How to Choose the Right Colours to Boost Your Marketing Campaign
Colour can have a huge impact on perception, mood and behaviour, changing the way customers and potential customers feel about your products and even affecting their buying decisions. Taking the time to consider how this might affect your promotional material can make all the difference when planning your next marketing campaign. Before creating new advertisements and other marketing elements, consider how to make the best use of colour.
Understand Cultural Meanings
Different colours can have different meanings, depending on the culture and geographical location of your audience. For example, in many parts of the world, black is associated with death. However, in some cultures, black is associated with affluence and high status. Some colours are also associated with certain events, concepts and even political parties. Choosing the wrong colour combinations can easily alienate your audience, particularly if your choices appear to show political affiliation. Understanding your intended audience and their culture is crucial for choosing the right visual elements.
Know Your Customers
Customer expectations can also affect colour choice. For example, if you are selling dolls for young girls, potential customers may expect to see pink, yellow or other pastel shades as part of your marketing campaign. Colour can also affect buying decisions. Some people are drawn to bright reds, blues and greens, while others prefer simple shades, such as black, brown or white. Knowing your customers is the key to understanding their preferences.
Consider Contrast
Contrast is another crucial element to consider when creating your marketing material. Creating maximum contrast between the background and text of your content ensures optimum readability. For example, if you use a white or light background, you will need to use black or another dark shade for the text. Buttons, links and calls to action should also provide maximum contrast to the background, as this will make them stand out.
Think About Your Message
The colours you choose should also fit with your message and your brand. Blues and greens are often used by financial institutions, as they are associated with trusted companies. Reds and oranges are often used by entertainment websites, as they are associated with fun and friendliness. If there are specific colours used in your branding elements, such as your company logo, website header or social media profile pictures, you can use similar shades in your marketing material to help increase brand awareness.
Choose Complementary Colours
Complementary colours lie opposite each other on the colour wheel and provide a visually appealing combination. For example, blue and orange are often used together, as they provide the right combination of contrast and complement. Avoid using too many different colours, as this often appears unprofessional. Choosing two or three main colours that complement each other is usually the best option for marketing material.
Choosing the right colours can make all the difference when planning your marketing campaign. Understanding cultural meanings and knowing what customers might expect are crucial elements of choosing the right shades. Achieving the right contrast, picking complementary colours and thinking about the message you want to convey are also important factors when planning your colour scheme.