EFFECTIVE USE OF COLOR IN MARKETING

When choosing a color for advertising, décor, or packaging, careful thought must be given to the effect these colors will have on your customers and employees. Color conveys a message to consumers faster than anything else the marketer does. It has a tremendous impact on our behavior and is a major stimulus in our decision-making process.

As a businessperson, the goal is to attract potential customers by getting them to enter your establishment or pick out your mailing piece, and buy your product or service. Obviously, the quality and price of the merchandise are contributing factors in why a customer will choose you. The environment of a business should be designed to give the merchandise or service offered a strong visual impact.

Your color choices should depend on your service and fit your business personality. A creative or visual business, such as a Web design or interior decorating firm, should use bright colors in the office; conservative service providers should stick with subtle tones like deep greens and burgundies. Blue is easy on the eyes and is considered a trustworthy and solid color. Light blues create a tranquil mood, while darker blues display seriousness and organization. In the restaurant business, the colors that make customers want to "hang around" are deep jewel tones like amethyst, ruby, and emerald. Bright and warm shades, like yellows and reds, produce the feeling of movement.

If you want to attract teenagers to your business, choose colors according to the feelings they invoke in the teens. Teens perceive blue to stand for success and trustworthiness. Their least favorite color was black, which they describe as complicated and outdated. Yellow conveys playfulness, green communicates wealth, and red evokes feelings of speed and warmth to the teen market.

The middle aged market (45- 65), prefers medium-toned colors such as true blue, deep red, and emerald green. Choosing the right color doesn't cost any more than choosing the wrong one, but it can mean the difference between a potential customer choosing to do business with you or your competitor


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