LAN Works 371
Establishing Barriers 373
Chapter 4: Locking Down Your Site and Your Business 377
Protecting against Personal Data Loss and Credit Card Fraud 377
Backing Up Your Data 382
Adding Firewalls 384
Book 6: Online Marketing Basics 387
Chapter 1: Jump-Starting Traffic and Driving Sales 389
Defining Key Elements for Digital Marketing Success 390
Getting to Know Your Buyers - Really Well 392
Calculating Your Site's Conversion Rate 394
Figuring Out When You Get the Most Traffic 397
Getting Customers to Notice Your Website 399
Getting Customers to Buy 400
Chapter 2: Your Own Public Relations for the Web 403
Writing Reviews 404
Becoming a Community Leader 409
Writing Articles 412
Chapter 3: Web Marketing at Work 417
Developing a Marketing Strategy 418
Gaining a Following with Social Media 421
Reeling in Customers with Newsletters 426
Automating Routine Tasks 431
Searching for Traffic with Search Engine Advertising 432
Marketing Your Company Offline 440
Chapter 4: Converting Browsers to Buyers 443
Giving Customers a Reason to Stay on Your Site 444
Anticipating Customer Needs 447
Organizing a Buyer-Friendly Site 450
Keeping Your Shopping Cart Simple 454
Avoiding Assumptions about Your Customers 456
Encouraging Viewers to Buy 459
Chapter 5: Analyzing and Monitoring Your Customers 463
Tracking Trends 464
Measuring Website Traffic 465
Analyzing Your Traffic Analysis Software 473
Collecting the Correct Information 476
Getting to Know Your Customer 479
Using Your Data to Understand Your Business 482
Chapter 6: Mastering Search Engines, Optimization, and Rankings 487
Navigating the Ins and Outs of Major Search Engines 488
Getting Your Website Noticed by Search Engines 490
Placing Keywords in Key Spots on Your Website 492
Arranging Your Pages Strategically 498
Submitting Your Site to Search Engines 499
Watching Your Rankings 502
Moving Up in the Rankings 504
Book 7: Retail to E-Tail 509
Chapter 1: Expanding Online to Keep and Grow Customers 511
Making the Decision to Move Your Store Online 512
Finding the Right Time 515
Bridging Your Offline Store with Your Online Store 518
Making a Flawless Transition 520
Building an Inventory 524
Chapter 2: Managing the Differences between In-Store and Online Commerce 529
Comparing Online and Offline Customers 530
What Your Online Customers Expect from You 532
Establishing Patterns 539
Chapter 3: Window Dressing for the Online Display 541
Creating the Right Look for Your Online Store 542
Creating the Perfect Shopping Experience 543
Beyond Window Shopping: Designs That Lure Traffic 546
Chapter 4: Making In-Store Customers Loyal Online Shoppers 549
Benefiting Customers (and Your Business) with In-Store and Online Synergy 550
Enticing Customers to Your Online Offering 551
Providing a Positive Shopping Experience 555
Making Your Customer the Star 557
Chapter 5: Revving Up with Mobile Marketing, Social Media, and More 559
Distinguishing between Different Types of Mobile Commerce 561
Localizing with Ads 566
Social Media Ads 569
Alternative Ways to Boost Localized Spending 574
Chapter 6: Troubleshooting the Transition to Online Retail 577
Handling Returns in the Store from Online Sales 577
Merging Existing Back-End Systems with Online Requirements 579
Deciding How to Handle Integration 584
Extending Payment Options to Virtual Customers 585
Book 8: E-Commerce Fundamentals 589
Chapter 1: Starting Up with E-Commerce Functionality 591
Knowing What You Want: Features 592
Realizing What You Can Have: Cost 597
Shopping for E-Commerce Solutions 599
Chapter 2: Mastering the Amazon 601
Joining the Marketplace 601
Achieving Professional Seller Status 609
Taking Advantage of Other Selling Opportunities with Amazon aStore 610
Chapter 3: Web-ify Your Store with Shopify 613
Why Open a Shopify Store? 614
Setting Up Shop 615
Managing Your Shopify Store 618
Selecting a Plan 624
Breaking Down the Fees 625
Growing with Your New Business Partner 626
Chapter 4: Making eBay THE Way 629
Understanding How eBay Works 630
Getting Started on eBay 630
Setting Up an Item for Sale 634
Opening an eBay Store 641
Book 9: E-Business for the Nonprofit 647
Chapter 1: Raining Donations: Fundamentals for Online Giving 649
Determining How Your Organization Can Benefit 650
Convincing Your Board of Directors 652
Chapter 2: Adding Online Moneymakers to an Existing Site 659
Determining Which Features Your Site Can Support 660
Adding an Auction to Your Site 666
Soliciting Donations on Your Site 669
Chapter 3: Growing an Active Donor Base: Your Virtual Community 677
Building an Online Donor Base from Scratch 678
Putting Together a Plan to Reach Donors 682
Converting the Faithful 683
Reaching Out to People Surfing for Charities 686
Chapter 4: Identifying Online Marketing Strategies That Fit the Cause 689
Asking for Donations 689
Making Donating Easy 697
Chapter 5: Legal Considerations for Nonprofit Organizations 699
Designating Responsibility 700
Creating Online Policies 701
Registering Your Charity 703
Gaining Seals of Approval 704
Book 10: E-Commerce Trends and Market Opportunities 707
Chapter 1: Discovering Niche Markets 709
Deciding to Sell a Niche Product 709
Finding Your Niche 713
Chapter 2: Building Business via Social Commerce 717
Setting the Virtual Stage for Success 717
Using Online Socializing to Build Social Commerce 720
Creating Your Own Video Channel 726
Gathering, Networking, and Promoting: Online Communities 732
Chapter 3: Evaluating the SaaS Model: Selling Software and Apps 737
Deciding to Deliver Online Services 738
Putting the Software in the SaaS 739
Understanding the SaaS Model for Making Money 740
Creating Apps for the Mobile Customer 743
Chapter 4: Generating Opportunities through the Generations: Millennials, Boomers, and Beyond 747
Understanding the Baby Boomer Market 748
Figuring Out What Millennials Want and Delivering It 754
Getting Online with the Digital Kids: Generation Z 756
Book 11: E-Commerce Advanced 763
Chapter 1: Mapping the Digital Buyer's Journey 765
Deconstructing the Path of an Online Buyer 766
Monitoring the Flipped and Fluid Digital Sales Funnel 768
Putting It All Together: The Buyer, the Conversion, the Channel 770
Chapter 2: Getting Personal with Content Marketing 775
Delivering the Goods with the Right Content Approach 776
Developing Buyer Personas 777
Creating Content for Storytelling and Consumption 780
Launching the Personalization Effort Online 786
Chapter 3: Listening to the Voice of the Customer 793
Using VOC to Determine the Customer Experience 794
Listening and Taking Action: Time to Redesign 798
Increasing Appeal 800
Making Your Website Functional 805
Chapter 4: Overhauling an Aging Online Business 809
Paying Attention to the Signs 810
Qualifying for a Makeover from Lagging Sales 813
Reengaging Customers to Spend with You, Again 819
Knowing Where to Start 821
Chapter 5: Expanding Products to Increase Stagnant Sales 823
Figuring Out When to Expand Your Product Line 824
Replacement or Expansion: The Art of Culling Your Inventory 829
Finding New Products 831
Chapter 6: Transitioning a Small Site into Big Business 833
Seeking Out the Next Level of Your Business 833
Dealing with Accidental Success 843
Purposefully Making the Next Move 845
Index 847
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 3
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 4
Where to Go from Here 4
Book 1: Start-Up Essentials 5
Chapter 1: Starting from Scratch 7
What Are You Waiting For? Start Your Business Now! 8
Choosing Just the Right Business 10
Getting Started 14
Chapter 2: Turning Ideas into a Viable Internet Business 17
Thinking Like an Online Entrepreneur 17
Putting Your Business Idea Under the Microscope 19
Identifying Your Market and Target Customer 26
Competing to Win: Analyzing Your Competition 28
Chapter 3: Getting Real: Creating a Usable Business Plan 31
Understanding the Value of a Plan 31
Recognizing That the Parts of the Plan Make a Whole 33
Getting Help to Write the Plan 35
Using a Business Plan Today, Tomorrow, and Always 38
Chapter 4: Funding Your Online Business 41
Bootstrapping the Low-Cost, No-Cost Site 42
Finding the Perfect Investor 46
Checking Out Alternative Financing 51
Taking a Shortcut: Purchasing an Existing Site 54
Chapter 5: Creating Policies to Protect Your Website and Customers 59
Taking Care of Customers 59
Putting Policies in Place 61
Delivering On Your Promises 66
Chapter 6: Setting Up Shop: What You Need for Online Efficiency 67
A Floor Plan for Success 68
Must-Have Equipment 70
Tools for Your Desktop 76
Your Essential Software Toolkit 80
Connectivity: Today's Internet Options and More 81
Book 2: Legal and Accounting 83
Chapter 1: Minding the Law 85
Keeping Your Business Legal 85
Zoning for Business (at Home) 91
Obtaining Business Licenses 93
Chapter 2: Choosing the Right Foundation: From Partnerships to Corporations 95
Strategizing for the Best Organization 96
Operating Alone as a Sole Proprietor 96
Sharing the Load with a Partnership 98
Limited Liability Company 99
Making It Official with Incorporation 100
Changing Your Organization as It Grows 102
Chapter 3: The Trademark-and-Copyright Two-Step 103
Understanding Why Trademarks and Copyrights Matter 103
Making Your (Trade)Mark 104
Protecting Your Investment with Copyrights 105
Establishing Registration Yourself 107
Retaining Professional Assistance 109
Chapter 4: Accounting for Taxes (and Then Some) 111
The Tax Man Cometh - Again and Again 112
By the Numbers: Accounting Basics 116
Choosing Software to Make Your Tasks Easy 122
Hiring a Professional 124
Following the Rules of Recordkeeping 130
Book 3: Website Functionality and Aesthetics 135
Chapter 1: What's in a (Domain) Name? 137
Choosing Your Online Identity 138
Registering the Perfect Name 141
Finding Out What to Do When Somebody Gets There First 144
All the Good Ones Are (Not) Taken 145
Chapter 2: Designing for User Experience 151
Understanding the Customer Experience 151
Maximizing Performance for Profitability 156
Guiding Website Traffic Flow 158
Looking Your Best 160
Choosing Substance Over Style 166
Chapter 3: Building a Site without Spending a Fortune 169
Mapping Your Route to a Successful Site 170
You Can Do It! Making a Build-It-Yourself Site 175
Creating Your Site with the Pros 184
Chapter 4: Finding the Host with the Most 193
Differentiating between an ISP and a Host 193
Determining What Makes the Difference for High-Performance Hosting 194
Sorting Out Your Website Host Options 197
Putting the Long-Term Contract in the Past 198
Serving Yourself: Don't Overlook Other Server Options 199
Chapter 5: Developing Content That Satisfies Visitors and Search Engines 201
Words Are Words - Right? Wrong! 202
Getting Ready to Write for the Web 205
Moved to Purchase: Turning Words into Action 212
Chapter 6: Going Beyond Beta and Launching Your Site 215
Some Things to Know Before You Start Uploading 215
Taking the Compatibility Test: Testing Screen Resolutions, Browsers, and Platforms 217
Taking a Trial Run 220
Three, Two, One - Take Off! 222
Book 4: Online and Operating 223
Chapter 1: Determining Your Revenue Model 225
Selling Tangible Products 225
Selling Your Professional Services 231
Selling Information 235
Placing Ads for Profit 237
Establishing an Affiliate Advertising Program 245
Putting It All Together: Multiple Revenue Streams 247
Chapter 2: Making Money with Affiliate Programs 249
Looking at How Affiliate Programs Work 250
Signing Up for an Affiliate Network 254
Avoiding Scams and Questionable Content 257
Chapter 3: Turning Information into Profit: From E-Books to Webinars 261
Creating Your Own Information Product 262
Providing E-Books 266
Creating Informational Videos for Profit 270
Putting Together a Webinar 271
Chapter 4: Paying with the Right Payment Options 275
Accepting Credit Card Payments 276
Offering Alternative Payment Options 282
Managing the Payment Process to Protect Your Income 284
Chapter 5: Putting the (Shopping) Cart before the Horse 285
Not All Carts Are Created Equal 286
Shopping Around for the Best Hosted Solution 292
Finding Stand-Alone Shopping Cart Software 297
Designing a Custom Cart 298
Chapter 6: Taking Inventory 301
Finding Out What's Popular 302
Putting Together All Your Research 304
Pricing Your Products 305
Building Your Inventory 306
Chapter 7: Fulfilling Expectations and Orders 309
Figuring Out the Logistics of Shipping 310
Developing an In-House Fulfillment Model 311
Deciding to Outsource Fulfillment 312
Shaping Up and Shipping Out 319
Maintaining the Back End 327
Book 5: Managing Security Risks 331
Chapter 1: Understanding Security and Your Risks 333
Legal Responsibility: The Merchant and the Customer 334
Defining Your Privacy Policy 338
Keeping Your Website Secure 339
Displaying Seals of Approval 340
Chapter 2: Developing a Plan: Security and Business Continuity 343
Making a Plan 344
Creating a Budget for Your Plan 354
Finding Security Resources 355
Chapter 3: Spotting and Thwarting Hackers and Net-Thieves 357
Fending Off Denial-of-Service Attacks 358
Deterring Hackers 360
Avoiding Viruses and Other Malware 362
Keeping Your Domain Name Safe 364
Staying Away from E-Mail Scams 367
Mobile Security Risks 370
Understanding How a Wireless LAN Works 371
Establishing Barriers 373
Chapter 4: Locking Down Your Site and Your Business 377
Protecting against Personal Data Loss and Credit Card Fraud 377
Backing Up Your Data 382
Adding Firewalls 384
Book 6: Online Marketing Basics 387
Chapter 1: Jump-Starting Traffic and Driving Sales 389
Defining Key Elements for Digital Marketing Success 390
Getting to Know Your Buyers - Really Well 392
Calculating Your Site's Conversion Rate 394
Figuring Out When You Get the Most Traffic 397
Getting Customers to Notice Your Website 399
Getting Customers to Buy 400
Chapter 2: Your Own Public Relations for the Web 403
Writing Reviews 404
Becoming a Community Leader 409
Writing Articles 412
Chapter 3: Web Marketing at Work 417
Developing a Marketing Strategy 418
Gaining a Following with Social Media 421
Reeling in Customers with Newsletters 426
Automating Routine Tasks 431
Searching for Traffic with Search Engine Advertising 432
Marketing Your Company Offline 440
Chapter 4: Converting Browsers to Buyers 443
Giving Customers a Reason to Stay on Your Site 444
Anticipating Customer Needs 447
Organizing a Buyer-Friendly Site 450
Keeping Your Shopping Cart Simple 454
Avoiding Assumptions about Your Customers 456
Encouraging Viewers to Buy 459
Chapter 5: Analyzing and Monitoring Your Customers 463
Tracking Trends 464
Measuring Website Traffic 465
Analyzing Your Traffic Analysis Software 473
Collecting the Correct Information 476
Getting to Know Your Customer 479
Using Your Data to Understand Your Business 482
Chapter 6: Mastering Search Engines, Optimization, and Rankings 487
Navigating the Ins and Outs of Major Search Engines 488
Getting Your Website Noticed by Search Engines 490
Placing Keywords in Key Spots on Your Website 492
Arranging Your Pages Strategically 498
Submitting Your Site to Search Engines 499
Watching Your Rankings 502
Moving Up in the Rankings 504
Book 7: Retail to E-Tail 509
Chapter 1: Expanding Online to Keep and Grow Customers 511
Making the Decision to Move Your Store Online 512
Finding the Right Time 515
Bridging Your Offline Store with Your Online Store 518
Making a Flawless Transition 520
Building an Inventory 524
Chapter 2: Managing the Differences between In-Store and Online Commerce 529
Comparing Online and Offline Customers 530
What Your Online Customers Expect from You 532
Establishing Patterns 539
Chapter 3: Window Dressing for the Online Display 541
Creating the Right Look for Your Online Store 542
Creating the Perfect Shopping Experience 543
Beyond Window Shopping: Designs That Lure Traffic 546
Chapter 4: Making In-Store Customers Loyal Online Shoppers 549
Benefiting Customers (and Your Business) with In-Store and Online Synergy 550
Enticing Customers to Your Online Offering 551
Providing a Positive Shopping Experience 555
Making Your Customer the Star 557
Chapter 5: Revving Up with Mobile Marketing, Social Media, and More 559
Distinguishing between Different Types of Mobile Commerce 561
Localizing with Ads 566
Social Media Ads 569
Alternative Ways to Boost Localized Spending 574
Chapter 6: Troubleshooting the Transition to Online Retail 577
Handling Returns in the Store from Online Sales 577
Merging Existing Back-End Systems with Online Requirements 579
Deciding How to Handle Integration 584
Extending Payment Options to Virtual Customers 585
Book 8: E-Commerce Fundamentals 589
Chapter 1: Starting Up with E-Commerce Functionality 591
Knowing What You Want: Features 592
Realizing What You Can Have: Cost 597
Shopping for E-Commerce Solutions 599
Chapter 2: Mastering the Amazon 601
Joining the Marketplace 601
Achieving Professional Seller Status 609
Taking Advantage of Other Selling Opportunities with Amazon aStore 610
Chapter 3: Web-ify Your Store with Shopify 613
Why Open a Shopify Store? 614
Setting Up Shop 615
Managing Your Shopify Store 618
Selecting a Plan 624
Breaking Down the Fees 625
Growing with Your New Business Partner 626
Chapter 4: Making eBay THE Way 629
Understanding How eBay Works 630
Getting Started on eBay 630
Setting Up an Item for Sale 634
Opening an eBay Store 641
Book 9: E-Business for the Nonprofit 647
Chapter 1: Raining Donations: Fundamentals for Online Giving 649
Determining How Your Organization Can Benefit 650
Convincing Your Board of Directors 652
Chapter 2: Adding Online Moneymakers to an Existing Site 659
Determining Which Features Your Site Can Support 660
Adding an Auction to Your Site 666
Soliciting Donations on Your Site 669
Chapter 3: Growing an Active Donor Base: Your Virtual Community 677
Building an Online Donor Base from Scratch 678
Putting Together a Plan to Reach Donors 682
Converting the Faithful 683
Reaching Out to People Surfing for Charities 686
Chapter 4: Identifying Online Marketing Strategies That Fit the Cause 689
Asking for Donations 689
Making Donating Easy 697
Chapter 5: Legal Considerations for Nonprofit Organizations 699
Designating Responsibility 700
Creating Online Policies 701
Registering Your Charity 703
Gaining Seals of Approval 704
Book 10: E-Commerce Trends and Market Opportunities 707
Chapter 1: Discovering Niche Markets 709
Deciding to Sell a Niche Product 709
Finding Your Niche 713
Chapter 2: Building Business via Social Commerce 717
Setting the Virtual Stage for Success 717
Using Online Socializing to Build Social Commerce 720
Creating Your Own Video Channel 726
Gathering, Networking, and Promoting: Online Communities 732
Chapter 3: Evaluating the SaaS Model: Selling Software and Apps 737
Deciding to Deliver Online Services 738
Putting the Software in the SaaS 739
Understanding the SaaS Model for Making Money 740
Creating Apps for the Mobile Customer 743
Chapter 4: Generating Opportunities through the Generations: Millennials, Boomers, and Beyond 747
Understanding the Baby Boomer Market 748
Figuring Out What Millennials Want and Delivering It 754
Getting Online with the Digital Kids: Generation Z 756
Book 11: E-Commerce Advanced 763
Chapter 1: Mapping the Digital Buyer's Journey 765
Deconstructing the Path of an Online Buyer 766
Monitoring the Flipped and Fluid Digital Sales Funnel 768
Putting It All Together: The Buyer, the Conversion, the Channel 770
Chapter 2: Getting Personal with Content Marketing 775
Delivering the Goods with the Right Content Approach 776
Developing Buyer Personas 777
Creating Content for Storytelling and Consumption 780
Launching the Personalization Effort Online 786
Chapter 3: Listening to the Voice of the Customer 793
Using VOC to Determine the Customer Experience 794
Listening and Taking Action: Time to Redesign 798
Increasing Appeal 800
Making Your Website Functional 805
Chapter 4: Overhauling an Aging Online Business 809
Paying Attention to the Signs 810
Qualifying for a Makeover from Lagging Sales 813
Reengaging Customers to Spend with You, Again 819
Knowing Where to Start 821
Chapter 5: Expanding Products to Increase Stagnant Sales 823
Figuring Out When to Expand Your Product Line 824
Replacement or Expansion: The Art of Culling Your Inventory 829
Finding New Products 831
Chapter 6: Transitioning a Small Site into Big Business 833
Seeking Out the Next Level of Your Business 833
Dealing with Accidental Success 843
Purposefully Making the Next Move 845
Index 847