subject: The Twelve Step Plan to Profitable E-Commerce [print this page] The Twelve Step Plan to Profitable E-Commerce
After getting your Web site up and running, you'll be able to use low-cost marketing and advertising techniques for promoting and managing your business. The following twelve steps can be used to make sure you have everything in place to do business on the Internet:
1. You should gather the people that are going to be involved with your Web site and sit down and write out your goals and ideas. It's important to include all the ideas no matter what they are. You want to be as creative as you can at this point. Later you can refine these goals and ideas. You should also develop your implementation plan at this time.
2. You should develop a rough draft of your budget including all the potential costs so that you can set realistic expectations to go along with your goals and ideas. You will adjust your budget later.
3. Now you should review the products and services you intend to sell. Weight the advantages and disadvantages of each item and service you intend to sell. Decide how you will handle the money. Will you use the services of such places as Clickbank and Paypal? How will you promote and advertise your Web site and the products and services that you offer? How will you handle delivery of your products?
4. Find and study the competition. Take time to see how they promote and sell their products and services. Check out their Web site. Pay close attention to how it is laid out, how the customer navigates the site. Think globally when you are looking at Web sites. Other countries may handle e-commerce differently.
5. Determine what market of consumers you want to target. Adjust your Web site if needed. Decide where you are going to sell your products, locally or globally. The products and services you are going to provide will determine where you operate.
6. At this point finish your budget. Take into consideration the development of your Web site, marketing, customer service, maintenance, Web hosting, payment system, secure server certification, domain names, search engines and staff needed.
7. Decide what makes your business different from your competition. Separate yourself from the competition. Capitalize on these differents.
8. You need to have a solid marketing plan in place. This plan needs to show exactly where you want your business to go and how you are going to get there. It must be written and include techniques for improving visibility on the internet.
9. You need to layout the design and structure of your organization. You should know ahead of time what you want the Web site to do and how to do it.
10. You must decide on how you are going to handle the money. What do you want your shopping cart to do and how will it function. You should talk to a CPA about taxes ahead of time so that you are keeping your books in a manner that will facilitate the paying of taxes, payroll and profits.
11. As you near the start date all services should be in place. This includes Web hosting, a digital certificate and your complete Web design. Details of all products and services need to be ready along with digital images and pricing.
12. Launch your Web site. At the start keep a close eye on your site to catch and fix any problems. Listen to your customers for additions and improvements that need to be made. Have friends and relative test your Web site's function.
By following the above steps you'll be well on your way to a live Web site. Your site will be ready to sell products and services in the global Internet community. By doing your research and planning you will be ready to enter the world of e-commerce at the lowest possible financial investment.
