Different colors can invoke different feelings in people. For instance, yellow is considered to be a joyful, bright color that makes people feel positive and optimistic. When creating a color strategy for marketing mail pieces, the colors are hugely important.
Studies show that 93% of people base their buying decisions on the visual aspects of marketing mail pieces. That is a considerable percentage and shows you just how important color schemes are to the marketing process. Once you decide which colors suit your marketing strategy, you can visit local area guides to find art and printing shops to put your vision onto paper.
Which Colors Are Best to Use in Marketing Mail Pieces?
The answer to this question depends on the product you are selling and the emotion you want the potential buyer to feel. If you are selling something fancy and luxurious, purple might be a top choice, since it is the color of royalty and invokes feelings of power and luxury.
If you are selling something uniquely feminine and are looking to catch the eyes of women, pink might be a good option. Pink invokes feelings of playfulness and femininity. The color black can invoke feelings of mystery or intrigue as well as sophistication and elegance.
No matter the product or event, there is a color that can help push people in the direction of buying. The wrong colors can result in a potential buyer tossing your marking mail piece in the trash without a second glance.
Colors are designed to welcome and invite people to learn more about what you have to offer. One important factor to consider is to ensure there is enough blank space on your marketing mail piece. Without this, the design can look crowded or confusing.
Are the Colors You Chose Working for You?
To determine if the colors you chose are working for you, you will need to keep track of the response rate. It is a good idea to have at least two designs and color schemes in mind so that you can test different colors on your target audience.
You can send one design to the first half of your contact list and the other design to the second half. This way, you can monitor the response rate and see which design sparked more customer interest. You may experience trial and error, meaning your first few designs might not work.
However, once you start to understand the potential customers in your area and what they are responding to, you can play around with the colors and design until you have the perfect combination that invokes the correct feelings and response.
Other Marketing Strategies to Consider
Once you have landed on the colors and designs that get the best response rate, it is essential to stick with them. Consistency in branding is one of the most important things. You want customers to remember your branding, and if you constantly change it up, they may forget or confuse you with another company.
Consistency helps build trust in your company, allowing customers to feel like they can rely on your business for their needs. For example, IKEA is one of the world's most trusted and well-known retailers. Did you immediately picture their blue and yellow logo?
They tested two logos between 1951 and 1967, but in 1967 the company came up with the classic blue and yellow logo known today. They tried one more color scheme (burgundy and white) in 1981 but ultimately went back to the blue and yellow logo in 1983 and haven't changed since. Consistency is key to building your brand.
In addition to the color scheme, it is important to keep the mission of your brand consistent. Many marketing mail pieces feature content like slogans or invitations. Humorous content tends to invoke a positive response, but it depends on the mission and identity of your brand.
Take the time to think about what you want people to think, see, or feel when your brand crosses their minds. Once you figure that out, work to create a brand identity that invokes that vision and stick with it.
Conclusion
Color is one of the first things people notice when they hold a piece of marketing mail. The wrong color can mean the worst for your marketing campaign. Take the time to research your area. Which campaigns are doing better than others? What colors are they using? What colors invoke the feelings you want your potential buyer to feel?
These are all important questions to consider when designing your marketing mail pieces. Also, remember that consistency is crucial in a successful marketing strategy. There is no need to constantly change things up and confuse customers. Find your brand identity and run with it. The response rate may surprise you.
As an experienced business consultant, Arnold Rogers has advised businesses across many industries in areas of lead generation, customer experience, service development and small business cash flow and financial management. He has experience in handling diverse industries, from fast-moving consumer goods to business-to-business hardware retailers. Arnold's core focus and interest is in improving businesses' efficiencies by leveraging technology, from marketing to project management. In his free time, he contributes to tech and finance websites to share his views.
