As a business owner, you’re always on the lookout for simple, cost-effective ways to promote your business. Here’s one you may not have thought of: adding a dash of color to your marketing materials.
According to the US Small Business Administration, color increases brand recognition by 80 percent. In fact, a whopping 93 percent of consumers say “visual appearance” is the primary factor they consider when buying a new product.
Black text on a white page is an efficient way to communicate basic information. But as a small business owner, you want to do more than just inform people. To turn a potential customer into today’s buyer, you have to make an emotional connection, and color is one of the most cost-effective ways to do that. Here are nine ways your color choices can bring new life to your marketing materials.
Yellow
If optimism was a country, the national flag would be yellow. Studies have shown that yellow actually triggers the release of serotonin, one of the chemical’s responsible for happiness and contentment. Maybe that’s why smiley faces are always bright yellow!
Tip: Yellow is a potent color, so use it as an accent. Too much yellow can be overpowering.
Orange
Orange symbolizes strength, playfulness, ambition, and youthfulness. Orange has the much of the same feeling of cheerful exuberance as yellow.
Tip: Consider using orange for the “call-to-action,” in a brochure or product catalog.
Red
If you want to command attention, red is the color for you! Red is the color of alarms, flames, and above all, romance. It’s been proven that the color red escalates the body’s metabolism.
Tip: The attention-getting nature of red stimulates people to take action — and that’s a good thing for any business owner!
Purple
Combine blue and red and you get purple: the color of kings. Purple can make your customers feel cool, calm and prosperous.
Tip: Purple signifies credibility. It’s an excellent color to use in a flyer with a customer testimonial.
Blue
Blue creates a calm, contemplative atmosphere. It’s the color of a pristine lake, or a cloudless sky. It’s also most people’s favorite color.
Tip: Blue appeals to a wide audience, imparting a sense of balance and harmony to any printed material.
Green
As the most dominate color in nature, green represents fertility and abundance. It’s associated with growth involving that other kind of green — money. And it’s one of the easiest colors for the human brain to recognize.
Tip: If your goal is to communicate growth, green is the color you’ll want to use.
Brown
Brown is a conservative color, representing humility and quiet confidence. The right shade of brown is reminiscent of fine wood and leather.
Tip: As a neutral shade, brown is useful in balancing out stronger colors. Use it to communicate a feeling of luxury.
Gray
As the ultimate neutral color, gray selflessly intensifies any color next to it, helping adjacent colors to “pop.”
Gray communicates strength, sturdiness and longevity.
Tip: Gray is a great alternative to black or white. Use dark gray text to imbue your printed marketing material with a feeling of strength, reserve, and timelessness.
Every detail helps when it comes to marketing materials. Colors effect mood, and can be a sole or contributing reason for product selection in many cases. Examine your schemes carefully when designing your next brochure, packaging, or flyer, and use your hues as a force multiplier – helping to increase the success of your important visual communication tools.
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