They are everywhere around us. They are in the food you eat, the car you drive,the chair you’re sitting on as you read this as well as the device that you are reading this on. Colors have been around us since the first Homo sapiens looked up and took in his first breath. Colors have shaped our world over all these millennia and today they also deeply affect the way we surf the internet.

Colors and Psychology

Have you wondered why nearly all social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter etc. are primarily some shade of blue?

Or why almost every feminine brand like Barbie, Hello Kitty etc. has a tinge of pink in their campaign? Now, please close all the above sites that you opened to check if we were right (yes, we know) and come unravel the mystery of colors with us.

Color is a very influential source of information and subconsciously affects human behavior in nearly everything we do. We associate certain colors with certain things due to our evolutionary history. The color green reminds us of nature (trees, forests etc.) and a mention of red tends to make us think about blood.

When it comes to real-life human interactions, colors are one of the greatest factors in decision making. They, not you (yes you don’t) decide if a product is likely to be purchased or if it is going to gather dust on the shelves. Different colors have a different impact on the human psyche.

Using an appropriate color scheme for your brand greatly enhances your chance of success with your target audience. This is the reason why you must’ve never seen a kid’s toy in a drab grey or a masculine product in pretty pink.

This is how Facebook has evolved over the years. Notice the distinct lack of any color other than Blue on banners or menus.

The favorite toy of many a generations has always professed a love for the color pink in their branding.

Colors in Social Media and How You Can Paint the Town Red

Social Media for a brand, in a nutshell, is all about people deciding to choose you over your competitors on the internet. And to help your audience with that decision, you should choose a color scheme that is complementary to your brand’s domain. In the quest for more ‘followers’ you should definitely consider the colors you are using and the effect those colors will have on your audience. The choice of color for your online brand should communicate the theme of your brand to your target audience and pique their interest.

If your brand manufactures a health supplement, you should use the colors green and orange in your campaign quite generously. Whereas if your brand deals with high end luxury products, the color black should be your preferred choice.

What color your Facebook cover image is might seem a little thing for you, but for your audience that is your first impression on them. An unfitting or a repulsive color might draw your audience away from your Social Media Accounts, thus effectively decreasing your online reach.

On the other hand, a warm welcoming cover image will make your online brand irresistible to curious cursors. Relating your brand’s color tone with your brand’s major theme will set your ‘follower count’ rising like lava from an active volcano and will make your competitors green with envy (pun intended!).

To help you in your next strategy meeting, we have listed a few colors with their effect on consumers.

Blue signifies trust and dependability. It is suitable for brands with high consumer interaction or social networks. Major examples – Facebook and Twitter

Red signifies flamboyance, youthfulness and excitement. It is suitable for brands that target youth. Major examples – Netflix and Coca Cola.

Orange signifies cheerfulness and friendliness. It is suitable for products that target a large demography across age groups. Major examples – Mozilla Firefox and Amazon.

Yellow signifies warmth and optimism. It is suitable for brands that directly deliver services to the consumers. Major examples are UPS and Nikon.

Green signifies health and growth. It is suitable for brands that deal with healthcare or have nature as their major theme. Major examples are Animal Planet and Monster.

How To Use Colors LikeABoss?

There are lots of examples where brands have used ‘color’ as their primary weapon on Social Media. Some of the brand designs are so ingrained in our minds that we can’t imagine them in a different color.

Coca Cola

Imagine a Coca Cola can or a bottle. And now imagine it in a color other than red (don’t worry, you’re not the first one to fail). Coca Cola has used the color red as their signature since time immemorial. In fact there is an urban legend that they ‘redbadged’ the Santa Claus. Just to be sure check out their twitter page below.

JCB

We bet if we tell you to imagine a construction site, you will place a certain yellow-black vehicle digging up the dirt or shoveling the snow somewhere in your mental image. Their Twitter page clearly depicts how much emphasis they put on their brand’s color.

Facebook

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you must’ve looked up Facebook. And if you are reading this from under a rock, then we must tell you that Facebook’s ‘wall’ is ten times more fun than a rugged cave wall. Facebook is primarily blue because its founder Mark Zuckerberg is red-green colorblind (he can see ‘blue’ the best) but also because the color blue fills a viewer with the feeling of trust and belongingness.

Stats

If you are still unsure about coloring your brand, we have done some serious number crunching for you.

90% purchase decisions are highly influenced by visual factors.

A consumer takes around 90 seconds to finally decide to either ‘like’ your brand or to choose your competitor.

Using a uniform color scheme increases brand recognition by 80%. Keeping your brand colors uniform across the social media networks helps increase your audience.

75% consumers say a color change will make them rethink their buying decision.

Color is a form of non-verbal communication and an important part of our daily lives. The underlying emotions that colors evoke have been cultivated since birth and vary depending on age, geographic location, and gender (e.g. blue for boys, pink for girls). Color affects our moods and feelings, and research suggests that it has a physical effect as well, influencing the hormones that control our emotions. Color might help you achieve that elusive consumer target or widen your reach on the web.

So the next time you are wondering how to help your online brand, take a long hard look at the room you are in and select a color that goes well with your brand. Your awesome product should not suffer low conversion rate because of your lack of presentation style. Hiring a professional Web Design agency that has years of expertise in Ecommerce website design can help you.