We were proud to sponsor the Metro West Legal Services (MWLS) ‘35 Stars’ event earlier this week at the Wellesley College Club. We created the MWLS website about a year ago. MWLS provides free legal services to low income people who otherwise would be denied justice. The keynote speaker, Prof. Kathleen Engel, gave a powerful speech about everything from predatory lending to the larger U.S. financial quagmire. Her keynote was followed by several awards to those who have aided low income people including the homeless, elderly, disabled, immigrant and otherwise disenfranchised. The evening was capped off by proclamations by the Massachusett’s Senate and Congressional representatives recognizing the critical service MWLS has provided over the past 25 years.
 
Sally and I both left the event feeling inspired by the good work that one of our clients has done and happy to have sponsored such a well deserving organization. 

Concord Conserves, a non profit started by Bartlett Interactive, launched a website application that allows individuals to calculate their footprint, make reductions and compare themselves to others, both locally and globally. The website application was created as part of a 2011 Conservation Challenge for residents of Concord and Carlisle, MA.

Web Application Dashboard

The web app includes a ‘dashboard’ showing an individuals total carbon footprint, comparison to others around the world and how many earths needed if everyone lived like that person as well as the amount of reductions that person has made. There is also a ‘groups’ section which shows how individuals compare to other people in their town and how many reductions each person has made.

“People in Concord are very conservation oriented but many don’t realize how large their footprints are” says Concord Conserves and Bartlett Interactive founder Harry Bartlett. “The web app shows how people compare to others both in terms of consumption and reduction. This type of peer-to-peer information has proven to be a powerful driver for people to change their behavior.” 

Bartlett Interactive developed the web application as well as a promotional strategy that included creating a 40’ sign and sidewalk messages that ask the question “What’s Your Footprint?”. The signage was created by local high school students Wyatt Burns and David Yanofsky and created using re-claimed plywood and paint.

40’ “What’s Your Footprint” sign at Emerson Field in Concord MA

The Challenge kick off event was held at the Harvey Wheeler Community Center in West Concord Sept. 27, 2011 and showcased companies and organizations that help reduce people’s footprint. The event included 14 exhibitors and music and art work by CCHS high school students. See a video and photos of the event on Facebook.

Harry Bartlett (Bartlett Interactive), Morwen Two Feathers (Concord Conserves) and Wyatt Burns (artist)

A poster campaign with large photos depicting the different aspects of sustainability such as oil production, local food, conservation land and drought were also put up around town.
To date about 140 people have made 300 reductions, reducing 106 tons or carbon. Many of the participants are high school students who used the web app as part of their Earth Science class.

See more at www.ConcordConserves.org/Challenge and the Facebook page.

Web design tools, content management systems and Internet marketing processes (SEO, email) continue to evolve, providing more extensive capabilities, easier to use software and reduced cost. BITS (Bartlett Interactive Tool Suite) is a collection of the best tools providing clients higher value websites and Internet marketing programs at a lower cost.

BITS is based on Bartlett’s 14 years of experience delivering web solutions for over 150 clients in a variety of industries.

The tool suite focuses on the 3 key areas of a healthy online presence:

1. Design: tools that enhance the branding and design of websites as well as user interactions such as innovative ways of displaying and interacting with content
2. Marketing:tools and best practices for easily managing online conversion, email programs, Search Engine Optimization and Social Media that generate leads and brand awareness
3. Technology: a feature rich and well tested open source content management system (CMS) for easy website editing, publishing and deployment of advanced capabilities such as e-commerce

See more details about BITS and web design, web development and Internet marketing at Bartlett Interactive

EXAMPLES

The following projects were recently completed using BITS system. 

Better Homes and Gardens
www.bhglivebetter.com

Better Homes and Gardens needed a web presence and Internet marketing platform for introducing their Kitchen Collection line sold through Walmart. The site included many features such as a blog, recipe swap, extensive product photography, blogger contest, video and social media integration. Post launch services include SEO, email marketing and social media integration. 

The site has over 400 pages and uses Drupal core functionality plus about 30 add-on modules for managing content, blog, social media and community functionality. BITS allowed for easy development of the site and online community as well as post launch Internet marketing activities, saving time, increasing effectiveness and providing a healthy ROI.

EBSCO Publishing (EP)
www.bizsum.com

EP needed a web application that could be easily replicated and customized for multiple product offerings. Some of these offerings include subscription based e-commerce for the general public, private corporate communities, free trials, forums, user authentication, on-site search, blogs, RSS and socal media feeds.Each product website utilizes extensive Drupal core functional and numerous off the shelf and customized modules.The benefits of the BITS system included: reduced time required to develop the web application, easy management of websites and the ability to launch complex product offerings easily in the future.

UTEC
www.utec-lowell.org

 
The site we built for the United Teen Equality Center (UTEC) included extensive website design and development, an online community and advocacy tools for a nationally renowned non-profit serving the youth community in Lowell, MA. Website features include an online store, social action petition micro-site, forums, job resources, videos, Flickr fed photo galleries, online donations, audio gallery, SalesForce.com integration, on-site search and private user area.

The BITS system saved development time allowing for more time to be spent on design, messaging, social action (online petitions and advocacy), user interactions and site features such as the photo, video and audio galleries.

GET STARTED
Getting started is easy, just contact us at (978) 369-2472 or online (links to form). We’ll analyze your needs and recommend the easiest, most cost-effective way to obtain value from your website and online marketing programs.

Here at Bartlett we recently launched an online dashboard for GreenRay Solar, that helps consumers see the amount of energy their system generates in real time, as well as the environmental benefits.     A stream of live data is visualized through an animated and interactive display of statistics, charts, graphs, and icons. The dashboard helps the homeowner to measure solar power by the day, week, month, and lifetime of the panels. Taking into account the amount of sunlight available, it shows the amount of energy produced including an animation of the days and week’s solar activity and environmental benefits e.g. how many cars taken off the road.

  According to Suparna Kadam, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer at GreenRay Solar, the dashboard becomes the "face of the product… The Dashboard is a key part of the sales strategy since it conveys the most important benefits quickly".

  As renewable energy becomes more viable and popular, being able to see actual data becomes a critical part of selling the product. According to Harry Bartlett, principal at Bartlett Interactive and founder of ConcordConserves.org, “There’s a great demand by consumers to see how much energy they are producing as well as any information that quantifies an environmental impact or benefit. The GreenRay dashboard is a rich source of data that consumers can easily understand and appreciate”.

  The dashboard is also useful as a diagnostic tool for GreenRay engineers and installers. Installers can access information for all of their installations and monitor the panels to make sure they are working properly. GreenRay's engineers also benefit from access to large amounts of actual data, which helps inform product development decisions as well as understanding how best to site solar panel arrays.

New addition to the Bartlett Interactive team expands company’s web development capabilities

 

Concord, MA February 14, 2011 – Bartlett Interactive, an interactive design agency, is excited to welcome newcomer Ben Davis to a versatile team of developers and creatives. Ben Davis, a native of New Hampshire, has recently joined the Bartlett Interactive Team as the in-house web developer and PHP guru.

A graduate of Lyndon College, with a BA in Digital Media and an AS in Computer Science, Ben has a focus on web development. He brings his knowledge of XHTML, CSS PHP, MySQL, jQuery and multiple CMS applications including Drupal and Wordpress to enhance BI’s current projects.

Founder Harry Bartlett is looking forward to working with Ben. “Ben’s addition to our team expands our web development capabilities. We will be able to provide a much more in depth experience for our clients while continuing to provide Drupal as a platform. Ben is a perfect fit for our focus on building websites that increase brand awareness, lead generation, and online advocacy for non-profits.” 

Check out this short video about Bartlett Interactive including what we focus on and a few examples of work we have done.

The second edition of BAH (Bakery After Hours) happened last week - see photos on Flickr. BAH is a social networking event we started with Kim Novick and Paul Dewey, which brings together professionals interested in innovation, inspiration and positive change. The highlight of the evening is the BAH-Slam, similar to a poetry slam but the participants are drawn from the business, art and non-profit worlds.

The name is derived from our venue, Nashoba Brook Bakery in Concord, MA. We take the room over once the café has closed, hence Bakery After Hours. Moreover, we have lots of fun saying BAH.

The September 23rd's BAH-Slam featured:

Gwen Acton, PhD, who is CEO of Vivo Group, strategic consultants who play at the intersection of science and business. She also heads up a non-profit group, Women Entrepreneurs in Science and Technology (WEST), is the author of the book "The Bluffer's Guide to Genetics" and can talk from experience about both Harvard and MIT.


Wayne Maceyka who is innately inquisitive. He holds an ME from Worcester Polytechnic and a freshly minted Sustainable MBA from Bainbridge Graduate Institute. His passion: creating resilient economies to generate, restore, & preserve capital -- social, natural, & financial. When not saving the world, he works for the measurement technology firm Mettler-Toledo. See also Wayne's post about the event at his blog The (un)Sustainable Commentator.


Vinnie Sestito, a creater of event experience buzz. He is a trusted communications advisor who has worked with headline entertainers and thought provoking speakers producing public and private events throughout the world. His new venture, Experience Partners, leverages the power of conversation to effect change.

Bartlett Interactive started BAH to promote interesting businesses, ideas and people in the area. Future BAHs will be held bi-monthly. If you'd like to be notified of when future events will be held or speaking opportunities e-mail us at info@bartlettinteractive.com.

UTEC (United Teen Equality Center), a non-profit in Lowell MA, drew a large audience for their inspiring hour long program of spoken word poetry, break dancing, incredible stories from Lowell teenagers and the people who run the organization.
 
                               
 
The ICA galleries for the Shephard Fairey exhibit were also open during the event. Fairey's work combines powerful imagery, messaging and branding.

To share the inspirational messages of UTEC, Bartlett is in the process of developing a new web site and online community for the organization.

See photos taken at the UTEC Shephard Fairey event at the ICA in Boston.
 

Harry Bartlett, Principal at Bartlett Interactive, recently gave seminars focused on practical solutions for developing web 2.0 intiatives including the use of social media (Facebook, LinkedIn), e-mail marketing and SEO. See the events below:

1. Tuning Web 2.0: Practical Solutions for Internet Marketing
National Guild: North East Chapter and Workshop - Springfield, MA

                      
                                          National Guild Seminar
                     Left to Right: Harry Bartlett, Kate Yoder, Eric Bachrach

2. Investing in a Website: How the Internet Can Grow Your Business
Concord Chamber of Commerce Business Lunch Seminar - Concord, MA
 
The goal of the seminars was to emphasize how to prioritize initiatives, use low cost methods and gauge results as online marketing options continue to increase.
 
Highlighted Statistics:

• E-mail provides the highest return on investment of the following marketing programs:

               House e-mail marketing: 25%
               Search Engine Optimization: 18%
               Paid Search: 16%
               Public Relations: 12%
               Direct Mail: 12%
               Print Advertising: 4%
               Online Ads (banners etc.): 3%
                                           -MarketingSherpa Search Benchmark Guide 2008
 

• Outbound vs. Inbound Cost Per Lead

              Outbound (trade shows, direct mail, print ads, TV/radio ads): $255/lead
              Inbound (SEO, blogging, social media, RSS,  public relations): $45/lead
                                                                                             -Hubspot
 

• “There was an estimated 276% increase in Facebook users ages 35-54
  during the last six months of 2008, bringing their total to almost 7
  million users."

                                                                                            - New York Times
 

Last night we hosted the Concord Chamber of Commerce’s monthly business after hours event. It was a great chance to show off our new studio and to network with other local business people.

After some great conversations, which inevitably ended up in the finer points of search marketing and web trends, we all gave our elevator speeches to the crowd. One of our clients, Shelley Amster from Apelles Partners attended as well as Peter Bagley from The Marketing Dept. I learned about Paul Jensen’s Jaegerbakkens (a dog breed of small munsterlanders) and that he has no problem with website traffic since he is the only breeder in North America (a marketing coup of which we’re all jealous!).

Lots of others attended, too numerous to mention, but we’d like to thank everyone who made the event a success.

Check out some more photos from the event