If you’ve ever visited a website for the first time and felt like you could instantly trust the company but couldn’t quite put your finger on why that was, you were likely experiencing the powerful impact that visual elements have on your psyche.
The fonts, imagery and colors used in digital marketing all work together to communicate influential messages that inspire us to take action, whether we’re aware of it or not. While all of these elements work in tandem to successfully incite action, color is typically has the strongest pull in motivating buyer behavior. Oftentimes this happens on a very subconscious level, tapping into meanings and significance we’ve applied to certain colors throughout our lives.
As marketers, the power of color is a useful tool because we can invoke specific feelings in potential customers, communicating our messages more effectively and inspiring action among our audience. While every color has a psychological significance behind it, there are a few that are commonly used in digital marketing. Here are five of them.
Greens: When most people see green, they think of money. This makes shades of green an ideal color for financial institutions and organizations. Darker shades of green can convey a sense of trust and security or invoke feelings of calmness because of an association with nature. Lighter shades of green are often used across the medical and fitness industries because of their relationship to renewal, health and energy.
Purple: Purple is a great example of how varying shades of a single color can have such a wide range of meanings behind them. Darker shades of purple often signify wisdom, power and magic. Lighter shades of purple, such as lavender, can have a calming effect and are ideal for spa and wellness-based businesses for that reason.
Red: Red is truly a power color, even in the world of digital marketing. When used to convey a strong message and balanced correctly with other colors, it can effectively underscore important messages and draw much-needed attention to them. On the flip side of this, shades of red can work against your business, subconsciously signaling a feeling of danger. Just like with traffic signs, red can often symbolize “stop,” and stop buyers from taking action.
Blues: Blue is a color that is frequently used to instill a sense of trust, peace and hope. The strategic use of blue shades can communicate to your audience that they can depend and rely on you. In general, blue has many positive associations behind it. The association to water often instills a sense of serenity.
Black: Sometimes viewed as an ominous color, black can be very powerful when used strategically. When used with a simple color palette, such as with white, black can create a sense of luxury and allure, or even mystery. Because of this, shades of black are frequently used among high-end automobile and nightlife industries.
Now that you have a basic understanding of the power of color, it might be helpful to take a fresh look at your website and marketing campaigns to gain an understanding of the feelings and actions your choices of color are invoking in your audience. Need a little help? Contact us for a free assessment!