Who Cares About Your Content Calendar?
Would your team be clueless if you asked them about your content calendar? Do they even care? Here's why your whole organization should have access...
‘Cause color can be king when it comes to marketing
Color and design: arguably the two most important factors in marketing—with copy coming in at a close third. Of course, copy is important, but no one will ever even notice what you’ve written if they’re not attracted to the design of your content in the first place (or if it’s hidden behind muted, clashing color).
Color is so critical, because it’s what’s going to pop when someone is scrolling through their Facebook feed or winding their way through the never-ending Pinterest wormhole.
Strong visual presence is an inevitable component of impeccable design. It’s intrinsic. There is no good design without the right selection of colors. Indeed, it’s a delicate balance you must maintain in order for your content to convey the right message and feel.
So, what colors should marketers be using? How do you select the right spectrum for your project? We’ll help you narrow it down with a few tips:
1. Understand the psychology of color
As you probably know by now, different hues can evoke certain emotions, making them extremely valuable in marketing. For example, think about your target audience. Are you trying to appeal to a particular gender? Men and women tend to have different color preferences (which are, of course, dependent on the culture from which they come).
Research claims that men prefer bolder hues, while women are more attuned to softer tones. Men in this particular study were also more likely to select dark shades (with black undertones) as their favorite, while women were drawn to brighter tints (with white undertones). This further supports the notion that color selection is dependent on your audience and who you are trying to appeal to.
Now, of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to psychology, color, and marketing. We don’t want to go too far down a rabbit hole here, so you can read more about how psychology plays into your marketing efforts here.
2. Start with a base
What is your favorite color? What mood do you want your brand to convey? Natural, strong, happy, regal—you name it; there is a color that will depict it. Always consider how emotions and psychology factor in when choosing your main branding and logo hue.
Now remember, you can use your company’s main colors to really highlight your overall branding, but that’s not entirely necessary. If there’s a better fit for the theme of your infographic, then go with that as the base. For example, your branding could be a bright, cheery yellow, but when you’re producing an infographic that reports on the increase of ocean pollution and how it affects the natural habitats for aquatic animals—well, that’s not really such a bright and cheery topic, is it? Instead, you might want to use blues and browns to convey that you’ll be discussing contaminated, dirty waters as a threat to ocean life. Your content should resonate with the colors you choose for your infographic.
3. Pick accent colors to play up your theme
Once you’ve got a color, it’s time to start selecting shades that compliment it. It’s kind of like planning a wedding: you’ve got one main hue that’ll shine, but you want to accentuate the beauty of it with pops of others.
And don’t worry—you don’t have to be an expert to figure out which ones go together. Sometimes, identifying complementary hues can come naturally, like when you’re putting together pieces in your wardrobe. You’ll notice that some colors just work with each other.
Don’t get too crazy, though! A good rule of thumb to follow is sticking with two main shades, and no more than four total.
But, even if that’s not an intrinsic value for you, or if you’re a bit more on the color blind side, you can always use handy accent color scheme generators found all over the web. These will give you a palette to work with and bring new elements to your design.
Pick colors that work
It’s up to you, really. Don’t be afraid to do split tests, experimenting with which infographics perform better based on their hues and the mediums you use to distribute them.
Need some killer copy to go along with all of those perfectly designed infographics? We’ve got you covered. Contact the copywriting experts and word fiends over here at Content Bacon. We’ll be sure to create just the right tasty, custom content you need for your next project.