• by Liz Tascio , June 27, 2006

The University of Dayton has run the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop every other year since 2000. The first year, director Tim Bete used a regional direct mail campaign, and the conference sold out in six months.

This year, Bete switched to e-mail marketing, targeting the subscribers to the conference’s monthly online newsletter, HumorWriters.org. The conference sold out in 12 days, with 250 people on a waiting list.

The secret is to build and maintain the right list. First, define your target audience, says Jeanniey Mullen, senior director and partner of e-mail marketing, OgilvyOne Worldwide. Then set expectations during the opt-in process.

“We’ve seen up to a 47 percent increase in response when we show the person a sample of the e-mail messages they’re going to see in the future” and explain how often they’ll arrive, Mullen says. And always include a “forward to a friend” option in every e-mail.

Personalize mass e-mails with first names, and build relationships with sites that reach a similar audience, says Bete. These techniques keep the workshop’s e-mail list targeted and growing. As for 2008, Bete expects to sell out in 72 hours.