Meaning of Colors in Marketing: The Benefits of Color Psychology

The meaning of the colors indicates the feeling they convey to each person. For example, red represents passion, white is the color of peace, green of hope and black denotes sophistication. This knowledge is used in branding strategies, helping to bring brands closer to their consumers.

Do you know the meaning of colors for marketing?

The meaning of colors can help to enhance your results and win over your customers.

Have you ever stopped to think about how much colors influence customers' choices and actions?

It may seem like an exaggeration, but they are able to encourage, target and greatly increase their conversion rates.

It is very common to discuss colors in the design world.

However, the meaning of colors is also very important for marketing. Choosing the right colors for the elements of your website, product and graphic communications is essential to enhance the results.

Colors have been part of our daily lives and forms of expression for a long time.

Since the first civilizations, warriors painted the body with designs and colors that had their unique meanings, for example.

And today, the meaning of colors is everywhere: in traffic rules, in dress modes, in popular expressions ... And especially in marketing!

As you may already know, every detail of the product being offered impacts the consumer. Even what many people think goes unnoticed is being registered by the brain.

Within visual communication, there are several factors to consider. I can mention, for example, typography, language style, images used and the use of mental triggers.

Although all these elements are important, we must also pay attention to the colors.

They appear in all the other points I mentioned.

After all, they are able to change the tone and perception of an image on their own.

What is the meaning of colors?

The meaning of colors, for marketing, is about using the perceptions that colors provide to consumers in favor of your campaign.

Colors and symbols are important - and universal - representatives in our language scheme.

This means that, for the vast majority of people, colors are capable of arousing specific emotions, feelings and sensations - something that can (and should) be used in marketing.

For example, to convey the correct tone in an ad, to associate certain emotions with the brand and to encourage certain actions.

See the example of some meanings for colors in this figure:

Now, see how we can apply this theory to logos, in this infographic from We Do Logos, the largest design community in Latin America:

Realize how the values of these companies, demonstrated through their advertising campaigns, are very consistent with the colors used in the logo.

Likewise, you can use the meaning of colors in all aspects of your marketing campaign: on the website, on the blog, on the banners and even on the links and texts.

It is interesting to remember: the same color can have different meanings.

So be on the lookout for disagreements as well as for the best ways to combine colors!

Importance of knowing the meaning of colors for your marketing strategy

A common saying: a picture is worth a thousand words.

When it comes to marketing, this is especially true.

Visual communications have much more impact on the consumer. And the best part: it has an immediate impact.

With a text, you need the consumer to engage enough to read and interpret the message correctly. This may take a few minutes to happen. The image, on the other hand, awakens instant emotions and engagement.

The images are very important. But the colors are even more so.

Knowing the meaning of each one, you don't need words.

The feeling you want to awaken in the consumer comes automatically.

Clarity of purpose

The right colors are able to help establish the brand identity and win over the public. You should already know how important the visual identity is for the recognition of your company.

Through visual communications and especially colors, it is possible to transmit the company's values in a clear and dynamic way. In addition, colors can help your customers identify:

• The purpose of the business
• Your business model
• Your target audience
• The prices that can be expected on products
• The topics covered.

Divergent context and meanings

Often, when studying the meaning of colors, you will find conflicting assignments for the same color.

Here are some examples:

• Red can represent passion or hate.
• White is considered the color of mourning in some countries.
• Green can mean hope or envy.
• Black can denote death or sophistication.

How to act in the face of these differences?

And, mainly, how to avoid that the connotation understood by the consumer is precisely the most negative that the color has?

The answer is simple, but it requires sensitivity: you need to offer context to your client.

Here are some tips for making sure your business is using color in the best possible way:

• Do research on the culture and daily life of your target audience: colors can change a lot of meaning depending on religions, ethnic groups, history of the region, superstitions among many other factors
• Provide context: other graphic elements should reinforce the meaning of the color. See the example below

The three images use red as the major color. In the first, we use the meaning of action and leadership of color:

In the second, we are referring to feelings of anger and irritation:

In the third, we use the meanings of dynamism, movement and energy:

The same type of contextualization technique can be applied with all colors.

First impressions

First impression remains. And there is nothing more striking on your site than the colors you use.

Consider this infographic:

It brings interesting information about what content is most easily remembered by people.

We remember, in general, only 10% of what we hear and 20% of what we read. But when we are dealing with visual aids, the number jumps to 80%.

Impressive, isn't it?

The fact is that graphic elements are able to fix themselves very well in memory, because they evoke emotions much faster.

We may not remember what we learn, but we will certainly remember what we feel.

Visual communication works because it is instantaneous.

That is, the most important on your site are first impressions.

They will help the visitor to decide whether to stay there or to look for another source.

And before we even perceive images, our brain perceives colors. They are already so integrated into our daily lives and forms of expression, that they are able to send complex messages automatically.

Taking advantage of this feature is essential to maximize the potential of your campaigns.

Meaning x Color Psychology

Much is heard about the meaning of colors and the psychology of colors. But what is the difference between the two?

Well, in fact, the meaning of colors is often inspired by color psychology. However, the former can vary much more depending on the context.

Color psychology is based on studies that document the association of certain colors with emotions, feelings and memories.

It is worth remembering that this is also a contextual and cultural association.

You can find, for the same color, different and even conflicting meanings.

Let's use an example to illustrate it better: red.

It can be understood as the color of love and passion, it can represent action, youth and courage. However, it is also often associated with violence and anger.

All of these meanings can be true, and depend very much on context.

The other elements of design, in the case of marketing, will help to provide other visual tips for the consumer. In general, it is the whole that arouses emotion.

Colors can also have meanings attributed to them that are not related to psychology.

It is common to find spiritual meanings, popular and superstitious beliefs.

Therefore, it is extremely important to know your audience before applying any marketing strategy.

An understanding of the cultural context of the target audience will go a long way in deciding which colors should be used to arouse certain emotions.

Understanding the customer's brain

There is nothing more important in marketing than knowing your audience. With colors, it couldn't be different.

Understanding the client's brain, its cultural and social context, preferences and values is essential for any campaign.

When dealing with colors, this helps in much more than choosing the ones that most captivate.

It also helps to predict how its meaning will affect the client and to what emotions it may refer.

Fortunately, there are numerous studies on color preference that you can rely on.

Also, be sure to research the emotions conveyed by each tone, to make sure you get it right.

Color test

When in doubt, there is a very useful tool that you can use to better understand the colors that most resonate with your target audience.

Grasshopper offers a test, in English, that will help you find your answer.

In it, you will find questions that lead you to describe your target audience, such as “what shopping habits best describe your customers?”.

After just 7 questions, the test tells you which color matches your choices best.

The test is based on a variety of articles, research and other scientific materials to determine the results.

If you are in doubt between some color options, this can be an amazing tool to help you decide!

Color preference by age

According to the study The Psychodynamics of Colors in Communication, conducted by psychologist J. Bamz, age can be a factor in influencing color preference.

In his article, he brings a table showing the most frequent preference by age group:

Red from 01 to 10 years Age of spontaneity and effervescence

Orange 10 to 20 years old Age of adventure, excitement, imagination

Yellow from 20 to 30 years old Age of arrogance, strength, power

Green from 30 to 40 years old Age of decreased youth fire

Blue from 40 to 50 years of age of intelligence and thought

Lilac from 50 to 60 years of age of law, judgment, mysticism

Purple beyond 60 years Age of benevolence, knowledge, experience

If you compare the infographic that I presented at the beginning of this article with this table, you can identify an interesting trend.

In many cases, the color of preference matches the age group of the companies' target audience.

When not, it matches the values that Bamz identifies as paramount in each age group.

Color preference by gender

When we talk about color preference by gender, the most important thing to remember is not to fall into the traps of common sense.

Instinctively, we think of gender roles and traditional colors: pink for women, blue for men.

However, the surveys conducted frequently point to very different preferences. For this article, I am basing myself on the study by Joe Hallock.

The reason for this choice is that this is a recent and very well structured study.

For both genders, the favorite color by the vast majority was blue.

In other studies, it has also been found that women tend to prefer lighter shades and like the combination of their favorite colors with white more. Men, on the other hand, prefer brighter colors and their favorite tones combined with black.

See below for more details, extracted from Hallock's research:

Men's favorite colors

Men showed a majority preference for blue. This is the favorite color of 57% of the sample audience. Second is green (14%) and third, black (9%)

Below is a graph with the results of the colors preferred by men:

The study also points out the colors that men least like. Check out:

As you can see, brown is the color that men least like, followed by orange and violet in a tie.

Of course, this information must be contextualized. It is important to look for specific studies among your target audience to address this topic with greater precision.

Favorite colors for women

The same study also points to blue as a favorite color for women. However, in a smaller proportion (35%). The second place is with violet (23%) and the third place with green (14%).

As you can see from the graph, preferences are actually very similar to those of men in the same age group. The only exception seems to be violet:

The colors that women dislike are also similar to the male audience, with some variations:

We can see that brown, orange, gray and yellow are not popular colors for any of the genders.

Meanwhile, blue, green, red and black seem to be pleasing to both.

All the colors in the world

Do you know what all the colors in the world are?

Want a tip? It is not even worth risking to list them all.

Because there is not even a consensus on the total number.

See, for example, this publication on Wikipedia, which has a list of 274 colors.

The truth is that knowing all the colors in the world seems to be an impossible mission.

But you don't need to have them all on the tip of your tongue to succeed in your marketing and sales goals, for example.

Start by understanding their importance and you will already take a significant step towards success.

Study of colors and their meanings for your marketing strategy

In order to apply the meaning of colors in marketing and enhance your results, it is important to become familiar with each one.

I then prepared a complete list with the meaning of the colors.

This list includes the emotions aroused by each color and the symbology often attributed to each one.

Remember, to take full advantage of color, you need to consider the context.

Also, don't forget to get to know your target audience very well so you don't make a mistake! Check out the meanings of the colors below:

Meaning of the color Red

Red is an extremely dynamic color, associated with movement, action, energy and youth.

Let's see some uses of these colors, in different contexts:

Emotions:

• Passion
• Love
• Excitement

Cultural representations:

• Youth
• Energy
• Victory
• Leadership
• Action
• Violence
• Conflict

Encourages:

• Action
• Urgency
• Attention

Able to:

• Evoke more intense emotions
• Encourage appetite
• Increase heart rate
• Create a sense of urgency and opportunity

Notable companies that use this color

Here are some of the successful companies that take great advantage of the meanings of red:

• Coke
• Lego
• CNN
• McDonalds
• Target
• Netflix
• Adobe
• Toyota
• Lays
• Nabisco
• Kmart
• H&M

Meaning of the color Orange

Orange is often used to represent joy and confidence, in addition to conveying a sense of complicity and friendliness.

Check out the meanings:

Emotions:

• Joy
• Happiness
• Energy
• Force

Cultural representations:

• Kindness
• Courage
• Optimism
• Balance

Encourages:

• Interest
• Confidence
• Stripping

Able to:

• Create incredible CTAs
• Encourage impulsive shopping
• Represent reliable but irreverent brands
• Denote heat
• Arouse attention
• Denote warnings, caution or aggression

Notable companies that use this color

Here are some of the successful companies that take great advantage of the meanings of orange:

• Firefox
• Nickelodeon
• Payless
• Harley Davidson
• Blogger
• Amazon

Meaning of the color Yellow

Yellow is often associated with richness, clarity, warmth and light.

Many psychology studies also indicate that it is related to feelings of hunger, making it a color much chosen by restaurants.

Check out the full list of meanings:

Emotions:

• Joy
• Welcome
• Clarity

Cultural representations:

• Material wealth
• Hunger
• Optimism
• Heat and light

Encourages:

• Consumption
• Comfort

Able to:

• Denote joy and warmth
• Awaken your appetite
• Getting the attention of people looking at shop windows
• Stimulate mental processes
• Stimulate the nervous system
• Encourage communication
• Cause eye fatigue or tiredness
• Make babies cry

Notable companies that use this color

Here are some of the successful companies that take great advantage of the meanings of yellow:

• McDonalds
• Ikea
• Nikon
• National Geographic
• IMDb
• Denny’s
• Best Buy
• Shell
• Ferrari

Meaning of the color Green

Green is often associated with health, responsibility and growth.

It is a color that inspires calm and pacifism, in addition to representing hope.

It is one of the colors that human beings see best. Our eyes are able to discern most shades of green correctly.

Know the other meanings below:

Emotions:

• Peace
• Responsibility
• Cheers
• Freshness

Cultural representations:

• Hope
• Social and ecological responsibility
• Organic or related to nature
• Life
• Harmony
• Renovation and growth
• Plenty
• Money

Encourages:

• Responsibility
• Care
• Search for health
• Concern for the environment

Able to:

• Provide relaxation
• Symbolize fertility
• Evoke concepts of nature and ecology
• Provide cure and relieve depression, according to certain beliefs

Notable companies that use this color

Here are some of the successful companies that take great advantage of the meanings of green:

• Android
• Starbucks
• Whole Foods
• Spotify
• Xbox
• Tropicana
• Animal Planet
• Hess
• John Deere
• Seven Eleven

Meaning of color Blue

Blue is associated with security, intellect and tranquility.

This color has a great variation of tones, as already highlighted.

Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the ideal for each objective.

The darker tones deal more with the ideas of strength and safety. The clearest are associated with tranquility, knowledge and peace of mind.

The following is a complete list with the meanings:

Emotions:

• Safety
• Calm
• Confidence
• Inspiration
• Tranquility

Cultural representations:

• Knowledge and knowledge
• Research and intellectual advances
• Technology
• Safety
• Peace of mind
• Tranquility
• Cleaning
• Serenity
• Communication
• Self-expression

Encourages:

• Productivity
• Reliability
• Serenity

Able to:

• Decrease appetite
• Increase productivity
• Giving a professional look to environments and logos
• Representing conservatism and tradition
• Increase the feeling of freshness or cold
• Provide serenity
• Stimulate self-expression

Notable companies that use this color

Here are some of the successful companies that take great advantage of the meanings of blue:

• Facebook
• Vimeo
• Oral B
• Flickr
• Dell
• GE
• American Express
• LinkedIn
• Skype
• HP
• IMB
• Twitter

Meaning of Purple or Violet color

Purple or violet is considered the color of creativity, spirituality and wisdom. It is often also associated with femininity, knowledge and the mystic.

Check the list of meanings:

Emotions:

• Inspiration
• Creativity

Cultural representations:

• Wisdom
• Spirituality
• Mysticism
• Femininity
• Sincerity
• Respect
• Mystery
• Mourning or melancholy (meanings associated with some religions)

Encourages:

• Feeling of well-being
• Inspiration
• Search for wisdom or spirituality

Able to:

• Denote royalty
• Show success and wealth
• Reassure
• Encourage creativity and inspire
• Awakening feelings of mystery
• Giving sophistication to a product
• Bring magical or mystical themes

Notable companies that use this color

Here are some of the successful companies that take great advantage of the meanings of purple:

• Crown Royal
• Craigslist
• Wonka
• Hallmark
• Syfy
• Yahoo
• Barbie

Meaning of the color Brown

Brown refers to stability, competence and maturity.

It is a color widely used also to awaken the cozy and personal feeling in environments and to relate products to values, such as organic cultivation.

Below, check out the full list of meanings:

Emotions:

• Comfort
• Seriousness
• Integrity

Cultural representations:

• Earth, nature and natural products
• Discipline and obedience
• Organization
• Neutrality
• Maturity
• Competence
• Constancy
• Stability

Encourages:

• subject
• Neutrality
• Seriousness

Able to:

• Awakening discipline and organization
• Create warm and intimate environments
• Denote experience and maturity
• Refer to nature
• Bring feelings of nostalgia

Notable companies that use this color

Here are some of the successful companies that take great advantage of the meanings of brown:

• Hollister
• Instagram (first logo)
• Starbucks (old logo)
• Louis Vuitton
• The Body Shop (store decoration)

Meaning of the color Pink

In light tones, pink expresses innocence and tranquility. It can also be related to spirituality, romance and delicacy.

In stronger tones, it is associated with power, femininity, dynamism and desire.

Check out all the meanings of this color:

Emotions:

• Desire
• Sensitivity
• Delicacy

Cultural representations:

• Femininity
• Power
• Energy
• Romance
• Dynamism
• Tenderness
• Beauty
• Sensuality

Encourages:

• Tranquility
• Awareness
• Romance

Able to:

• Denote romance and sensitivity
• Bring delicacy
• Denote energy and creativity, in their strongest tones
• Denote femininity

Notable companies that use this color

Here are some of the successful companies that take great advantage of the meanings of pink:

• Barbie
• Melissa
• Instagram
• Taco Bell
• Guarana Jesus
• Avon
• Orkut
• Cruelty Free International

Meaning of the color White

Known worldwide as the color of peace, white can also symbolize balance.

In addition, it represents purity, calm and sincerity.

Check out all the meanings:

Emotions:

• Calm
• Reliability
• Cleaning

Cultural representations:

• Peace
• Modernity
• Balance
• Purity
• Softness
• Mourning (in Eastern countries)
• Harmony

Encourages:

• Tranquility
• Weighting

Able to:

• Denote peace
• Modernize a color palette
• Create cleaner, minimalist looks

Notable companies that use this color

Here are some of the successful companies that take great advantage of the meanings of white:

• Apple
• Wikipedia
• BMW
• cartoon Network
• Coke
• Starbucks
• WWF

Meaning of the color Black

Despite being known in the West as the color of grief and death, black also has many positive connotations.

It inspires dynamism, modernity, simplicity and strength.

Check out the other meanings:

Emotions:

• Sophistication
• Force
• Objectivity

Cultural representations:

• Modernity
• Simplicity
• Grief (in Western cultures)
• Movement and action
• Elegance
• Seriousness
• Balance

Encourages:

• Feeling of modernity and elegance
• Dynamism
• Force

Able to:

• Denote sophistication and luxury
• Denote exclusivity
• Represent strength and struggle
• Leave more modern and dynamic color palettes
• Create minimalist, serious and objective visuals

Notable companies that use this color:

See some of the successful companies that take great advantage of the meanings of black:

• Ferrari
• Chanel
• Apple
• Amazon
• Adidas
• Nike
• Lacoste
• BMW
• Gucci
• L’óreal
• Sony
• Harley Davidson
• New York Times
• Dior

Meaning of the color Gray

The shades of gray are a mixture between white and black.

Thus, their meanings are also a collection of those attributed to these two colors.

Gray denotes harmony, balance and seriousness

Check out all the meanings:

Emotions:

• Balance
• Confidence
• Sophistication

Cultural representations:

• Moral nuances
• Harmony
• Neutrality
• Sophistication
• Modernity

Encourages:

• Neutrality
• Balance
• Confidence

Able to:

• Harmonize color palettes with very divergent elements
• Evoke balance and confidence
• Denote futurism and sophistication
• Represent nuances and harmony

Notable companies that use this color

Here are some of the successful companies that take great advantage of the meanings of gray:

• Wikipedia
• Apple
• Honda
• Volkswagen
• Swarovski

What should be avoided when choosing colors?

There are many common mistakes that I observe when choosing colors.

After all, it is very tempting to follow common sense, or even our preferences when it comes to visual communication.

To avoid mistakes and optimize your results, stay tuned to these tips:

• Abandon prejudices: When looking for the best colors for certain audiences, seek scientific references. Look for surveys that take into account a good portion of your audience, and that have been carried out in your country. Taking on “pink for women, blue for men” has not been a good practice for ages
• The focus is on your customers: Avoid choosing colors based on your personal preference, or the preference of any other member of the company. In order to be efficient, the choice of colors needs to be substantiated. It is essential to carry out an analysis considering the values that the company wants to pass on to the consumer, the profile of the customers, the area of operation and, of course, the meaning of the colors
• Limit the number of colors: The ideal is to use a maximum of three colors, to avoid confusing and polluted communication. A good model to adopt to ensure a balanced distribution is 60-30-10. That is, 60% of the design should be in the dominant color, 30% in the secondary color, and 10% in the accent or finish color
• Watch out for harmonization: Some colors just don't go well. You can use the color wheel theory to choose your palette. Or, use online tools that help you with this task. Some sites I can recommend are Adobe Color CC, ColourLovers and Paletton. However, there are numerous options online, from color pickers to pre-selected palettes for inspiration.

How to create more attractive visual communications?

To further enhance the knowledge you have just acquired, remember that some general design rules should never be forgotten.

Take a look at the best tips for creating visual communications that are much more attractive and harmonious, and of course, when choosing colors:

• Prefer a neutral main color, light and soft to the eyes, especially if you are going to use it in the background. This is especially important on blogs, online stores and other types of websites where your customer will spend a lot of time
• For accent colors, choose strong, solid and contrasting tones. They must be used in buttons, CTAs and links
• Choose a maximum of three colors, especially if they are vivid. The excess of colors in the palette leaves the look of the website confused and tires the eyes.
• Research the web trends and try to adapt the website design. Solid and neutral colors are on the rise, accompanied by prominent solid colors. Gradients are no longer used
• Always use white space in the layout, especially around elements that need to be highlighted. This makes the design cleaner and much more functional
• Always perform A / B testing. It is very important to make sure that the changes implemented are really bringing positive results to the conversion rates
• Blue links tend to receive more clicks! Remember this when planning the layout
• Likewise, prices in red or orange denote better opportunities and are, in general, perceived as lower.

About color blindness

It is always important to talk about accessibility.

It is interesting to remember that, according to the CMF, color blindness affects 5% of the world population.

This number refers to diagnosed cases. The number is estimated to be even higher.

If you are concerned about the color blind people who are viewing your site, know that the main problems are usually caused by the shades of green and red.

It is possible to check the visualization of the website before different types of color blindness on specialized websites.

A solution increasingly used by large companies for this problem is the use of neutral tones.

The grays, blacks and whites, in addition to being accessible, give a modern and balanced look to the sites, making them easier to read and view.

Examples of the use of color meaning by major brands

It is always easier to understand concepts when we have examples.

So I separated some famous case studies to better illustrate how the meaning of colors can be used in marketing.

The interesting thing about these cases, in addition to the success story they generated, is that we can see the use of the same color in different contexts.

This is a great way to explain how the rest of your campaign will affect the connotation of the colors used.

Coke

Coca-Cola is always a notable example of marketing.

As one of the companies that most invests in this sector worldwide, it is expected that its strategies and campaigns have a lot of reasons.

Coca-Cola's iconic red resonates a lot with the values conveyed in its advertising campaigns.

The idea of movement, action and energy is a recurring theme, as well as that of youth and excitement.

All of these are characteristics associated with the meaning of red.

Realize, however, that they are often being reinforced through the choice of actors, messages, sponsorships and photography.

Here are some of the company's advertising habits that help contextualize the meaning of color:

• Advertisements with young and active people having fun
• Advertisements with warm tones and inspiring messages
• Sponsorship of sporting events, music festivals and teams.

It is also worth mentioning that the red of Coca-Cola has become so iconic that it has changed the colors of Santa's representation.

The good old man we know today was developed for a soda advertisement, and ended up spreading worldwide!

McDonalds

Another example that we always hear when we talk about the meaning of colors in marketing is McDonalds.

The worldwide fast food chain uses yellow and red. However, the latter is inserted in a different context to that of Coca-Cola.

McDonalds' fast-paced business model methodology required that customers do not take long to leave the store.

And also that employees did not delay in preparing snacks.

The solution found was the use of red, in a context that highlights the meanings of urgency, movement and dynamism.

Color is used in large quantities in the internal environment of stores. This makes the place hectic and even inhospitable for long stays.

Combined with red, which also has the characteristic of arousing hunger, the restaurant brings the color of consumption: yellow.

In addition to representing purchases, many sources also claim that color helps to stimulate hunger and appetite.

Today, McDonalds has undergone a redesign of its visual identity.

Red is no longer used as prominently in Brazilian stores: it has been replaced by shades in cream and brown.

The new identity is also associated with McCoffee.

Perhaps this measure seeks to conquer a new type of audience: one that stays in cafeterias and cafeterias to do jobs and talk.

The new colors are known for creating warm, intimate and inviting environments, in addition to referring to tradition.

Samsung

Samsung, like many technology companies today, uses dark blue in its logo and website details.

It is worth emphasizing that, apart from the blue, the site is all built in shades of gray, plenty of white space and a clean and modern look.

As we saw in this article, blue seeks to inspire confidence.

In addition, it refers to intelligence, technology and security.

It seems like the perfect choice for Samsung, a company with an extensive track record in the technology market, which is always innovating.

One of the most highlighted points in Samsung's marketing is the reliability and durability of its devices.

These values are also consistent with the use of dark blue.

The predominance of white and light gray, both in physical and virtual stores, refers to modernity, balance and harmony.

This is a trend in all stores in the industry, launched by Apple another great player in the world of marketing.

Which color is used the most by successful brands?

This is an interesting question. I say this because the color most used by successful brands is also the most used color in general.

As a bonus, it is also the favorite color of both genders: blue.

See this infographic from Finances Online, which features the 10 most valuable brands in the world:

Half of that list uses blue as a major color!

However, you should not let that information decide for you.

It is very important that the color is aligned with your company's image and values.

Also, never forget: the most important thing is always your target audience.

Conversion rate optimization through colors

Did you know that the meaning of colors can also be used to increase your conversion rate?

And I don't just talk about the images.

You can take advantage of this technique in your texts and layouts to enhance your results!

See some data:

• The recognition of a brand is increased by 80% according to the colors chosen
• Color ads are 26% more recognized than those produced in black and white
• Colors are also relevant to price perception. Purple and black are associated with more refined products, and orange at lower prices.

There are some colors in particular that are perfect for increasing sales results.

Below you will find the best tips on how to use the meanings of colors to make your numbers take off!

Most used colors for each sector

To choose which colors you should use efficiently, it is important to think about your industry and audience first.

Let's see what are the most used colors in each segment to have a broader understanding:

• Red: aggressive, energetic, provocative - food, technology, automobiles and agriculture
• Purple: elegant, sophisticated, nostalgic, mysterious, spiritual - technology, health care, finance
• Blue: reliable, safe, responsible, intelligent - technology, health care, finance, energy, agriculture, airlines
• Green: serene, prosperous, responsible, healthy - food, health, technology, finance, energy, housing
• Yellow: positive, stimulating, clear and optimistic - food, energy and housing
• Orange: alive, fun, exuberant and cheerful - technology and health care
• Brown: natural, simple, durable and traditional - clothing, automobiles and agriculture
• Black: prestigious, sophisticated, modern and simple - technology, automobiles and clothing
• White: pure, modern, clean and smooth - clothing, technology and health care.

Colors suitable for use in blogs

In blogs, two things are extremely important: getting attention and making reading easier.

Therefore, try to avoid dark backgrounds or fonts in colors that are not very contrasting with the background.

The more enjoyable and less tiring the reading, the better.

Always use colors in order to maximize the time the user can spend reading your blog.

As for layouts, everything depends on the image of your company. Here are some tips:

• To transmit calm, seriousness and reliability of information: blue
• To convey euphoria, action and optimism: orange
• To convey seriousness and sophistication: black
• To convey urgency and dynamism: red
• To convey fun and inspiration: purple
• To convey wisdom, seriousness and dedication: green

It is also worth remembering that people tend to click a lot more on links that are in blue!

Right colors for online sales?

To match the colors of your online store, again the key is in your consumer.

Do you already know how to identify your audience's consumption profile?

Here are some examples of how your customers' consumption profile can affect their conversion rates:

Impulsive consumers

• It is the main audience of stores that offer quick and immediate solutions.
• Examples: fast food, outlets and sales, lightning promotions.
• Best colors for landing pages and sales pages: red, orange, black and dark blue.

Budget-controlled consumers

• Public looking for low prices and promotions.
• Examples: discount clubs, wholesale stores, promotions, banks, department stores.
• Best colors for landing pages and sales pages: light green and dark blue.
• Best colors for prices: orange and red.

Colors for your CTA

CTA, or Call to Action, refers to phrases with verbs in the imperative, which encourage the client to take some action.

When it comes to color and design, the most important thing is: CTA needs to be highlighted. This is especially true for landing pages, where your main objective is for the customer to carry out the announced action.

Here are some color and design tips to ensure your Call to Action doesn't go unnoticed:

• Use buttons in colors that contrast with the rest of the layout
• Avoid other flashy colors in the layout
• Use larger, bold typography in Call to Action
• The best colors to attract attention are: orange, red, pink and dark blue
• Leave plenty of white space around the CTA, so that nothing competes with it for the consumer's attention
• Use borders and boxes to encapsulate the CTA
• Use directional tips for looking, such as arrows or color gradients.

Always test and monitor results

To learn how to apply increasingly efficient strategies, you need to monitor your numbers.

Without this monitoring, it is impossible to know what really works with your audience. Mainly, it is much more difficult to identify elements that may be causing problems.

So, always perform comparative tests, of the A / B style.

If you are interested in knowing more about the methodology of this type of test, I wrote a post detailing how to do it quickly and efficiently.

In general, the A / B test consists of applying certain improvements to a layout and comparing the conversion rates of the previous version with those of the current one.

This allows you to determine if the measurements are really working.

These numbers are important, both for the allocation of funds in the company and for performance reports.

Remember: constant monitoring is the fastest way to optimization!

Conclusion

The colors have an incredible power of communication.

They are capable of evoking emotions and feelings, transmitting concepts and ideas and, above all, inspiring actions and thoughts.

Colors carry cultural, social, spiritual and even scientific meanings.

Much research has already been carried out in the field of color psychology, dealing both with its representations for certain audiences and with preference statistics.

This knowledge can be used in many areas of life, and marketing is one of them. Colors are very important for advertising campaigns, logos and website optimization!