Baltimore Fights Crime with Direct Mail

via Deliver Magazine The Baltimore County Police Department is turning to personalized direct mail in its fight against crime. The department recently sent customized letters to owners of specific models of cars commonly targeted by auto thieves. The letters shared anti-theft reminders like keeping doors locked and parking in well-lit areas. The campaign resulted in a 38-percent reduction in thefts of those models. “The personalized letter certainly caught the owners’ attention, and the results exceeded our expectations,” says police spokesman Bill Toohey. The county plans future mailings that will target owners of other high-theft models.— Vicki Powers

Name of the Game: Acquire and Retain

via www.emarketer.com “For online marketers, search is the most effective tactic for customer acquisition,” says Mr. Hallerman, “and e-mail is the most effective for customer retention.”

Going Viral… In a Good Way | Clean Slate

via bhgrealestateblog.com How can you create elements on your website or through your client follow up program that also make it easy to capture that experience and share it with a wider audience with the click of a mouse? The easier it is for someone to communicate on your behalf, the more likely they are to do it… images, video, well written accounts… even physical direct marketing (see my previous blog entry “Ready, Aim…. Aim…. Aim…. Fire!“) can help you get there.