From mobility to scalabilty, here’s a look at the top trends in ecommerce for the coming year.
By Jennifer Shaheen, January 7, 2011 | As featured in Entrepreneur

What’s in store for online businesses in 2011? There are several changes on the horizon, but one common thread through them all is the need for flexibility. Your customers are accessing information in more ways than ever, and their expectations are high. To meet them, you’ll need to be nimble.

From mobility to scalability and security, here’s my take on the most important trends influencing online business technology in the coming year and what they could mean for your website.

Read more...

By Jennifer Shaheen, December 9, 2010 | As featured in Women and Biz

Fact: Technology is changing.

Fact: How our customers use technology is changing.

Fact: Your website is a marketing tool based on changing technology.

Today we live online and we do it by utilizing many different tools; our smart phones, our ipads, and our computers. Customers expect us to deliver information to them through the tools they use. Looking for more than just text with images on the page. This has made life more exciting and more challenging, but the fact is we all have to change to grow.

Read more...

A successful transition can be as easy as asking the right questions.
By Jennifer Shaheen, September 27, 2010 | As featured in Entrepreneur

If your business is growing, you might be realizing that your Web designer isn’t capable of growing with you. Either way, you might want to migrate into a newer system with more features No matter what the situation, moving a website to a new firm or upgrading to a new site requires a plan. You need to ask yourself what you can do to prepare. Here are some items to help you interview new firms and begin to create a plan for a smooth, successful transition.

Read more...

If you’re loyal to them, they’ll return the favor.
By Jennifer Shaheen, July 2, 2010 | As featured in Entrepreneur

How do your customers use the web? It’s a simple question, but a question many small-business owners forget to discuss when working on their website. Frequently, small businesses get focused on their own technology and not the tools of their customers. From iPads and smartphones to oversized monitors and laptops, how do you deliver your message to your customer online today?

Read more...

An effective website should work and grow with your business.
By Jennifer Shaheen, June 10, 2010 | As featured in Entrepreneur

Are you considering building a website for your small business–or having one built for you? Before you dive in and create one, it’s crucial that you consider your website an investment in your business and act accordingly. This means looking down the road and making sure that the way you build your site allows you flexibility and a cost-effective way to grow the site–and, in turn, your business.

Read more...

By Jennifer Shaheen, May 20, 2010 | As seen in Marketing Coach

Today’s small businesses are just as active using social media as consumers; however, the way they approach social media is very different. Small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) are learning to use social media to communicate with their customers, discover new trends and generate ideas. They are finding social media platforms to be an effective and efficient way to get their message to the right people.

The best way to connect with small businesses is to start with what they need most:
research and information.

Read more...

Before you can make sales, you’ll need to make connections.
By Jennifer Shaheen, May 5, 2010 | As featured in Entrepreneur

From jewelry designers to musicians, from shop owners to authors, everyone is looking for a way to sell products or services online. How do you begin, and what do you need to know about setting up and managing an online store for your business? Whether you do it yourself or hire a firm, you are the expert at what you sell, and your involvement is crucial to the success of your web store.

Read more...

By Jennifer Shaheen, April 4, 2010 | As featured in Women & Biz

Wouldn’t it be neat if you could buy a studio apartment in New York City with the ability to expand it at any time to a one bedroom and then a two bedroom? You could start with what you could afford and then expand your living space as you were ready financially. What a great idea, it’s too bad we can’t do this in a physical world, but in a virtual world this is completely possible. It is a great way to start thinking about your company’s website.

Read more...

Not getting what you need from the mainstream sites? Build your own.
By Jennifer Shaheen, April 14, 2010 | As featured in Entrepreneur

Building a social website isn’t the same as adding social elements to a website. You’re not just plugging in a widget to your website to show the streaming newsfeed from your blog. If your business model is focused on building a social website, what does this mean from a development point of view?

Read more...