By Angela Leavitt

Many of our clients turn to us for help with email marketing. Typically, they have tried to do it on their own and are frustrated with their results. By avoiding the following “deadly” mistakes, you can easily increase the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns.

Mistake #1: Selling, selling, selling

Are you trying to sell something in your email? If so, good luck. Telecom services are complex and require a long sales cycle, so using email marketing to sell is going to be highly ineffective.

Do this instead: Focus your email marketing to prompt your prospect to take one simple, no-risk action. For example, download a free white paper, attend a Webinar or event, or subscribe to your company blog.

Mistake #2: Having email “Motor Mouth”

If your email is longer than Homer’s “Odyssey,” you’re going to get a lot of deletes and unsubscribes. We see this all the time. For some reason, many companies feel they need to spell out every little thing in their marketing emails, resulting in close to zero conversion rates.

Do this instead: Keep it short, sweet and simple. Use bullets instead of long paragraphs. If more information is necessary, include a link to a landing page. Your email is meant to tease, so make sure it doesn’t reveal everything, or your prospect won’t have a reason to contact you.

Mistake #3: Not including a clear, concise call to action

So now that your prospect has read your wonderful email, what are they supposed to do? Most emails lack an effective call to action.

Do this instead: Decide on one clear call to action and display it with a large link in the email. Examples are: “Join Our Free Webinar,” or “Download Free White Paper,” or “Subscribe Today.”

Mistake #4: Having a sucky subject line

Your subject line is what will get your prospect to open the email, so it’s critical that you have a good one. Most subject lines either lack intrigue or they come across as spammy. Either option is going to result in low open rates.

Do this instead: Think about newspaper headlines. They always include a little element of mystery, enticing you to read the article. So instead of, “Great Meeting You at the Channel Show,” which is boring, your subject line could be, “We Never Thought We’d Do This at the Channel Show.” The second includes some intrigue and mystery. It leaves the reader asking, “Do what?” and they are much more likely to open the email to find out.

By following these guidelines in your telecom email marketing, you will see drastic improvements. Have you found any tips or tricks to improve your email marketing? Please share your comments below.

Angela Leavitt is the chief mojo-making officer for

Mojo Marketing

. With more than 10 years of experience in sales and marketing, and nearly four years in the telecom channel, Angela helps telecom companies design and execute effective strategies for social media, PR, branding, Web development and more.