Platonik blog

Building a membership website by customising Adobe Business Catalyst

Mon, 14 May 2012 06:17:00 GMT

Last year Platonik were approached to build a membership website for brands365.co.uk.

This would be a membership website where business owners would pay a joining fee to connect with other buyers and sellers in an trading/auction style platform.

This screencast is a case study of the business model and the customised Adobe Business Catalyst technology we used to realise the business.

We've got user managed web apps, we've hacked the commenting module to create an bidding style auction and we've got social media built into blog posts and comments. Oh and we also created their brand identity.

Setting up Adobe Business Catalyst email on an iPhone

Mon, 14 May 2012 06:09:00 GMT

This is a video showing you how to set up pop email on your iPhone for Adobe Business Catalyst users.

Adobe Business Catalyst iPhone blogging

Fri, 11 May 2012 17:41:00 GMT

This is a video screencast showing Adobe Business Catalyst users how to blog from their iPhone to blog using an app called Blogpress.

I've used a Apple Mac app called Reflection.app which uses Airplay to mirror my iPhone screen onto the Mac and recorded the screen using Camtasia 2 for the Mac.

I hope this is of benefit to all new and existing BC end users and partners.

Platonik build luxury homes website

Wed, 09 May 2012 09:43:00 GMT

Platonik have designed, built and launched the website for luxury home developers in Troon, JC Morton Homes. Built on the Adobe Business Catalyst platform, the objective of the website is to raise awareness of the new properties they shall be developing in Ayrshire.

The secondary objective is to introduce their range of services and show case the vast experience they have in building commercial and residential properties.

The website has been built around what people are searching for online; so lots of locally optimised pages. We've also set up a news blog for the client to keep the site fresh with updates on the progress of the property developments.

Platonik Launch Property Developers website

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:19:00 GMT

Platonik have launched the website for Ayrshire property developers, Viga Limited. We modernised their brand identity, created their website based upon the layout of their other development, Auberne Homes, and created all the website content.

The site is a launch pad for the company with ongoing developments, case studies and news still to follow.

Design, Build and Launch of Auberne Homes

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:55:00 GMT

Platonik have recently completed the design, build and launch of the Auberne Homes website. This new property development concept is to enable home owners to choose a plot of land and either self build, purchase the building "shell" or a completed priority.

As our population ages, the homes shall be constructed in a future proof manner, hence the concept A Home For Life. This is the first location in which the concept shall be applied to.

The website project consisted of :

Brand and Logo
Website Design
Keyword research and copy writing
Design and build of the website on the Adobe Business Catalyst platform.

Thanks to our brilliant designer and best wishes to Auberne Homes with this innovative concept.

Platonik to build builders website

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 06:41:00 GMT

Platonik have been hired to redesign and rebuild the website for Ayrshire property developer Viga Limited. We shall be freshing and modernising their corporate identity as well as building a website to showcase their services and portfolio of previous home building projects.

Here's the new corporate identity

Here's the older identity which we felt was rather outdated and the company name was rather difficult to read with the dot of the letter I situated above the letter V. A subtle change which should better communicate the client's brand.

Platonik to redevelop van accessories website

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 06:54:00 GMT

Platonik have secured the contract to redesign and redevelop the leading van accessories website in the UK; Vanarack.com

We've had an ongoing dialogue with Vanarack.com for the past year and it was felt now was the time to upgrade the ecommerce functionality and capitalise further on the growth and success of their web business.

We are now in the design phase after extensive search engine optimisation research, analysis of their sales funnel, usability testing as well as analysing heatmaps and mouse clicks of visitors.

Vanarack are paying us to help them sell more online; testimony to our strategy of being the only ones who build websites with business in mind.

Sample a Product with Adobe BC

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 06:10:00 GMT

We just created some Adobe Business Catalyst functionality to enable a client to sell sample products on their website. This functionality uses javascript, the existing ecommerce large product template and a secure webform.

The customer receives a follow up email 7 days after the sample order purchase to prompt them to purchase the tiles they need for their tiling project.

This is just a small example of how we build with business in mind.

To view this, click here »

How Many visits if I'm number 1 (spreadsheet)

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 11:57:00 GMT

How many visits will I get to my website if I am number one is an age old question.

But first you need to know how many people are searching. This short screencast shows you 2 ways to find out how many people are searching, then using the spreadsheet you can work out how many visits you'd get IF you were number.

And IF is a big question which will be addressed when we launch The Cave (code name)

Complete the form and I'll send the spreadsheet to you

The Cave (code name) (coming soon)

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 11:58:00 GMT

The Cave

The Cave (code name) will be the place to provide answers and solutions to your online sales and marketing problems; it will be ideally suited to Adobe Business Catalyst and Muse website owners.

If you are interested in driving traffic, generating more website enquiries, selling your products to new and existing customers and boosting revenues, pop in your details below and we'll keep you abreast of what is coming and when.

Identity

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 10:06:00 GMT

New identity for new client. Website is on the test server. If you are in Ayrshire, Scotland, you can follow them here on Twitter »

iPhone Blogging with your Adobe Business Catalyst website

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 08:20:00 GMT

The settings you need to blog from your iPhone are:

UserName : the email address you use to log in to the Admin section of your Adobe Business Catalyst website

Password : the password you use to log in to the Admin section of your Adobe Business Catalyst website

URL/XMLRPC: http://www.yourwebsiteaddress.com/MetaWeBlogAPI.ashx (replace http://www.yourwebsiteaddress.com with your website address)

How to Use Adobe Business Catalyst to send personalised emails to your Hotmail contacts

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:40:00 GMT

This is a 24 step by step PDF outlining how to use Adobe Business Catalyst to send personalised email to your Hotmail contacts.

If you have other contacts stored in Outlook or Thunderbird or your phone or anywhere else, the same process literally applies; you just need to detect the source of your stored contacts.

Sorry it's a big file (25MB). But it's worth it.

Using Adobe Business Catalyst to email your Hotmail contacts

How everyone else is doing the web, wrongly

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:04:00 GMT

As someone who runs a business or works in sales or marketing, you undoubtedly need people to enquire about or buy your services and products.

There are very few businesses today that don't rely on the internet as a channel to generate new business.

And yet (almost) everyone is doing it wrong. So before I tell you what works, I'd like to clear up 5 myths I believe are floating around that harm a business owner's chance of success online.

I'll do it myself
Buying a cheap template, one of those blog hosted social sites, getting your IT manager or your nephew to do it won't work for your business.
Neither will an offer from a company offering an "affordable" 1 or 4 page website. (If you want to find out what affordable is costing you, read this » )

Great Design
Great design doesn't sell. It can help but it doesn't sell your company or product. Think of great design as being a well dressed salesman with a briefcase and brand new company car parked in the office car park. He hasn't called or met any sales leads yet.

Perfect Code
Perfect code is like a great engine underneath a car. The engine sounds great, the car looks great but it's ultimate purpose is to get you from where you are now to your destination.

Social Media
Social Media is really easy to adopt. That's why those with a very limited business skill set are attracted to it. Anyone with an internet connection, who can type and hit a follow button are the qualifications for social media expertise.

If you are a business offering people the chance to win an iPad, you'll attract the wrong people, not those who have a problem needing solved.

Social Media is like the wild west; it's still in its infancy with very few tested, proven and measurable business results.

Migrating the status quo online
Let's say you are some kind of professional services firm, simply building a website about who you are and what you do isn't going to work long term or scale very well.. The market is too cluttered and your competitors have a 10 year head start on you.

Plus, clever software developers have figured out how to sell your traditional service online globally for a fraction of the price as a service as a software solution.

So, what kinda works ?

The reason I say "kinda" is that there are no guarantees but there are things you can do to give yourself the best possible chance of success.

1. Remarkably solves a problem
You need to find or come up with a product that solves a problem for a whole bunch of people. And it's gotta be remarkable. When I say remarkable I mean in the eyes of prospect customers. Take RiderScan. This guy invented a blind spot safety mirror for bikers.

The product never existed before. Every biker knew of the problem but a solution never existed. Since day one, RiderScan has been selling in all parts of the world.

Take my friends at Kiyuco. They sell a monthly subscription for web designers who want further education and training on a web platform that only came into existence 5 years ago.

2. The Market Size and Market Competition
Did you know that 14,800 people in the UK every month search online for a "lost driving licence ?" Whilst 2400 search for a "lost driving license ?" The only difference being the spelling of the last word with a "c" and an "s".

There are virtually no searches for these terms in January however July and August tend to be peak months ? I wonder why ? People going on holiday ?

Here's my point : you don't know your market or your prospect customers until you've done some actual research. Whilst you may strike it lucky and come up with a ground breaking idea like RiderScan (who inevitably will need to be positioned in front of people looking for motor bike mirrors or bike blind spot) you need to get under the skin of Google and figure out what's going on with people.

By doing this kind of research you can find high volume niche markets and stick your web pages in front of these people (profitably).

3. Overcoming the Dip
The Dip is that part where you give up when it gets too difficult.

The Dip is when a business owner has a website built and they don't see the business results straight away; they give up and move on to something else. And yet it's when they don't give up and keep at it, through hard times, is when their business success begins to pay off.

4. You
You're the only one who is going to make the web work for your business. You don't need to actually do it all yourself. But you need to do stuff. You need an end game, a monthly goal, a plan to get from a to b, and a means of measuring what works and what doesn't. You need to be prepared to fail, get back up on the horse and try again. (yes, I've failed more times than I've succeeded)

You need a team, in person or virtual. You need to ignore what everyone else is doing and do your thing, concentrating on your product, your prospects and customers.

This is the way things have always been in the real world; hard work, determination and a purpose.