Don't let color sabotage your marketing efforts!

Well, I was reading someone's offer from their newsletter to which I had subscribed BUT the color combination was making me nauseous so I left without finishing reading and, since it was the third time for this particular individual, I also unsubscribed. No doubt he is a very nice person but his color choices left me no choice. No site, no offer, no product is worth feeling queasy or like you're looking at a baby's first bowel movement.

What some folks fail to realize is that some color choices are very negative when viewed online and the reason isn't what you may think. Here's an example.

A person may have eyes that are very sensitive to light and glare so they modify, however slightly, their online display. If you use green-based gold tones as background, it will come out a pukey pea green color if they've turned down the brightness much at all or used certain anti-glare filters. Why? Because the sheen is diminished (which is mostly the gold part of the color) and left only the greyed green to brackish tones.

Some color choices are considered great in one culture and dismissed as inconsequential in others. A lot of it has to do with what one is accustomed to seeing. I have noticed that many folks from India, for example, use a lot of medium beige, brown, and purple. In studies of color influence, these are very poor people motivator colors, generally. It may be appropriate in their culture but, if you want to influence a broad, international, audience, you may wish to re-think your color choices.

Americans and Europeans often use colors (or combinations) that are offensive to Chinese people and members of certain Middle Eastern religions. It's not done to offend, it's just a color to most folks but, it's always good to learn about these subtle influences and avoid the negatives as much as possible in an international setting.

Color choices are quite specific sometimes for cultural or religious reasons. We can't please everyone but, if your choices lead folks to totally ignore your sales message because it is too bland, or even unsubscribe from a newsletter, you have a very serious communication hurdle to overcome.

The study of color psychology is fascinating...and is an often overlooked subject for online marketers. Don't let poor color choice for online display and influence sink your marketing ship.

Sandi Bowman