Color Impact in Marketing - How Do Colors Influence Us?

Colors play a crucial role in marketing, just as they do in online marketing. They have the power to influence our perception, evoke emotions, convey a message, trigger buying impulses, and even guide decisions. The associations triggered by colors like blue, green, or orange depend on various factors such as cultural background, memory, and expectations. Furthermore, color psychology defines some basic properties that are universally associated with colors.

The intriguing question is: How can these insights be effectively utilized for targeted marketing? The online marketing team from Munich delves into the colorful world of the color palette in this article and explains, using the example of a newsletter, how color psychology also works online.

Why are colors so important in marketing and what do they achieve?

The human brain is wired to attribute specific qualities to colors and associate them with impressions. Each color communicates with the viewer on an emotional level, which largely influences our decisions. This is why colors are much more convincing than plain text. By tapping into this emotional level, colors have the power to convey messages and evoke feelings that can significantly impact consumer behavior and decision-making. This is precisely why colors are a vital tool in marketing strategies, as they can effectively convey a brand's personality, values, and messages to the audience.

Imagine a scenario where a lemonade is being marketed. A yellow can would instantly create the perception that the drink is likely to be refreshing. On the other hand, a blue can might be less appealing. In this case, the color association and expectations don't align. Similarly, the color choice for packaging can have a significant impact on how a product is perceived. For instance, a light green packaging for a night cream might evoke feelings of sustainability, which would be appropriate. However, the same color might seem out of place for a luxurious gold ring. This illustrates how colors can create immediate associations and set expectations, making them a vital tool in influencing consumer perceptions and decisions.

In the context of online marketing, a striking orange CTA (Call to Action) button signals "Follow this path." On the other hand, a dull gray call-to-action simply goes unnoticed, and the potential customer gets lost in the customer journey because there is no clear navigation to follow. This demonstrates how the use of colors, such as vibrant orange, can guide users and enhance their experience by providing clear visual cues for action.

In short, all these examples rely on the so-called color psychology.

What is color psychology?

Color psychology deals with the impact of colors on the human beings who perceive them. The focus lies on the emotions, thoughts, and moods that colors evoke. It's important to know that colors have a subconscious effect. Since their significance is deeply rooted within us, they trigger positive or negative emotions – sometimes without us being able to explain it ourselves. The fundamental, biological associations are universally applicable, which is why specific attributes can be attributed to certain colors. Only personal experiences or cultural factors can alter perception.

Green: Environment, Nature, Happiness, Prosperity, Growth

Red: Energy, Love, Passion, Fire, Strength

Orange: Vitality, Joy, Youth, Freshness

Yellow: Cheerful, Optimism, Affordability, Playfulness

Blue: Creative, Harmony, Stability, Trust

Gray: Professional, Efficiency, Formal, Clarity, Minimalistic

Brown: Reliability, Traditional, Earthy, Masculine

Understanding the associations most people have with colors is crucial when it comes to building a brand image, marketing a product, or preparing a newsletter campaign. That's exactly what we want to explore in more detail below to demonstrate how online marketing can harness the power of color psychology.

The Choice of Colors for Newsletters

Colors in Newsletters serve different purposes. They can emphasize the content, direct attention to specific sections, and prompt certain actions. Of course, it's not advisable to just randomly use colors and create a multicolored newsletter. What's more important is that the colors align with the brand, the target audience, and the type of campaign.

With the development of the corporate design, the company's colors are selected and should be consistently reflected in the newsletter as well.

Next, the focus is directed towards the expectations, needs, and demands of the target audience. For this purpose, the associated attributes of color psychology can be utilized.

Likewise, readability should be taken into consideration. Light text on a light background or dark text on a dark background should be avoided.

The newsletter recipient should be encouraged to click on the call-to-action. Accordingly, this should be more visually striking in color than the rest. Red, green, or orange quickly draw attention to the button.

An A/B test is an excellent way to determine which color combinations are truly effective and well-received by the recipients. Sometimes, the results can be surprising.

Conclusion: Impact of Colors in Marketing

The Impact of Colors in Marketing, including Online Marketing, is a tool that shouldn't be underestimated when it comes to effectively engaging target audiences. Through the right choice of colors, specific emotions can be evoked and targeted calls to action can be established.

Each color conveys a message. The choice of colors should always align with brand values and the intended message. The key is to strike a balance between brand consistency, target audience appeal, and calls to action. This is highlighted by the example of color design in a newsletter. Ultimately, color choice can make the difference between a newsletter that ends up in the trash and one that enjoys a high click-through rate.

If you have any further questions about color effects in marketing, especially regarding newsletter campaigns, feel free to reach out to the experts at our online marketing agency in Munich!