One Killer Marketing Strategy you’re probably Overlooking!

What is color?

Do you ever wonder why seeing the color red can completely change your mood?

Or why doctor’s offices have a different hue than the local gym?

It’s all about color and how different colors affect the human brain and as a result, can help shape your business perception with just a glance.

We are surrounded by these tiny light waves that are bouncing all around us. Our eyes have receptors called rods and cones to interpret these waves into data we understand. By reading this post you are experiencing color, these words are black (the absence of light — or fully absorbing light) and the page white (the full color spectrum — or every color we can perceive mixed into one).

In his book, ROY G. BIV, Jude Stewart explains the deep roots that colors have created in the human race. He describes the different emotions one color can stir in two people. For example, the color white in the United States is a part of our patriotism (red, white, and blue), finding its way into our militaries’ uniforms, and our flag.

In China, however, the color white is often a sign of mourning, usually worn at funerals and creating an emotion of sorrow. While some colors convey universal meaning, others, as the color white, can convey totally different messages depending on the background of the recipient. Therefore, it is not a bad idea to know how the colors you use for marketing will be received by your target audience.

Color is very POWERFUL and recently has become a popular subject for marketers and business people alike. Color psychology should become part of our vocabulary as we develop our next marketing campaign. Here are three reasons why:

1) COLORS ARE MEANT FOR UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONS

According to Neuroscientist, Mark Changizi, as he explains in his book, The Vision Revolution, humans have evolved to see colors in order to read the changes of emotions on another’s face. When someone is blushing or angry, their face will turn bright red; this type of color change can tell a lot about a person’s mood, emotion or state, and we recognize this subconsciously.

With a history in marketing, my first reaction to reading this was “OH MAN, I HAVE STRUCK GOLD! By playing with different colors I can control their emotions and make them buy all my stuff!” WRONG!!! Think of colors to branding as Cheech is to Chong.

Color alone is effective but when properly aligned with your brand’s personality, it can equate to an unstoppable duo. When choosing colors for your brand think of the personality you want to accent! Think of how that color makes you feel, for you are a consumer too!

2) USE COLOR TO BRING OUT YOUR BRAND’S PERSONALITY

According to the Social Science Research Network , 65% of the US population are visual learners. That means there are 111 million people who learn new ideas, techniques, trades, etc. by taking in the information with their eyes! That means more than half of ALL your consumers will decide to click or buy depending on the visuals you put in front of their faces. These viewers want something that they can relate to, a brand they can trust, and a memorable logo with a GREAT color scheme. Apple uses white with their brand to give a simplistic and clean feeling, and the result: SUCCESS!

While color cannot be everything, by choosing the right palette you can cement the personality that your company may be trying to portray. There has been little empirical evidence to validate that these feelings linked to colors are universal but here are some emotions that people have linked to these following colors:

RED: Energetic or Intense — warm color (red has been found to increase performance with athletes during practice).

BLUE: Calmness — cool color (this is the most popular favorite color among both men AND women).

GREEN: Soothing (the color of NATURE, this is among the most popular color associated with tranquility).

BROWN: Strength (this is the least favorite color for men).

ORANGE: Warmth (this is the least favorite color for women).

With that being said, no wonder the Cleveland Browns are having such a horrible year. They are pissing everyone off, on and off the field. I can say that because I am a longtime fan!

3) USE COLORS THAT MAKE YOUR BRAND STAND OUT FROM THE COMPETITION

When my brother and I started Arctify, our marketing company, we put countless hours into researching similar companies. My job was to find ways we could stand out from the competition. I started with a list of brand names, color schemes, logos and more.

I discovered a continual use of the color BLUE in most of the competitors, a nice, calm and trustworthy color. The Google search pages filled with icons and logos that showed the color blue for each agency. I knew that in this world of Blue, the color Red and Yellow would jump out at the viewer. Arctify went to the drawing board.

We ended up creating a logo that encapsulates the personality of excitement and fun — we went with red and yellow along with others! Color psychology does not always have to be about an emotional striking; it can be as simple as what pops out. When choosing your colors to fit your brand’s personality, make sure to do some extensive research of the competition.

There is no escaping color. Being conscious of the color spectrum around us helps in creating the cool or warm mood that we strive for. Color psychology is a hot topic in marketing and business nowadays and can have a considerable effect on the projected audience. I challenge you to use and master the power of color within your genre of business!

Thank you very much for reading — If you liked what you read, then do me a huge favor and pound that Heart Button!! Karma is REAL

I want to see your color options, send me over your best brand choices to arctifycontent@gmail.com!!