There’s an old saying in marketing that ‘Content is King.’  While there is certainly an argument to be made that audience is every bit as important as content for a successful campaign, there is no doubt that compelling content is a huge part of a successful email campaign.  A smart subject line may deliver a strong open rate, but only great content will get recipients to read and engage with the email beyond the initial open.

Here are three quick tips for creating compelling email marketing content:

1. Think about your audience

Here’s where I make the pitch for the importance of knowing your audience in the marketing equation.  One of the most important aspects of creating compelling content is understanding what your audience will find interesting.  What is important to them, as it relates to the product or service you are promoting? Are they looking to solve a problem, learn about a subject, or take pleasure in some activity? Just like a successful sales pitch may focus on fulfilling the needs of a prospect, your content needs to provide something your audience in searching for.

Figure out what interests your audience and you’re well on your way to delivering content they will want to engage with.

2. Find the right tone

It’s a pretty safe bet that you’ve received emails with a wide variety of approaches and tones of voice.  Emails that focus on key consumer motivators, delivering information, engaging with humor, making a personal connection, establishing expertise, etc.  There are a huge number of approaches to connect with an audience with the right tone.

One thing to remember is there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach for finding the right tone for your messaging.  You need to reflect on both your audience and what they are likely to find compelling, and on your own company or offer to determine what approach will best achieve your objective.  If you’re looking to establish your company as thought-leaders in an industry, humor may not be the best tone of voice for your emails.  But, if you are looking to connect with consumers in a casual manner, then something like being funny may be just the right approach.

3. Ask questions of your audience

One strategy that can be very effective in driving recipient engagement is actively asking your audience to engage.  Ask them for their feedback on a topic, include a survey, prompt them to ask you a question. It follows the practice of having a clear call-to-action in your marketing campaigns. If you want a person to respond, don’t be afraid to ask them. One of the most common mistakes in face-to-face sales or direct marketing is forgetting to ask for the sale. In this case, the action you’re looking to prompt may be buying a product, filling out a lead form, downloading a piece of content, or simply responding to the email.  Do not forget to clearly ask your audience to take the action you are looking to drive.