Do you know that someone can purchase your product or service simply because they love your brand colour? Colours affect consumer behaviour. That’s why marketers and business owners should understand colour psychology and, most importantly, how to choose the perfect colour palette for their brands.

However, finding the best colour palette for business branding can seem daunting, given the many options available. But with some guidance, you can easily find one that sets your brand apart.

If you’re a small business owner overwhelmed with branding and marketing, we got you covered in this post. Here is a step-by-step guide to choosing your brand’s colour palette.

Why colour matters in small business branding

Colour is crucial in your branding strategy, whether for logo design, billboards, or product packaging. It is the first thing a potential customer will notice when they come across your brand. According to research, proper use of colour increases brand recognition by 80%.

Here is why colour matters for your brand;

Brand memory and recognition

Humans are significantly better at recalling scenes, images and pictures, if not just in black and white. That means our memories work better in colour.

Colour has a solid appeal to the senses. This is why it’s easier to recall a brand colour than a brand name, especially if you’ve only seen it once.

Emotional perceptions

Colours can evoke specific emotions and associations in people, influencing how they perceive your brand. For instance, red is often linked to energy and excitement, while green is associated with nature and health.

Consistent branding

Sticking to a specific colour theme is essential to developing a consistent brand. Many established and successful brands keep their colour and tone consistent.

A consistent brand prevents customers from receiving mixed messages.

Choosing the right colour for your brand

The right colour can help you connect your brand with your audience on an emotional level. It also creates a distinct, memorable brand identity.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to choosing an approachable and relatable colour palette for your brand;

Understand colour psychology

Before you choose a colour palette for your small business, you should learn how brand colours affect perceptions and behaviours—that’s what colour psychology is all about.

First, you need to understand what your preferred colours mean—every colour has a meaning in branding. Your brand colour should convey the right emotions and be attractive to the target market.

Experiment with colour palette tools

So you now have a rough idea of colours and emotions. However, it’s not yet time to pick and settle for a particular colour palette.

Instead, play around with colour palette tools to see how different colours present your brand. You can experiment with different colours from several online colour palette tools.

Pinpoint the colours that reflect your brand identity

Now it’s time to narrow down your options depending on how they affect your brand appearance. While colour palette tools will give you a rough idea of which colour palettes to choose, you still need to research and audit your competitors’ brand colours.

The goal is not to copy what your competitors are using but to draw inspiration and make yours more outstanding. Try to investigate brand reputations and recognise patterns in brand colours.  Then determine your differentiators.

After analysing your competitors’ brand colour choices, come up with perfect and unique brand colours that reflect your brand identity.

Ideally, you want two primary colours that set your business apart—the other colours will be used as accent colours. Moreover, your dominant colour palettes should either contrast or complement well together.

Apply your colour palettes

Once you decide on the best colour palettes, they’ll become part of your small business branding strategy. Therefore, you must learn how to use them to boost brand recognition.

Your brand colours can appear on your business logo, website, social media, and staff uniforms, among other places.

Conclusion

Colours can significantly affect consumer behaviour and brand recognition. Therefore, choosing the colour palettes that portray the right image to your audience is essential.

Contact our branding experts at oracle tree for the best branding practices that work best for your small business.

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