E-Commerce Isn't Scary When You Know Your ABCs

Editor's note: Since 1964, business-management counselors at nonprofit organization Score have given free advice to small-business clients spanning every industry. They currently serve nearly 400,000 entrepreneurs nationwide each year -- check in every week for their prudent advice.

Dabbling in small-time theater for the past two months, I quickly learned that enthusiasm and a bit of talent won't get you noticed unless you've got a URL.

I grudgingly ventured into the world of "e-commerce," an intimidating and nebulous term that left me wondering how I could compete with the tech wizards out there working for Time Warner TWX or DisneyDIS. More importantly, I wondered if my bank account would survive the hit.

Jennifer Shaheen, Score's go-to woman regarding all things technology, has demystified the World Wide Web for many entrepreneurs. After reading her ABC's of e-commerce, you won't have an excuse to be without a page to call home.

A Is for 'Audience and Allowance'

Every day, Monika Werner, business director and co-owner of Joschi Body Bodega in New York, taps into a Web marketing budget she created when she first wrote her business plan.

"So often the Web piece gets left out" of a marketing plan, says Shaheen. She and Werner recommend early budgeting for a Web campaign that should include expenses like pay-per-click for search engines and email marketing.

Next, find out who to spend your Web marketing dollars on. Rather than using a costly marketing research firm, use free social networking opportunities on the Web to learn whom to target and how to reach them. "So many people are starting to understand there are other things on [the Web] than just search engines," says Shaheen.