Psychology of Color

Something that we take for granted as a small business marketer is the use of color. From our logo to our brochures and websites, the colors you convey can determine the message you are trying to send. Choosing the right and wrong colors can be the difference between making the sale and making nothing.

I came across a great article the other day regarding the use of color in business. Here are some points that we brought up in the article.

RED- Stands for aggression, violence, blood, etc.
Use to initiate action or convey a warning. While red is good, limit its use and do not have it dictate the overall theme.

PINK- Stands for calming, cute, feminine, etc.
Use when you want to touch the targets romantic side.

ORANGE- Stands for warmth, vibrancy, etc.
Use in moderation and it can be overwhelming. Many food companies use orange. Psychologists also say an orange logo remains in the readers mind for a longer period of time.

YELLOW- Stands for calming, caution, warmth, etc.
Use in moderation as it can grab attention but needs to be used in moderation.

GREEN- Stands for nature, spring, money, etc.
Use for companies that focus on money or growing.

BLUE- Stands for sea, intelligence, sadness, etc.
Use for a formal layout. Blue is more welcoming that a more aggressive color.

PURPLE- Stands for creativity, spiritual, etc.
Use if your product is focused towards the targets romantic side.

BLACK- Stands for power, evil, etc.
Only use black for text content and not as a background.

WHITE- Stands for cleanliness, purity, spirituality, etc.
A white background can make color stand out more.

Genius at Work

Are you looking for a good read when it comes to small business marketing? As someone who reads and conducts research to stay ahead of the marketing curve, I usually read a couple of marketing books a month. So I figured I could give a monthly book recommendation to use as a reference guide when making small business decisions.
For this month, I am recommending John Jantsch's Duct Tape Marketing: The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide. To say it is the most practical in the world, is completely right. The ideas that are given through real world examples are tremendous and some of the techniques I implemented with other small businesses were dead on. The book is very inexpensive and I have used it as a door prize at a speaking engagement. Go check out the website at Duct Tape Marketing and see what other areas Mr. Jantsch writes about. All areas are covered.

What to Really Look for When Enrolling in a Hosting Account

Number of email accounts, transfer speeds, and price are all items that are taken into account when enrolling in a hosting plan for your email account of website. However, an extremely important aspect to look at is customer service should you run into issues. In some businesses, downtime is crucial to a business and the owner can't spend all day being on hold. While most of these larger hosting companies will have minimal downtime. You may have questions with surfing through your dashboard regarding autoresponders or redirecting emails. You want a company that will respond quickly. My favorite hosting company is Argon Hosting. Their dashboard is easy to navigate and when I do have a question, I get immediate response. It's the best of both worlds. Go Daddy and Yahoo have very short wait times as well but their dashboards can be a bit overwhelming for the beginner. For the local Florida area where I live, I recommend Bright House over BellSouth. BellSouth's customer service is not up to par with other hosting companies. Also, stick with larger providers unless you are referred to an exceptional provider. It may save you time in the long run.

To Domain or not to Domain that is the Question

There are many small businesses out there where the owner has an email account and uses it as an acquisition channel. Most of the very small businesses that I have worked with use Hotmail, Yahoo, or AOL. While this may be the easiest account to set up and it is free, a small investment in a domain can do worlds of good in the perception you convey to prospects and clients. First, when you have your email on a business card or stationary you want to convey that you are a legitimate business. When your card says taylormay@yahoo.com or taylormay@hotmail.com, it is saying that I am a small shop or that I am not a legitimate business. Secondly, when you send emails out through Hotmail or Yahoo, there is a good chance that it could get filtered to the receiver's junk mail meaning they will never read it (at least until it is too late).
Your investment for a domain is the first step in building your brand. You can go to Go Daddy and purchase a domain for $9.99 or less. Also, remember to purchase the additional hosting package. You can buy the domain but you need a hosting environment to send and receive email. You can find some packages for free but it is always a good idea to use one where there is a low monthly fee. I recommend Yahoo, Go Daddy, or Argon Hosting.
A small investment can go a long way.