Color theory, also known as color psychology, can trace its roots to the 1490s, when Leonardo da Vinci wrote about it in his personal journals. Professional marketers today master the principles of color theory to lead prospective clients and customers into purchasing their products and services with such ease, that most people never know they have been subliminally controlled into making a buying decision.
Significance
Marketers who master color theory when creating marketing campaigns understand it is the No. 1 way to control the emotional ebb and flow of the prospect's emotions. Unlike sales professionals who talk the prospects through the sales pitch, marketers may never communicate live with their prospects. They control the marketing campaign through strong copyrighting and using color theory to keep the eyes and mind of their prospects glued to the ad copy.
Function
The four primary colors in color theory and how they are used:
Red stimulates emotions to peak levels. The heart pumps faster and adrenalin surges to the brain, signaling something has or is about to happen.
Blue triggers chemicals in the brain to signal everything is great. Blue shows leadership, steadfastness and trust.
Green is associated with nature and the color most recognized for wealth, greed and envy.
Yellow triggers the brain to recognize fun and relaxation, renewed hope, love and comfort. It releases endorphins in the brain of peace and tranquility.
Considerations
Some colors are natural together while others cause conflicting emotions, resulting in potential customers entering into a paralysis of analysis. The left side of the brain will send one message, while the right side will send another. After agonizing over the "call to action" and not coming to a decision, the brain will pull from a past experience where a more pleasurable emotion was involved, and the prospect will move on to a more euphoric experience.
Misconceptions
Principles of color theory are complicated, but many amateur marketers still believe all they need is a basic understanding of the four primary colors. The reality is all marketers, to master the principles of color theory, must learn monochromatic color schemes, complementary color schemes and triple color schemes or their use of color theory in marketing will backfire.
Expert Insight
The combination of mastering the principles of color theory and strong copyrighting are the two ingredients most needed to create successful marketing campaigns. Split test the marketing campaign using different ad copy and different color theory schemes to see which combination pulls the greatest responses and results from the prospects. Once you find the right combination, you are ready you to roll out the full marketing campaign and reap the rewards of satisfied customers and clients.
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