Color has long been attributed to influencing action, invoking a mood, emotions, or a feeling. It has been found that certain colors could be tied to a spike in blood pressure, eye strain, and a boost in metabolism. But how is it that color can create these conditions?

Color Psychology Defined

Color psychology examines how colors influence both human behavior and emotion. It is generally believed that the capacity for colors to conjure up certain emotions is tied to deeply held memories that we have of those colors throughout our lives. 

For example, as most people view the ocean and the water as calming, evoking a feeling of serenity, the color blue is typically associated with feelings of peace and placidity. 

How Colors Impact Consumer Decision

The ultimate goal of marketing is to establish an immediate connection with your audience that builds loyalty and awareness for the brand from the beginning. Color psychology plays a major role in this. 

Logos and copy could certainly communicate the mission and values of the company. They can even create a meaningful connection with customers and potential buyers. However, the colors that are utilized throughout the marketing strategy are a powerful medium in which to send an influential message. 

Subconsciously, customers are already forming their own conclusions and assumptions about the company, simply the colors being used to represent it. 

Knowing this presents a golden opportunity for companies to carefully and strategically choose colors that evoke emotions that inspire customers to both connect and take action. A certain color used on a company website could encourage a potential customer to sign up for updates or a freebie.

Once your company learns and embraces the psychology behind colors, it will facilitate the building of your customer base, which will in turn increase sales.  

How Colors Affect Your Conversion Rate

Humans responding to color is clearly seen in our everyday lives. When we are driving and we see a red light appear, we automatically stop. When the light changes to green, we go. Same with marketing. You can use certain colors to drive a certain action from your audience. These actions can convert your audience into customers. 

In a test conducted by HubSpot, they discovered that changing the color of a button to red received 21% more clicks than when it was left the green. 

Let’s have a brief overview of a few colors used by popular brands and what they generally represent:

Red

Red is an intense color, to begin with, and therefore, it is usually related to passion, excitement, and action. Brands such as Coca-Cola and CNN use this bold color to draw considerable attention. The Coca-Cola brand provokes hunger and CNN provokes alertness to watch their news programming. 

Yellow

We usually associate yellow with the bright rays of sunshine. It conjures up feelings of cheerfulness, happiness, being carefree, and the wonder of childhood. One of the most iconic logos that can be seen from miles away is the McDonald’s sign. The giant “M” is a bright yellow that can be seen prominently by day or by night. This is why kids are drawn to McDonald’s as it reminds them of Happy Meals and the indoor playground.

Green

The color green has been long associated with nature’s lush beauty, health, fertility, and even money. That is why we see prominent brands such as Whole Foods and John Deere proudly display their greenish hues throughout their marketing logos. 

Whole Foods symbolizes health and all things natural. John Deere sells machinery that tackles forestry and agriculture. 

How Colors Are Used In Various Industries

Color psychology is alive and well throughout many different industries. Tech firms use color value or green to create a sense of vitality, calmness, and rejuvenation. What this encourages is a long time spent on social media platforms.

Financial institutions have long used the dependable color blue to generate a sense of trust, safety, and reliability.

Retail stores utilize the colors green and orange to inspire hopefulness and stability. Lots of restaurants use the color red to draw in customers as it is believed that the color creates a sense of appetite. 

Know The Importance Of Color Psychology

There is no doubt that the markets, in general, are becoming increasingly more competitive. Marketers must be increasingly more creative in order to draw in customers, retain customers, as well as increase sales. Social media has demanded that customers deal with people, not corporations, so marketers must be agile and respond to questions, requests, and complaints immediately.

Then there is the social responsibility aspect that customers are looking for in companies. Companies must get involved in social issues so they are not seen as greedy corporations existing merely for financial gain. 

This is why companies must work hard to establish a meaningful connection with their audience, convert through content creation, and offer a seamless and positive buying experience. But none of this can happen without applying color psychology to every aspect of their marketing strategy. Just featuring a changing certain colors can promote brand loyalty, conversion, and eventually more sales.