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How to energize your marketing with colors
I was once asked this question: "In relation to
colors on a web site, have you done any research or found any material
on what colors are more pleasing to the site visitor, or even what colors
tend to produce more sales?" I believe this could be an important
area that many of us overlook. Here's my answer.
First, all colors stem from two basic colors, namely red and blue. (Actually,
there are three, i.e., red green and blue, as in "RGB." But
blue and red are at the ends of the spectrum while green is in the middle.)
Blue tones are purple, green, violet, indigo and of course blue. On the
other hand, red tones are pink, orange, yellow, fuschia, burgundy and
so on. Essentially, red and blue are at opposite ends of the gamma spectrum
(e.g., ultraviolet and infrared).
Now, the eye focuses on blue tones in front of the retina. As a result,
blue tones move away from the eye or sight. Therefore, they are non-threatening
and tend to make you feel drowsy. Blue is a very good color if you wish
to communicate professionalism, stability, relaxation, logic, etc. But
red tones are focused behind the retina. By moving toward the eye, they
communicate aggressiveness, excitement, energy and emotion. Hence the
expressions "I've got the blues" and "seeing the world
through rose-colored glasses."
In the 70's, a program called "The Body Human" struck me in
this regard. On one particular show, scientists conducted tests regarding
the psychological impact of colors. The first involved a weightlifter
who was given a set of barbells -- if memory serves me correctly, they
were about 200-250 pounds. While the exercise was surely not an easy one,
the athlete seemed to have no problems in pumping the weights, even raising
the weights over his head.
Then, a large red-colored card was placed in front of his face, covering
his entire field of vision. But this time, however, he began to pump the
weights as if they were feathers -- without any visible signs of physical
strain. Things changed dramatically, however, when the red-colored card
was replaced by a blue-colored one. Not only was the athlete no longer
able to lift the barbells passed his torso, but you can also tell that
the level of physical exertion had increased quite a bit by merely looking
at his face, arms, and legs.
Moments later, researchers switched back to the red-colored card. And
incredibly, things apparently went back to normal. The lifter began to
pump the weights with ease as if nothing happened -- let alone the fact
that the change seemed also instantaneous. (While other colors were used
in the test, the red and blue cards seemed to have made the greatest impact.)
On the same program, a red-lit hospital room was filled with cribs and
colicky babies were placed in each one. While newborns naturally cry and
particularly colicky ones, the red light seemed to have intensified their
incessant weeping. Then, researchers turned the lights to a blue color.
Amazingly and in almost an instant, the room went eerily quiet. And similar
to the weightlifter test, when the lights went back to red they all started
crying again -- as if on cue.
With all this said, the answer to your question is: It all depends on
what you're selling, on what you wish to communicate to your visitors,
and in what tone or frame-of-mind in which you wish to place them. It
has nothing to do with manipulation or some sort of subliminal imagery.
Your colors are part of your message. And depending on which message you
wish to convey, the colors you choose can either support, emphasize, or
contradict your message.
I work mostly with professionals (e.g., doctors, dentists, lawyers and
the like). Blue tones are their dominant colors. In the case of surgeons
and dentists for example, pain makes people nervous and blue therefore
helps to calm them down. (By the way, this is the reason why most medical
garment colors, beyond the traditional white, are light blue, dark blue,
light green, violet, purple and so on.) If you are trying to get people
excited and communicate an emotional message (for example, if you sell
items related to sports, cars, games, money, weight-loss, motivation,
etc), then reds are a good choice.
In short, remember that blues tend to signify logic while reds equal
emotion. However, keep in mind that you can use both colors, depending
on your goals or theme. An example is the way villains and heroes are
often portrayed in movies (not always but often). Villains appear in dark
reddish colors while heroes are in lighter bluish tones. Take the example
of the latest Star Wars movie. The antagonist, "Darth Maul,"
is a devilish-looking character with red and black makeup while his nemesis,
"Yoda," is the greenish "Jedi Master."
For example, my site is dominantly blue. But a cosmetic surgeon's site
I've recently designed is purple and pink (see http://www.drdubois.com).
While pink is a reddish tone, it was used in this case to excite people
about the potential changes in one's appearance. Self-esteem and beauty
are emotions. And cosmetic surgery is more often than not an emotional
choice.
Nevertheless, again it all depends on what you are trying to communicate.
Colors (and their variants) each have their respective positive properties.
It all boils down to the message and its intended response.
About the author
Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter and consultant dedicated
to turning sales messages into powerful magnets. Get a free copy of
his book, "The 10 Commandments of Power Positioning," when
you subscribe to his free monthly ezine, "The Profit Pill."
See http://SuccessDoctor.com/
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