Small Business Marketing Costs

by | Nov 19, 2024 | Marketing

The Dollars and Sense of Small Business Marketing

What’s the Story with All This Online Marketing Stuff?
Oh, wow. This is going to be a blog post. Put on your accountant hat, because we’re about to talk cash-money, folks. There are tons of reasons why marketing is essential for your small business, so let’s cover the basics up front—and then get to the green.

First, marketing builds your brand identity. Alongside that is brand awareness; they go hand-in-hand. The third piece, once your brand is strong and recognized, is sales growth. When your identity is established, awareness is up, and sales are growing, your small business thrives. Cool beans, right?

But between those three milestones, there are tons of steps. Each brings its own unique challenges (and costs) to your business. So, keep that accountant hat on, because here are a few hard truths about marketing:

  • Everyone wants your money.
  • Everyone will take your money.
  • You need to know how to spend your money wisely.
  • You need to know how to measure how effectively your money is being used.
  • If you’re not wise or effective, you’ll simply be out of money.

With those in mind, let’s move forward. But keep that hat on!

Who Wants My Marketing Money?

In short, who doesn’t? Everyone wants a share of your hard-earned dollars. In another blog post (First Website for Your Small Business or Job Search), I broke down website costs. But that’s just one piece of the puzzle. You might want to hold on to that hat, though—this is where it gets wild.

They Are Going to Take Your Whole Wallet
I own a marketing business, and let me tell you, marketing isn’t cheap. Successful online marketing covers several essentials:

  1. Social media accounts
  2. Email marketing
  3. Websites
  4. Pay-per-click advertising
  5. Marketing automation
  6. AI tools
  7. Graphic design
  8. Video editing
  9. Affiliate marketing
  10. Partnerships
  11. Content creation
  12. Stock assets
  13. Software subscriptions

Breaking Down the Costs

Here’s a breakdown of the essential items and typical costs associated with them. These are ballpark figures for a basic marketing setup:

Item Description Cost $USD Grand Total Per Year
Social Media Account Verification Monthly subscription for verification (e.g., on X) Starts at $32/year $32
Social Media Ads Priced per click, typically monthly budget for a small campaign $500 – $3,000/month $6,032
Content Creation Software Software like Canva Pro or Adobe, based on annual subscription Starts at $120/year $6,152
Website Hosting & Domain Basic account and domain cost per year $144/year $6,296
SEO Tools Basic subscription to tools like SEMrush $140/month $7,976
Email Marketing Mailchimp basic package (cost increases with contacts) $20/month $8,216
Google Ads Monthly budget, depending on ad clicks Starts at $500/month $14,216
Marketing Automation Basic automation tools like Salesforce $25/month $14,516
CRM Platform Basic package on Zoho $20/month $14,756
Graphic Design & Video Editing Monthly Adobe Creative Cloud subscription $60/month $15,476
Affiliate Programs Basic tracking setup and monthly cost for software like ShareASale $625 one-time; $35/month $16,521

That puts your business on the hook for around $16,521 per year. And that’s a low estimate! I haven’t even factored in the time to learn these tools, create content, or manage these activities. If you plan to hire an in-house marketing coordinator, you’re looking at an average salary of $63,245 per year (according to BuiltIn 2024). That brings your total annual spend up to $79,766. Need a paper bag?

How to Save Money on Marketing Your Small Business

Now, let’s talk about how I can save you some serious cash. You can Scrooge McDuck this part! I’ve written a blog about DIY marketing (How to Do Your Own Marketing for Free or Low Cost), which can help you get started.

But DIY doesn’t get you around setup fees, software subscriptions, or the time it takes to learn these tools. The learning curve is real.

So, here’s where a third-party marketing agency (like Atomic Dumpling!) comes in. An agency offers tiered marketing services, and our basic package starts at $500 per month—that’s a massive $10,000 cheaper than doing it all yourself! Plus, we offer à la carte services, so you only pay for what you need.

Let’s Keep It Simple and Cost-Effective

When you hire Atomic Dumpling or another agency, you’re not just saving money—you’re gaining access to a team of specialists, valuable tools, and a streamlined approach without the hassle. With a predictable budget and expert execution, you’re free to focus on growing your business.

 

Anna Pilette

Anna Pilette

Owner @ Atomic Dumpling LLC.

Once upon a time—okay, maybe not a million years ago, but it feels like it—I served in the Navy. After my sea adventures, I found myself working for a variety of companies, only to realize that their business practices often felt like they were running on autopilot… in the wrong direction. Fast forward to today, and I’m channeling that experience into helping small businesses and freelancers navigate their own brand journeys, minus the common pitfalls. Need a guide for your branding adventure?

Visit Atomic Dumpling at this link.

Or drop me a line anna@atomicdumpling.com!

Free Marketing Tips For Small Business

by | Nov 12, 2024 | Marketing, Writing

Hand holding a bullhorn with a text bubble that says 'Did you say freeish?' referencing strategies for marketing your small business for little to no cost.

Market Your Business for ‘Free’-ish

Free marketing tips for small business

First, you should probably know that according to the Office of Advocacy, 99.9% of all business in the US is small business. That means there are 33,185,550 small businesses un the US. Which means there’s a lot of competition out there for the products and services your business provides. But there’s also a lot of opportunities that you can tap into as a small business owner for free marketing tips for small business. Creating opportunities for your business is important and that’s why you do need to market it.

Why market your business?

Because there are other businesses that offer what you offer or something close to it. You must explain to people why they should choose your offerings. If you want to make money you have to market your business.

Can I do this for free?

Sort of, there are several ways you can market your business for free or a nominal charge. But I’ll be honest here – this is a full-time job. Creating content isn’t easy and will require skills. It can either be rewarding or frustrating. You’ll need to decide for yourself if this is something you want to do or hire out for. Marketing, even if you’re the one doing it for your business is going to have a cost, be it time or money.

What’s the Free-ish Way of Marketing?

Understanding Your Market

If your small business is scrappy and saving money is your goal, you can create your own marketing endeavor.  It would be the same as working with an agency like Atomic Dumpling. However, you’d need several things in your marketing toolbox to get started. First, you’re going to make mistakes. This is a way for you to grow – so just accept the mess-ups and look ahead. Second, you’re going to evolve your plan – so be flexible.

All marketing and advertising have budgets and goals in common. If you’re going the DIY route, then you need to know HOW TO do this. Here’s the list of what you need:

  1. A product,
  2. Pricing,
  3. A location or place,
  4. How you plan to communicate a promotion.

So far so good, right? This is commonly referred to as the 4Ps of Marketing. You’ll need to flex your creativity for this as you think about each of the Ps. Each P represents a component of marketing for your small business you’ll need to be able to address.

Why are each P important?

Well, each is a component of thought that surrounds your business. Let’s break it down into bit sized chunks.

The Product

When I say product, I’m talking about something that’s either a good or a service. My small business, Atomic Dumpling provides a service. We provide social media marketing and business writing services. Your business might provide a good, such as telescopes or hot peppers. No matter the product, you’ll need to define what it is and why someone needs to have it.

Just as important to what and why, you need to also be able to define somethings lifecycle. Think of it as the birth of your product, its growth, the maturity of the product, then its decline. For example, if you are developing an electronic device, that device will have an introduction to the public, it will then be adapted, that device will mature, then it will reach a point where it becomes obsolete. Understanding that cycle is the first step in understanding your product.

I’ll caution you here, you’ll need to know both the benefits and drawbacks of your product lifecycle. If you aren’t sure what those are, you might want to consider getting external help with this. I’ll recommend the Investopedia article on Product Life Cycles as a good starting point for you.

Price & All-Powerful Buck

What are people willing to pay for your product? If you are making something brand new to the market – chances are you’re going to be setting the pricing based on costs and profit margin. (Yes, I know there’s more to it than that, but that isn’t what this article is about. I’m simplifying this down to cost-plus pricing. If you want more, there are specialist in the field. But for reference, here’s the Harvard Business Review.)

In your DYI marketing, you need to clearly outline your pricing, value, and any discounts you might offer. Now here’s the thing – that pricing should also consider competitors and any other sensitivities to pricing your small business may encounter that could throw a wrench into your marketing strategy.

I’m also going to throw out my own personal pet peeves about pricing because you made it this far into the article. When I go to your website because I saw that cool item or service, I want to know the cost upfront. If it takes longer than 10 seconds to find your pricing or if I have to ‘Where’s Waldo’ hunt for it, I’m going to lose interest fast. Seeing no price, I can conclude it means it’s probably too high. If it’s on there but too low, it’s probably a scam. If you’re looking for a starting point for pricing, here are two starting points: HubSpot and Harvard Business Review.

The Place: Your Product & Marketing

Where your product is located and where you market are both important.

Yes, that sentence needed to be its own paragraph. People need to know where they can make a purchase and where they will want to make purchases. This is a big deal, and I can point to one of the reasons Nike was having so many problems (I’ll ignore lack of innovation for a moment.) You have to tell people where they can buy your stuff. If your product is sneakers, you’ll probably want to be getting those sneakers into stores other than your own (Nike, are you listening?)

You’ll also need to know where your customers are and how to reach them. There are a few ‘free’ and low-cost ways you should be marketing. Obviously, you need a website, that’s the first step. The next steps are easy, which include:

  1. Google My Business
  2. Yelp
  3. Better Business Bureau
  4. Yellow Pages
  5. Bing
  6. Local Chamber of Commerce
  7. Other online locations based on the type of product such as Angi, Upwork, etc.
  8. Social Media Platforms
  9. Email Lists

Each of these methods is not a one and done. They all will have their own variable cost or time consideration. Most will require a level of updating too. These are managed either by someone like me or by the business owner. However, each offer a unique way to reach new and existing clients. So, let’s talk about these for a minute because some are not that well known.

Promoting Your Business

Google My Business is a great way promote visibly easily and for free. This is that side frame you see anytime you Google something like fried chicken. You’ll see business information like reviews, the website address, the map location, and phone number for a business.

Yelp is its own application that great for everything from restaurant reviews to making reservation. Yelp is highly popular and great for local business listings.

For younger people, the Yellow Pages used to be the worst thing to carry home from the mailbox. It was big, heavy, but you could find anyone’s name, address, and phone number in it. It was a household item back in the day. It was everywhere, from public phones to the bowling alley. Today, the Yellow Pages available online for a low cost to get listed and depending on your target audience, it may be worth it.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has been around since 1912 to prevent consumers from being taken advantage of. For service based businesses, the BBB helps build consumer trust, but the cost of membership may not be worth it for your business.

Social Media Marketing

Social media platforms offer different things to different audiences. The largest mixed content platform is Facebook. Facebook boasts 3 billion users, and the reach potential is truly a wonder. Next up is YouTube at 2.5 billion, followed by WhatsApp at 2 billion. Every social media platform has a potential to help your business, but you need to cater specifically to what content you should create to you target audience.  I’ll caution you here that you also can create paid content to get a larger reach, but it can end up cost your business a pretty penny. Start your social media campaigns organically and grow from there.

Email lists are another way to reach existing and future clients. There are a number of different email tools, ranging from Mailchimp to Zoho to Constant Contact. You’ll find a wide variety of price points based on services, number of users, and other options. Brevo offers a starter kit for free.

The Long & Short of Marketing Yourself

In the end there’s more to marketing than just making a TikTok or two. Creating a plan and understanding who your target audience are important. Following that, having a pricing model, an understanding of where to market, and how to promote your business are paramount. Self-marketing your business is possible!

Anna Pilette

Anna Pilette

Owner @ Atomic Dumpling LLC.

Once upon a time—okay, maybe not a million years ago, but it feels like it—I served in the Navy. After my sea adventures, I found myself working for a variety of companies, only to realize that their business practices often felt like they were running on autopilot… in the wrong direction. Fast forward to today, and I’m channeling that experience into helping small businesses and freelancers navigate their own brand journeys, minus the common pitfalls. Need a guide for your branding adventure?

Visit Atomic Dumpling at this link.

Or drop me a line anna@atomicdumpling.com!

First Website for Your Small Business or Job Search

by | Nov 15, 2022 | Marketing

desktop with oversized graphic of a web design ux/ui

What to think about for your very first website for small business or as a job seeker.

Never had a website before? Start here.

Let’s first address who this entire article is for. I’m not talking to people who’ve had websites in the past or run a massive corporation. I’m talking to people that are just getting started with a small business, in independent contracting, or even as a job seeker. Here’s what you’re goign to need for a first website for small business or as a job seeker.

I’m pretty sure if someone like my dad was starting up his own business, he’d be asking for help with everything from logo design to website help. Which got me thinking. People don’t necessarily know what to ask for or where to start if they’re just starting up their own small business or for contracting or looking for a job.

In fact, based on past calls i received, they don’t know how web designers may charge them for help with website development. Having knowledge on where to get started, is important when you’re figuring out how much money you’ll need to have in your cost analysis for the business plan and understanding your initial budget.

The delicate balance of a website’s needs & budget – Website domains & hosting

First off, what’s in your wallet?

Anytime you look for tech to help you with a problem, you’ll have to create a budget. This isn’t a willy-nilly process since there are realistic costs upfront to even having a website to begin with. Best thing to do, is to start with a list of basic costs and create a realistic understanding of how to create your initial budget. This means you’re looking at initial costs of (at a minimum) of $154usd just to have a website plan that works online.

Description Cost Notes
Ip address $10.00 Annual – base minimum
WordPress $8.00 Personal – per month
WordPress business $12.00 Business – per month
Shopify $29.99 Base plan – per month
Wix $16.00 Personal – per month
Squarespace $16.00 Personal – per month

Investigate the costs further, what i didn’t mention is that the ip address can cost up to a few thousand dollars depending on what you’re looking for. The ballpark is around $10 to $20 dollars per year. Finding a domain and purchasing one can be done in a number of places (here are a few of your options).

If you’re a job seeker (or a contractor) you can use a personal plan without a hitch for the basic price of about $154 per year. They’re simple to set up on your own, or with a professional’s help. Most places offer guided instructions to help you, so you can do this without spending extra cash.

For business owners, a basic business plan is a great way to get started. In this case, you’re looking at around a base of $310usd (minimum) per year to have a domain and website hosting. You’ll need the extra options as a business for integrations and themes that you’ll want to have.

Content is LIT!

Content is a mixed bag of items. Typically, when you hear or read the word “content” you should be thinking about, text, graphics, photography, and video. It’s what’s contained in a website and on the web. So, it should go without saying that you’ll either be handing over your content to a having it created for you, giving it to a web designer, or posting it yourself.

Copywriters are required

If you need content written or edited by a professional, there’s going to be a charge for it. Rates for good writing will vary, but there’s a typical range you will see that’s asked for in the industry. And there are a couple of ways a writer will charge you for their work, either per word or by the hour. Both usually work out to about roughly the same price. If you aren’t writing your own content, you’ll need to budget on a copywriter.

Copywriter rates
Min Max
Per word $0.10 $0.50
Per hour $40 $100

Graphic art for description and clear understanding

Art is important as part of the content of your brand, and it isn’t free. This can include your logo, typography, and digital art. The things that make up your brand should be included, even on a bare-bones website. A digital graphic artist can range from $50-$150 per hour based on their skills sets.

Photographers for products, teams, or yourself!

Professional photography makes a significant difference in content & sales. If you’re business or personal website needs either you or products to look good, you’ll probably want to consider a photographer. Photographers my offer a package for their work, but the standard rate is around $100-$125 per hour.

Web designers are your builders

Depending on the type of website you’re in need of, your price range for a web developer will range from $100-$180usd. I’ll point out here, the more complex the work, the more expensive it becomes. A ui/ux designer might charge a little less than a back-end software developer, but overall, you’ll still need to consider that you’ll spend on average $125 per individual per hour.

Ready to get your website up & running?

It’s pen and paper time.

When you call your friendly web designer (you can read this as: me), we’re going to ask you some basic questions. When i get calls it’s always “how much do you charge?” Well, that answer, as you probably guessed by now, varies. There’s a better way to get started to save yourself some time and energy when you make that call.

In fact, here’s a list of questions you’ll need to be able to answer for any web designer:

  1. What is your website for?
  2. Who are you targeting?
  3. Can you show me 3 to 5 websites that you like from your competitors?
  4. Can you provide examples on those websites of things you do not like?
  5. What features do you want to include on your website?
  6. What is the timeline to start and when would you like to launch?
  7. What’s the overall style of your website that you are imagining?

Therefore, you’re first question should not be “how much do you charge?” It should be, “can we discuss the different types of websites you create?” This will get you pointed in the right direction of getting help you need to create a website that works on your budget.

Anna Pilette

Anna Pilette

Owner @ Atomic Dumpling LLC.

Once upon a time—okay, maybe not a million years ago, but it feels like it—I served in the Navy. After my sea adventures, I found myself working for a variety of companies, only to realize that their business practices often felt like they were running on autopilot… in the wrong direction. Fast forward to today, and I’m channeling that experience into helping small businesses and freelancers navigate their own brand journeys, minus the common pitfalls. Need a guide for your branding adventure?

Visit Atomic Dumpling at this link.

Or drop me a line anna@atomicdumpling.com!

How to Write an Effective Job Advertisement

by | Aug 31, 2022 | Marketing, Writing

image of newspaper clip for a job advertisement

Why Are Job Advertisements Not Written Effectively?

Writing a job advertisement seems like it should be a straightforward project. If your business needs extra help, you know what you want them to do, so you write a job advertisement for a job board. This means – your business should know how to write an effective job advertisement. Viola! You’d interviewing in no time! Uh, right? Right?!

It turns out – the answer is no. 

Apply Logic To Your Writing

While those seem like logical steps, clicking through Indeed and LinkedIn is telling me otherwise. We need to talk, folks. Your job adverts kind of stink like two-day-old fish.  So we need to have a serious conversation about how to write an effective job advertisement and why.

A job ad should be hyper-focused on explaining what the role encompasses and be directly written for the individual you are looking to hire. Again, this seems straightforward, but it isn’t. Most of the jobs that I review are written from a boilerplate template (straight from the job board) and give very little information about the company, role, or who you’re looking for.

How to Write an Effective Job Advertisement

The Basics of Good Adverts

What we need is a solid list of information that your business needs to advertise. This is marketing after all, and you want to put your best foot forward. It’s also an exercise in sales. You are selling your company to potential employees to attract their talent. Their talent adds to your business capabilities.

The list first needs basic outlined, think of it as what, why, and where of your business. Then we discuss the who and how.

  1. What does your business do as a whole?
  2. Why does your business need help?
  3. Where will the employee be working?

3 Points for Job Advertisement Writing  

First, you need to explain in a paragraph the business section you’re hiring for. This provides context to potential employees and hopefully will spark their interest to apply. It also provides a bit more background about the job role that we’ll be getting to. Nothing in this section should be found on your website, the point is to outline the department and the function of that space.

Second, why does your business need the help? Providing a little bit of information helps a potential candidate weigh the role further while rounding out the context for the hire. This is the part where you’re discussing the longevity of the role. Will you be hiring a permanent employee, a contract, or a temporary? It’s also good to discuss if you’re open to independent contractors.

Third, you’ll need to discuss where a person will be working. Is the role a remote position or in an office?

While almost every job posting lists What, why, and with a single-word bullet point, you can strive to write better descriptions. Remember, this is an advertisement, the entire point is to market your business and advertise it! Providing a little more detail, in the beginning, is going to save you time down the road.

Yes, You Need To List The Compensation – Not Some Weird Pay Range

This brings me to the next part. This is where you lead with how you plan to compensate someone for the role. Compensation is imperative to a job advertisement. I’m not sure why people don’t put details on the ads. And don’t give me “because anyone will apply”. People will apply for jobs if they think they have a shot at getting them. You’re missing the mark if you are not spelling out compensation, including the base payment of salary information. I can tell you that I skipped these job listings routinely because I knew companies that did not list their salaries were out to lowball people.  

Everyone expects the basic compensation package to include medical, dental, and vision. If you’re looking to hire, you need to step up your game and provide a base salary, how much PTO/Sick Time, and the extras you plan to give people. Lay it all out on the line and explain it.  

Totally as a side note, I’ll just tell you to know, that if you give a salary range, everyone will ask for the top of the range. Here’s another freebie for you too, if the compensation you provided is too low, you’d better reevaluate the role.  

The Meat and Potatoes of Job Advertisements

Crack your knuckles cause we’re about to dig into the good stuff. Next, we need to discuss the how what, and who of the job advertising. 

This is the heavily detailed section of information that explains what the job is and who you want doing it.

I guess I need to talk about something that is continuously overlooked in job advertisements. When you write a blanket explanation that anyone can do, then expect anyone to apply. This means you are not advertising to your target audience. Which is a giant waste of time and money.

What The Point Of The Ad?

Breaking this down to basics:

  1. What responsibilities and authorities does the role encompass?
  2. How will a person be completing the role?  
  3. What tools does a person need to know to complete the job functions?
  4. How competent must they be to correctly do the job?
  5. Who is the ideal candidate that you are writing to?

I’d like to point out that while number five on the list is last, this is the theme for the entire job advertisement. “Who is your ideal candidate?” is the reason you’re advertising and that is your target audience. 

Throughout this blog post, I’ve asked you to consider this advertising and sales. This means that the writing you are doing is both technical in nature and persuasive.  

Who you are writing to needs to be considered. Moving forward, you need to provide a detailed outline of their responsibilities and the authority they’ll have in carrying out the role. This means that there’s an expectation for an experience level as a guide with additional competencies that also need to be examined.  

Lastly, how a person is expected to complete the work must be explained. What tools does your company possess? This means providing details for software, hardware, equipment, etc. 

Bringing this information to the forefront narrows the pool of individuals who will feel competent to apply.

To Advertise Or To Hope, That Is The Question

Ideally, you are looking for a single person in a sea of candidates. How do you want to spend your time? 

Do you want to write a detailed job advertisement and candidate description? Or do you prefer interviewing the applicants to a generic job ad that might get you the right fit? Which is more valuable to you? Should you spend time fleshing out the ideal candidate on paper? Or bringing in multiple candidates for interviews? I know which I’d pick.

Anna Pilette

Anna Pilette

Owner @ Atomic Dumpling LLC.

Once upon a time—okay, maybe not a million years ago, but it feels like it—I served in the Navy. After my sea adventures, I found myself working for a variety of companies, only to realize that their business practices often felt like they were running on autopilot… in the wrong direction. Fast forward to today, and I’m channeling that experience into helping small businesses and freelancers navigate their own brand journeys, minus the common pitfalls. Need a guide for your branding adventure?

Visit Atomic Dumpling at this link.

Or drop me a line anna@atomicdumpling.com!

Do I need a website for my small business?

by | Aug 16, 2022 | Design tips, Marketing

woman holding ipad with images of various website media flowing from ipad onto the table and all around her

Ermahgawd, I Need a Website?

There seems to be a disconnect about whether you need a website as a micro entity small business.  The short answer is YES, dammit, you need a website!  The long answer is the reason why you need a website.

Alright, I used a magic word combo there, huh?  What’s a micro entity small business?  I’m so glad you asked (even though I know you didn’t.). A micro entity small business is defined as a small business with fewer than 500 people.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about you brand new website.

Ok, I need a website, what for?

A website is like your own personal intergalactic space station.  It is the hub that all information will rotate around, it’s the platform that launches your brand, and it a place to land to give people a connection point to you.  Even if your work is simply through social media, you want to give people more…  MORE!

You can do that with a website.  Brand ambassadors can expand their earnings 2x times simply by adding a website.  Besides, let’s say you’re a streamer on Twitch, you’ll want to give people as much information as possible including emails, specialty codes for merch, a merch platform, and so much more.

I’m Freelance, Do I Need a Website?

Yes.

Remember when I said that a website is a hub?  A website is a portal to your work and to you.  While you can be on LinkedIn, Fiverr, Upwork, etc. you still need to create a brand.  A website allows you to tie your social media, portfolio, resume, and more together.

What Kind of Website Do I Need?

This is the part that must fit what you’re doing.  If you’re business focus is on products, you’ll want to look at ecommerce platforms.  If you’re focus is services, you can use several platforms to get started like WordPress.  What you choose is entirely up to your purpose.  You will need to think about content, media, and other information as well.  But your first step is finding a platform for your brand before getting everything together.

Anna Pilette

Anna Pilette

Owner @ Atomic Dumpling LLC.

Once upon a time—okay, maybe not a million years ago, but it feels like it—I served in the Navy. After my sea adventures, I found myself working for a variety of companies, only to realize that their business practices often felt like they were running on autopilot… in the wrong direction. Fast forward to today, and I’m channeling that experience into helping small businesses and freelancers navigate their own brand journeys, minus the common pitfalls. Need a guide for your branding adventure?

Visit Atomic Dumpling at this link.

Or drop me a line anna@atomicdumpling.com!

Color Psychology in Web Design

by | Aug 10, 2022 | Marketing

color wheel for artistic design

Understanding Color Psychology in Web Design

Color on your website is as important as color anywhere else in life. Color psychology in web design affects (Nordeborn, 2013) how a user perceives your website the moment they land. The use of color in any design is applied with greater scientific understanding because of its effects on people both physiologically and psychologically (Singh N. & Srivastava S.K., 2011), including in marketing.

Color In Marketing

If you’re looking to make your website memorable, it’s partially to do with color. If you’re questioning why the answer is right in front of you. Color is crucial to human memory and moods. Colors themselves have specific attributes that a related to how they make people feel (Importance of colors on your website and brand identity).  

Understand that the colors you choose for your business must be intentional. They also need to work together as far as colors go to bring home the message.

What? It’s Free Web Design! Right?

Let’s talk about the magic of a free website theme template. You’ll see where I’m going here in a second with this tangent. Whether you’re freelance or just getting started with your business, using a free theme is usually an attractive idea because of the value you’re being provided. Free themes that you see use complimentary colors preset from the start. However, those same free theme colors tend to be unremarkable neutral colors that are on purposely designed to fit what the web designer is imagining for use case scenarios. Anyone can use them that’s why they are attractive.

That’s also the rub, they’re unremarkable.  Color has an effect on human emotion and can be a make or break keypoint to your brand story. 

Part of marketing is brand awareness. It is arguably, the most important aspect of marketing to get people to buy something. Do bland colors make your brand memorable? The answer is a simple ‘no’. This is where the science of color theory along with the application of color usage becomes important, even in those sweet little free themes.

Marketing Through Color and Emotion

Getting back to the business of being memorable, there are several ways you can apply color science to your website yourself (How to strategically use color in website design) or you can engage us to help you. First, understand your user expectations. What colors will your users expect based on the nature of the brand? Second, define which colors will compliment your message and each other. You can use several free tools to determine color compliment like Adobe Color. Third, and finally, keep it simple. A good pallet can be simple and elegant. 

 

 

 

 

 

Anna Pilette

Anna Pilette

Owner @ Atomic Dumpling LLC.

Once upon a time—okay, maybe not a million years ago, but it feels like it—I served in the Navy. After my sea adventures, I found myself working for a variety of companies, only to realize that their business practices often felt like they were running on autopilot… in the wrong direction. Fast forward to today, and I’m channeling that experience into helping small businesses and freelancers navigate their own brand journeys, minus the common pitfalls. Need a guide for your branding adventure?

Visit Atomic Dumpling at this link.

Or drop me a line anna@atomicdumpling.com!