Color psychology for webmarketing

Have you ever got stuck with design thinking which color will convert the best?

Get your personal cheat sheet on color psychology tips so you’ll never need to spend more than 10 minutes on choosing the best one!

Importance of colors when purchasing products
Source: http://blog.kissmetrics.com/color-psychology/?wide=1

Why are colors so important?
Because it’s our sight that allows us to make sense of the environment. The idea we have of the world is based on what we see.
In fact, 65% of all people are visuals, which means they process information mostly using their eyes (rather than touch or ears). There is even a whole field of alternative medicine called Chromotherapy, which studies how colors impact how we feel

You’ve probably heard that we make our opinion of others in just first few seconds of encounter. In such a short time we can only rely on our senses. There is no time for any thinking.
The opinion we make of another person is based on what we hear, smell, feel, and most of all – see. Yes, the visual appearance is THAT important!

When a prospect lands on your website, they will make a very quick judgement whether it’s something for them or not. At that point your content does not matter. Only after you pass the initial test of creating an interest will they move to reading your message.
But if the design fails this test – you will most likely lose them forever.

So here is my question to you: Will your website pass the test of attracting prospects to stay and read your content?
I want you to confidently say YES! And that’s why I created for you the cheat sheet on color psychology:

HOW TO USE COLORS IN WEBMARKETING

soft, feminine, romantic, perfect for products for women

happy, light and optimistic, puts people in a good and positive mood

very easy on eyes, relaxing, associated with wealth, profit and trust, as well as environment and nature

quite aggressive, creates an urgency for an action, but also warm, friendly and inviting, often associated with retro

active color, creates feelings of urgency, alert, increases heart beat, associated with love and passion

feelings of power and luxury, sleek, implies exclusivity

creates feelings of trust and security,

Examples of how others effectively use colors to emphasise their product offer

1. Banks and other financial institutions often choose blue to bring about feelings of trust. Barclays, for example, has chosen a simple white design template with blue elements. There are no strong or aggressive colors. The whole page communicates the same emotions.

Barclays

2. Black color is used by hight-end products, as it naturally brings about thoughts of luxury and exclusivity. Dolce & Gabbana is one of the examples. Most of the page is black, with no additional colors apart from white text.

Dolce & Gabbana

3. Pink, as a very feminine color, is perfect for products targeted at women. Marieforleo.com, one of my personal favorites, uses it across her site, giving a clear message who she is talking to.

www.marieforleo.com

4. Yellow is a perfect start color. Using this color prepares your prospects psychologically to purchasing. How? By putting them in a good mood. And when in a good mood, we are more open to trying new things, new brands and products, and we welcome change. That’s what Sunglasshut is doing on their site. They use a yellow banner to help you start buying! (note the black background – yep, Sunglasshut is positioning itself as a high-end eyewear chain)

Sunglasshut

5. Orange is great for calls to action. It gives a feeling of urgency and is automatically associated with ‘do’. Zalando’s current sign up box is all about orange. Notice that the logos are white and black so that nothing takes attention away from the main elements on the page – the ones directly connected to you signing up and the offer.

Zalando

6. Want to make sure your special offer is well noticeable? Use red. It’s a perfect color for sales, as it’s very strong and stands out. Red is knows to increase heart beat, creates a state of arousal – and in this state we are more prone to persuasive messages. No better moment to show the special sales offer! On Zalora’s site, notice how every element that links to the sale is in red: tab in the side and top navigation bar, as well as the banner.

Zalora

7. Appstemplates.com’ s website is based on green, which makes it very easy on our eyes to read. This colors calms us down, but as we associate it with wealth, it’s a great choice for B2B – where you basically sell products or services that allow others to make money. (have you noticed the little red sign informing about the special offer? You know it all now!)

www.appstemplates.com

Now you know how colors impact emotions and perception. With this knowledge you will never have any problems picking the right colors for your website.

Just ask yourself these 3 questions:

• What is my positioning (price point)? – High end, low end?
• Who am I talking to? – women, men, young, old, parents, single?
• What emotions do I want them to feel? – arousal, calmness, fun?

And there you go. You have all you need to create a successful and converting website.

And now back to you: What is your experience using colors on your website? Have you tested color combinations? Is there any color that has worked magic for you like no other? Share your comments below.

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