Our Strategy

Technology enables us to change, and forces us to change. The emergence of the Internet is undoubtedly one of the most exciting developments of this century. Businesses which take advantage of this powerful new medium will enjoy a significant competitive edge in the years to come.

20/20 Technologies has an aggressive and focused plan for establishing a profitable business presence on the Internet and the World Wide Web. This document outlines the major components of our strategy.

NOTE: Some of the terms in this document are hyperlinks. For a definition, just click on it.

Establish A Web Site for Your Business

Establishing a business site on the World Wide Web is the cornerstone of any successful Internet marketing project. Two features which make the Web powerful business tool are graphics support, and interactive capability through the use of hyperlinks and forms.

A good Web site should contain your existing promotional material, but it should also include additional information which would normally be considered excessive if used in traditional media. Because hyperlinks allow the layering of information into levels of detail, a Web site can provide a large amount of information without appearing "cluttered". This means that any information which migh t be of possible interest to a customer should be offered.

A good Web site should be interactive. 20/20 Technologies uses the Web's interactive capabilities to provide features such as categorized on-line catalogs, electronic order forms, definition of terms, and information layering. If a customer needs more detail or wants to place an order, it's just a mouse-click away.

A good Web site should also contain interesting and colorful graphics to catch the reader's eye. These typically consist of company logos, photos of products, business locations, owners, etc. The best images look professional, yet are small enough in size so as to avoid unnecessary delays while they are being sent to the user's terminal. 20/20 Technologies specializes in creating attractive and compact graphic images.

Hits, Hits, Hits

The object of our efforts is to increase the number of hits on your home page. A hit is a single access of your Web site--a potential customer accessing information. The easier it is for an Internet user to find your Web page, the more exposure your page will get. You will receive a monthly total of the number of hits on your site, enabling you to benchmark the growth of your Internet presence.

Make Your Web Site Visible

The first step in generating activity at your Web site is making your home page accessible to users of the Internet. There is no single database which catalogs all the pages on the World Wide Web. Different users become familiar with different ways of locating and accessing information. 20/20 Technologies uses several methods to make your Web site visible. The primary method is to submit your home page to all available searching and indexing resources. We have compiled a list of these resources, and are always on the lookout for new ones when they become available.

Newcomers as well as experts rely heavily on subject trees, which are lists of Web pages indexed by topic for easy browsing, much like the Yellow Pages. There are dozens of popular subject trees, and they all allow listings to anybody who takes the time to submit the information.

Another powerful tool for finding information is called a search engine, which retrieves lists of Web pages that match user-supplied search criteria. For example, to learn about tents, just enter the keyword tent, and the search engine will supply you with a list of Web pages with references to tents. Like the subject trees, search engines allow submissions.

20/20 Technologies will submit your new account to all popular search engines and subject trees, firmly establishing your initial visibility on the Internet.

Use A Hook Page

Another major element of our strategy is the creation of what we like to call the hook page. The contents of this page should be related to your business, provide useful information, and be non-commercial. Somewhere in the hook page will be a convenient hyperlink to your home page. Your home page, in turn, will also be linked to the hook page. For example: if your business sells camping tents, you might make a hook page called A Primer On Camping. This page will attract camping enthusiasts, who in turn are likely to visit your home page (via the link to it) and see what you have to offer.

The hook page serves three functions:

it attracts people surfing the Internet,
it provides a way to promote your Web site in areas of the Internet that do not condone commercial advertising, and
it gives people a reason to come back to your Web site.

A hook page can be virtually anything, as long as it doesn't violate copyright law. Here are some examples of hook pages:

A list of resources on the Internet pertaining to a certain topic.
A Cool Sites on the Web or What's New on the Web page.
A document which might be read by a certain group. E.g., A Primer on Camping.
A game or puzzle page. It might relate to your business, or it might be just for fun.
A comprehensive list of just about anything.
A picture gallery.

In addition to your home page, the hook page will be also be submitted to the various subject trees and search engines. There will be more than one way for people to enter your site.

Change Your Web Site Often

If your Web site is changing on a weekly or monthly basis, people are more likely to come back. Features like Fun Site of the Week can make people bookmark your page, which allows them to easily return later.

If you have an online catalog, consider featuring one product every week in a special section. For example, an online bookstore could have the Book of the Month page, where a book is given a more complete treatment than the catalog listing.

Netiquette

The Internet is a distributed network, which means that no single computer or administrator is in control of all the information. The behavior of Internet users would go widely unchecked were it not for self-adopted policies on what is unacceptable behavior. These policies, collectively known as netiquette, serve to discourage violations ranging from childish pranks to massive drains of Internet resources. Out of respect for the Internet--as well as common sense--20/20 Technologies does not endorse or employ any method of advertising that violates this concept of network etiquette.

UseNet

UseNet is the Internet's discussion forum. It's divided into newsgroups, which are the various topics of discussion. There are over 5000 topics, with much overlap in contents. It is read by millions of Internet users.

Messages on UseNet traverse the world in a day or two, are free to post, and reach a specific reading audience. For these reasons, it's a good way to advertise a Web site. However, many newsgroups specifically say in the charter that they are not for advertising, lest they be flooded by unwanted solicitations.

This is another case where the hook comes in handy. Although you can't advertise your service directly, you can provide people with the address of your hook page(s)--which will, in turn, lead them to your home page. This is because the hook page itself is non-commercial, therefore netiquette is not violated.

Mailing Lists

A mailing list is similar to a UseNet group, but the messages are relayed by private email. Mailing lists tend to be of a more specific nature than UseNet, often related to particular business niches. Participants may send messages to all members of the list, and for most lists advertising a relevant Web site is encouraged.

Trade-Off Links

A trade-off link, or reciprocal link, is an arrangement made between two Web sites. They agree to link to each other in order to increase the number of hits for each site. In order for this to work, the two sites should be of somewhat related content, and yet they should not be in direct competition. For example, a company selling hair products could have a trade-off link with a company selling makeup. Both Web sites receive an increased activity, since each side gets additional hits via the new link to their site.

Upon request, 20/20 Technologies will research related pages on the Internet in an effort to establish effective trade-off links.

Web Promotion in Conventional Advertising

20/20 Technologies suggests that its clients put their World Wide Web address, as well as their email address, on all appropriate promotional materials. This includes business cards, display advertisements, and even your letterhead. This will not only increase the hits to your home page, but also project to your customers the image of being a progressive company utilizing the latest technologies.

Maintaining Your Presence

Once you have established your presence on the Internet, a small amount of maintenance will keep your page visible and interesting. 20/20 Technologies actively manages your Internet presence in a variety of ways:

Keeping abreast of the latest trends in the Internet, always looking for new resources which could apply to your business.
Managing the parts of your Web site that change on a regular basis.
Testing and updating the links on your page. Since sites sometimes change addresses or close down, it is important that invalid links are removed from your site.
Pursuing trade-off links.
Making mailing-list announcements where appropriate.
Reposting UseNet announcements where appropriate.

With the help of 20/20 Technologies, your home page can become a landmark on the information superhighway, attracting hundreds--if not thousands--of people daily.