Study: Content should determine message layout

If you think all email messages should have the same layout, think again. A recent study from Marketing Sherpa determined that, for the best results, content should determine the layout of an email message and that layout should change with each campaign.

by Kristina Knight

The study followed pet supply specialists; through testing layout and content they found that changing the layout according to the content of a message was the best way to increase ROI. They tested vertical design locations and then re-tested, using slightly different offers. In both cases the items at the top of the page received more interest. Finally, they tested landing page functionality. They found that landing pages hotlinked to products pages were a good sales incentive; consumers didn't have to click through several pages to buy the products they needed. They also limited the articles (content) included in the messages to 100 words.

After tallying the results, researchers found that emails with articles (content) at the top out-performed messages driven by products alone. They also found that including content in email messages influenced the readers to purchase more products.

"Teach them how to buy or why the products are important," said Gordon Magee, team leader for the study. "For example, if you are a men's clothing retailer, it might be a good idea to send out an email that explains how to match colors. The 'X goes with Y, but doesn't go with Z' kind of information. Or, 'Here is how you should launder a particular piece of clothing.'"