The Birth of a Successful Internet Business
Part three of ten - Essential Software
By Shelley Lowery
An essential part of running a successful Internet business is quality software.
Software will play a major roll in your success. You must be willing to invest
in the software you'll need to assist you in running your business.
Email Program
The first and most important software you'll need is a quality email program.
Although most Internet Service Providers include email accounts for their
customers, these accounts aren't adequate for an Internet business -- especially
if you get a large amount of email. Not only do the email addresses contain
your ISP's name, but they are also very limited on features and options.
There are many email programs available on the Internet. However, the best
program I've found is Eudora. Eudora is a standalone email program that works
with any ISP. It will enable you to easily organize your email by filtering
your messages into specific mailboxes. This feature alone can save you a
great deal of time. What's more, your email address will be your own domain
-- not someone else's.
Eudora
http://www.eudora.com
Mailing List Software
Collecting your visitors' email address is one of the most important parts
of developing a successful Internet business. You must develop a database
of potential customers if you truly want to succeed. Publishing an ezine
is a great way to accomplish this. In order to do so, you must have a good
mailing list program that will enable you to send your potential customers
personalized messages.
Mailloop
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=ml
Group Mail
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=gm
If you're using a software program that resides on your computer, you'll
also need a good form processing script to enable your visitors to subscribe:
Master Form
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=wm2
If you're an American Online customer, you won't be able to use a software
program that runs on your computer. You'll need to use a program that runs
with your web browser.
1-2-All Broadcast Email
http://www.activecampaign.com/
Subscribe Me
http://www.siteinteractive.com/subpro/
HTML Editor
Your website is the storefront of your business and is one of the most important
factors in determining your success. In order to design your website, you'll
need to get a good HTML editor.
Coffee Cup
http://www.coffeecup.com/editor/
DreamWeaver
http://www.macromedia.com/software/dreamweaver/
HotDog
http://www.sausagetools.com/
HomeSite
http://www.allaire.com/Products/HomeSite
Microsoft Frontpage
http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage
Before you begin the actual design process, I highly recommend that you download
and install two web browsers -- Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.
These are the two most widely used browsers on the Internet. However, they
are not created equally. Your page might look great when viewed through Internet
Explorer, but may not display well when viewed through Navigator. It is very
important that you view your website through both browsers, and design your
pages accordingly.
Internet Explorer
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.asp
Netscape Navigator
http://home.netscape.com/computing/download/index.html
Graphics Editor
Graphic design is an intimidating subject for many Internet entrepreneurs.
However, most of us must learn some basic design techniques in order to avoid
the high costs of hiring a professional designer.
In order to create or edit your graphics, you'll need to invest in a good
graphics program. The most popular program used by Internet marketers is
Paint Shop Pro. This powerful program is the only program you'll need to
design professional looking graphics.
Paint Shop Pro
http://www.jasc.com/
Zip/Unzip Program
Zip files are used to compress and transport file archives over the Internet.
It is the preferred method used for electronic file distribution, as rather
than downloading several different files, you can simply download one Zip
file. In addition, the download time will be minimized, as the files within
the Zip archive are compressed.
Once a Zip file is downloaded, it can be easily opened and extracted (unzipped)
with a Zip/Unzip software program.
Although there are many Zip software programs available on the Internet,
WinZip is the most popular. WinZip makes working with file archives simple.
WinZip
http://www.winzip.com/download.htm
FTP Program
File Transfer Protocol, better known as FTP, is a procedure used to upload
and download files to and from your web server.
In order to use FTP, you'll need to download and install a software program
on your computer. The most widely used FTP program is WS FTP Pro.
WS FTP
http://www.wsftp.com
Text Editor
Text editors have a variety of uses such as writing HTML, editing scripts,
and writing ezine articles -- just to name a few. NotePad is an excellent
text editor and is most likely already installed on your computer. However,
it can't handle large files and is better suited for smaller files. You may
find that you'd like an editor that is a little more powerful. I use a great
program called NoteTab Pro. This powerful editor will enable you to edit
large files, format your text, convert your text to HTML, and even includes
a spellchecker and thesaurus.
NoteTab Pro
http://www.notetab.com/
Ad Tracking
Testing and tracking your marketing strategies is an essential part of your
success. I recommend using a great script called LnkinLite. It's simple to
use and will assist you in tracking all of your strategies.
LnkinLite
http://www.dtp-aus.com/cgiscript/lnkinlte.shtml
Financial Management
In order to keep track of your business financial matters, you'll need to
invest in a good financial management software. The best program I've found
is Quicken. However, as this program is very difficult to use and understand,
you may want to use a spreadsheet program, such as Microsoft Excel, and set
up your own system.
Quicken
http://www.quicken.com
Tax Program
Filing your taxes and keeping up with the ever-changing tax laws can be very
intimidating. However, if you keep good records and use a good tax program,
you can file your taxes with ease. I highly recommend using Turbo Tax. This
great program will make the process a lot easier and even enable you to file
your taxes electronically. What's more, it will even allow you to import
your Quicken files.
Turbo Tax
http://www.turbotax.com
Although this list of software is far from complete, it will provide you
with a basic guideline to get you started.
If you're serious about your business and you really want to succeed, purchasing
software is an absolute must. Do your homework and select software that best
suits your needs. It will be well worth the investment.
Copyright © Shelley Lowery
About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design
Mastery.
http://www.webdesignmastery.com
And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book.
http://www.ebookstarter.com
Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips
and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing
Strategies."
http://www.web-source.net
|
