Colors in Email Marketing: A Complete Guide
Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2024 9:10 am
Color is often the untapped lever that decides whether an email marketing campaign succeeds or fails. The psychological effect of colors on people has been studied for decades, and yet new things are discovered every year.
However, in the context of color, the data is constantly changing. For example, 93% of consumers rank color first when making a purchase, and 85% name it as the main reason for buying a product.
Color psychology in email marketing
Source: Kissmetrics
At the same time, corporate colors create certain limits on the colors one can use in their email campaign. Therefore, it is best to keep options open to target specific customers with specific colors.
Color psychology in email marketing
Source: Kissmetrics
According to the aforementioned study, certain colors are used for vietnam phone number data a defined type of buyer: red, orange, black and blue for impulsive buyers; navy blue and teal for buyers on a tight budget; pink, rose and sky blue for traditional buyers.
Choosing the right color combination
To use the right colors in your emails, you need to know what each color means and which ones are best to combine. Then your emails, using marketing colors, will become a powerful tool to increase lead generation.
White
Purity and independence
Colors In Email Marketing
Unlike black, white almost always has a positive meaning and is associated with purity, cleanliness, and innocence. For many people, it is associated with new beginnings, as it is a symbol of starting over. If the color is used correctly, you can easily create a feeling of simplicity and security.
However, overuse can create a feeling of emptiness, coldness, lack of imagination, boredom and incompleteness. That is why plain text emails, although effective, are often labelled as boring and unimaginative.
Tip: A white background can be paired with any color, so a bright spot of text will always catch customers' attention. White is not the best idea for text itself: on a white or light gray background, it blends in and looks spammy to ESP, and reading it is difficult and tiring for the eyes.
Authority and elegance
Colors In Email Marketing
Black symbolises power, authority, luxury and elegance, which is why this colour is often associated with prestigious objects, such as cars. But too much of it can evoke a sense of the unknown and convey negative meanings. So use it sparingly so as not to overwhelm the recipient. Use it to accentuate the elegance, prestige or power of your product.
Tip: This color, like white, is multifunctional and looks clear with contrasting colors. However, do not use a black background, as it makes contrasting colored text illegible in the deep field.
Red
CTA and urgency
Colors In Email Marketing
Opinions on the connotations of red are divided. Its positive connotations are energy, power and determination; negative ones are blood, danger and aggression. That's why red is often used on road signs and (almost) always on Buy Now or Click Here buttons . This bright colour has great visibility and is perfect for creating accents in texts and plain backgrounds to encourage people to make quick decisions.
According to an A/B test by Hubspot , red increases conversions by 21%. However, it should only be used to highlight text in the overall color scheme of the email. If all of the text is red, it won’t help your CTA. Don’t forget to A/B test your colors.
Tip : Use red to make your CTA stand out from the other colors in your email color scheme. Red works best when paired with more basic colors like white and shades of gray.
Blue
Security and trust
Colors In Email Marketing
Blue provides a calming effect. It expresses above all a feeling of serenity, security, reliability, trust and stability. However, depending on your business, using blue can be counterproductive. For example, blue is not used in the food industry, because it curbs appetite. But it is a great solution for high-tech products and anything related to intellect.
In addition, it has been proven that blue is the most popular color among women and men. So don't hesitate to use it in your email: everyone will be delighted to see it.
Tip : Use blue if you want to reassure your clients and convince them that you are trustworthy and reliable. But use it sparingly: too much blue can evoke a feeling of coldness and unfriendliness.
Green
Tranquility and peace
Colors In Email Marketing
Like many colours in email marketing, green, along with blue and white, expresses tranquillity and calm. It also conveys relaxation and protection, freshness and improvement. As a rule, this colour is used to promote health-related and so-called “green” products.
Green, being the color of nature, has a calming effect, creates positive associations, and even affects depression. In a somewhat less environmental sense, green is the color of money, so it is often used to express financial wealth and growth.
Tip : Keep color gradation in mind, as a slight variation in hue or shade can create a whole new meaning. For example, yellow-green is associated with illness and confusion; dark green indicates greed and frustration. If you want your customers and prospects to wake up, relax, and make a decision, use green in your email marketing plan.
However, in the context of color, the data is constantly changing. For example, 93% of consumers rank color first when making a purchase, and 85% name it as the main reason for buying a product.
Color psychology in email marketing
Source: Kissmetrics
At the same time, corporate colors create certain limits on the colors one can use in their email campaign. Therefore, it is best to keep options open to target specific customers with specific colors.
Color psychology in email marketing
Source: Kissmetrics
According to the aforementioned study, certain colors are used for vietnam phone number data a defined type of buyer: red, orange, black and blue for impulsive buyers; navy blue and teal for buyers on a tight budget; pink, rose and sky blue for traditional buyers.
Choosing the right color combination
To use the right colors in your emails, you need to know what each color means and which ones are best to combine. Then your emails, using marketing colors, will become a powerful tool to increase lead generation.
White
Purity and independence
Colors In Email Marketing
Unlike black, white almost always has a positive meaning and is associated with purity, cleanliness, and innocence. For many people, it is associated with new beginnings, as it is a symbol of starting over. If the color is used correctly, you can easily create a feeling of simplicity and security.
However, overuse can create a feeling of emptiness, coldness, lack of imagination, boredom and incompleteness. That is why plain text emails, although effective, are often labelled as boring and unimaginative.
Tip: A white background can be paired with any color, so a bright spot of text will always catch customers' attention. White is not the best idea for text itself: on a white or light gray background, it blends in and looks spammy to ESP, and reading it is difficult and tiring for the eyes.
Authority and elegance
Colors In Email Marketing
Black symbolises power, authority, luxury and elegance, which is why this colour is often associated with prestigious objects, such as cars. But too much of it can evoke a sense of the unknown and convey negative meanings. So use it sparingly so as not to overwhelm the recipient. Use it to accentuate the elegance, prestige or power of your product.
Tip: This color, like white, is multifunctional and looks clear with contrasting colors. However, do not use a black background, as it makes contrasting colored text illegible in the deep field.
Red
CTA and urgency
Colors In Email Marketing
Opinions on the connotations of red are divided. Its positive connotations are energy, power and determination; negative ones are blood, danger and aggression. That's why red is often used on road signs and (almost) always on Buy Now or Click Here buttons . This bright colour has great visibility and is perfect for creating accents in texts and plain backgrounds to encourage people to make quick decisions.
According to an A/B test by Hubspot , red increases conversions by 21%. However, it should only be used to highlight text in the overall color scheme of the email. If all of the text is red, it won’t help your CTA. Don’t forget to A/B test your colors.
Tip : Use red to make your CTA stand out from the other colors in your email color scheme. Red works best when paired with more basic colors like white and shades of gray.
Blue
Security and trust
Colors In Email Marketing
Blue provides a calming effect. It expresses above all a feeling of serenity, security, reliability, trust and stability. However, depending on your business, using blue can be counterproductive. For example, blue is not used in the food industry, because it curbs appetite. But it is a great solution for high-tech products and anything related to intellect.
In addition, it has been proven that blue is the most popular color among women and men. So don't hesitate to use it in your email: everyone will be delighted to see it.
Tip : Use blue if you want to reassure your clients and convince them that you are trustworthy and reliable. But use it sparingly: too much blue can evoke a feeling of coldness and unfriendliness.
Green
Tranquility and peace
Colors In Email Marketing
Like many colours in email marketing, green, along with blue and white, expresses tranquillity and calm. It also conveys relaxation and protection, freshness and improvement. As a rule, this colour is used to promote health-related and so-called “green” products.
Green, being the color of nature, has a calming effect, creates positive associations, and even affects depression. In a somewhat less environmental sense, green is the color of money, so it is often used to express financial wealth and growth.
Tip : Keep color gradation in mind, as a slight variation in hue or shade can create a whole new meaning. For example, yellow-green is associated with illness and confusion; dark green indicates greed and frustration. If you want your customers and prospects to wake up, relax, and make a decision, use green in your email marketing plan.