Case Study: Clan Hunter Website by Gill Wilson

The following case study appeared in Business Scotland Magazine, celebrating the collaboration between ourselves and the Chief of the Clan Hunter, together with other women from Scottish Women in Business:

Build, maintain, grow, they are the watchwords – the guiding philosophy – at the heart of Glasgow-based IT company Buttered Host.

So no surprise then that when founder Gill Wilson met Madam Pauline Hunter of Hunterston, 30th Chief of Clan Hunter, at a Scottish Women in Business networking event, they hit it off from the word go.

Both were focused on building cutting edge communication systems – Gill for each and every one of her clients, Madam Pauline for her clan scattered around the globe.

The result was www.clanhunterscotland.com, a website fit for the 21st century.

Gill said: “For me, a website that is as functional as this one is the pinnacle of what we do at Buttered Host.

“Besides the ecommerce area and the layers of software containing genealogical information, there are also a lot of connection points, helping people to become members, for example, and to book visits to Hunterston Castle.

“Functionality is all about communication and creating those connections between the website owner and their potential customers, and it’s building that bridge I find so satisfying.”

Hunterston Castle has been owned by the Hunter family since it was granted to them by King David in the 12th century.

The website enables clan members to book visits to the castle and acts as a platform for the fundraising campaign launched to build a new clan centre where they can physically meet, once that’s possible again.

Madam Pauline’s aim is to grow active membership of the clan, Gill’s was to provide a website that would help her do just that.

“Throughout the site there are many opportunities for people to engage with the clan through images, video, membership, Facebook groups, purchasing clan gifts through the shop and signing up for email notifications,” she said. “There is also a fantastic blog by Lucy Jane Hunter Weston, Madam Pauline's cousin.

“Madam Pauline is a truly pioneering Clan Chief and has great vision for taking Clan Hunter into and beyond this century - it was a joy to be involved in building this site and all the different strands of functionality needed.”