Platonik blog

We have just launched the new website for G2 Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Ltd. G2 are an air conditioning company in Glasgow who work with many businesses to service, maintain and repair refrigeration and air conditioning equipment.

Built on the Adobe Business Catalyst platform, we undertook extensive research to find out what people were searching for on google and built the website around that. With over 100 pages of content focused around users, the site is a far cry from your typical small business website.

The business focus for G2 is to promote their service contracts. So we used ad rotators banners across all pages to communicate this service.

The site also has a strong call to action for website visitors to contact and make business enquiries. Many thanks to our virtual web team for realising this website.

This is a longer than normal screencast showing restaurant owners how to create a booking Form with Adobe Business Catalyst on their website.

In this video you will see how to create a form, link the customer enquiry to a marketing list and then create a series of automated follow up emails to the people on that list.

Of course, regardless of the type of business you have, you should be implementing this kind of enquiry follow up.

We have redesigned and relaunched SamJarmanGolf.com. Sam is a golf coach. You can read the full case study and history here »»

I've been hunting around trying to find a location to host training for a customer. Firstly, there is a serious gap in the market for independent businesses and people to host short professional meetings and those who don't want the corporate hotel meeting room experience.


So I checked out a hotel nearby me. The form is like a survey. I just wanna know availability and cost. They wanna know way too much.

Here's the link to the guilty party's booking page »»

So I've bailed and turned to Twitter for help.

We have just launched this restaurant booking web site for the only Turkish dining restaurant in Glasgow. From a positioning perspective, the client isn't leading their messaging with "Turkish food" but as a "Restaurant, Grill and Mezze Bar".



The site uses the Live Booking system but the majority of the site ispowered using Adobe Business Catalyst utilising these core modules:

• Content Management System
• Booking forms linked to the CRM/Contact Database
• Reviews and Commenting
• Dynamics menus
• Photo Gallery and Literature
• Email Marketing for follow up dining offers

The key to a restaurant web site is getting the fundamentals correct.

• Imagery displaying a busy restaurant
• Make the telephone number and booking forms extremely visible
• And leveraging all the positive comments previous diners have made

You've heard the expression, behind every successful man is a powerful women. Well, it's a bit like that when it comes to the internet. Behind every great developer or designer is a marketer.

Now I am not disrespecting designers and developers but they simply excel at different things from us marketing folks. They are not trained in getting under the skin of business owners and getting to the crux of a business problem and solution.

Hey, this business would not be in existence without designers and developers. It's a collaborative thing.

Now one of the things that really bugs me is companies who build client's a web site and puts up a contact us or join our mailing list with

• No call to action
• No offer
• No incentive

So here's an assortment of different lead generation forms which help connect the website visitor, who has a problem as they arrive at the website, and a business owner who is looking to connect with the website visitor who has a problem they wish solved.

The Basic Enquiry Form

Whilst it is basic, the form captures enough information for the business owner to quickly close the sale if the price is right.

The Waiting List Form

More and more companies are operating waiting list system. Bottom line it helps them with forecasting, cashflow or if you are like Apple it creates scarity.

The Permission Marketing Form

The classic web site form; I offer you something in exchange for your basic details and then follow up over a period of time with emails and communication in order to build trust and an eventual sale.

The Application Form

Fill out our application and we shall evaluate if you are a fit with us. Again creates a level of scarcity encouraging the user to complete the form.

The Quick Quote Form

The person comes to the web site looking for something but isn't ready to buy.

The I'm Busy, Let me See If I'm Available Form

Again creates a culture of scarity.

We've just launched a website for a cavity wall insulation company in Scotland called Ecosave.



Essentially the brief was to create their brand identity, explain what they offer and how to get in touch with them. The website is built on the Platonik platform, powered by Adobe Business Catalyst, and uses the following modules:

• Adrotator on the home page to manage the images of the "ideal prospects"
• Webforms seamlessly integrated with the crm system
• SMS messages to alert the field based staff to website enquiries
• FAQ's to communicate the main questions and answers
• Content holders to host and manage testimonials

We shall be working with them on seo and ppc campaigns to raise visibility and generate enquiries.

We are launching a few more web sites this month. Here's a lead generation website for an SEO company based in Glasgow; who come very well recommended if you need SEO services.

Let's say run an integrated offline advertising campaign. In your adverts you have a non geographic number which tracks the number of calls you receive from each advert. You will also want to place a website url on each advert which is both unique and measureable.

You have created a landing page on your website for one of your key services or products which is a bit long.

http://www.platonik.co.uk/lead-generation-web-sites



That's a bit long, prone to users typing it incorrectly and you cannot track the effectiveness as this page is used as the main url on your website.

Use the 301 redirect function.

Copy your landing page url



Create a new page
Call the new page leads
Type leads into page URL
Paste the original landing page url into the field 301 redirect and save



You can create as many different new pages with the same page url and the 301 redirect function depending on the number of different publications you are advertising in.

And the great thing is you can track the visits to each of those pages either within your google analytics account or using the Adobe Business Catalyst analytics.

I received a telephone call earlier this week from a referral who told me he had someone who wanted a website.

He proceeded to tell me that this business man really new the web very well. The chap had designed screen shots for his new web business. I was then asked for a price. My reply was that I needed to understand what kind of business this gentleman had and what he was trying to achieve.

"Oh, he just wants a bog standard website"  was the reply.

Taking a deep breath, so I didn't blurt out my immediate response, I told my contact that I don't do bog standard websites.

I was speaking to a client whose new site is going live in the next few days. This is a young chap who has found a niche in the market. We were having a right good business conversation about business and then he just blurted out "You were way more expensive than anyone else. My mates said I could have got this done alot cheaper"

• Did I deliver you an identity that is professional ?
• Does my work give people that reassurance they are dealing with a professional business?
• Does the site explain what you do, what it costs and how to enquire ?
• Does any one else have a referral system that doesn't distract you for turning these enquiries into £££'s ?

"Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes" was the reply.

So if you want bog standard go and find a teenager or one of those off the shelf templates; we don't do bog standard web sites, we do lead generation websites or ecommerce sites.