Coloring your information product blue or red?

13 replies
I can't decide at all. Both colors look really nice. The question is just, which color will bring in the most dough?

Blue has a calming psychological effect, it lowers the heart rate of the viewer.
Red makes the viewer more aggressive, and it raises their heart rate.

I can't figure out WHICH psychological effect is best.
I mean, you want the customer to take action, but at the same time...you want them to trust in what they're buying.

It seems that blue gives them the trust they need...while red makes them inclined to take action.

What are your experiences? Have you tested and found out?

Here's an interesting article about the subject:

http://www.cracked.com/article_20039...your-life.html

Especially read the last bullet point, which is about buying.

A quote:

"For example, people bidding online will pay substantially more when there's a red background on the selling page, but only when they perceive that they are competing against others. If, on the other hand, you don't think anyone else is bidding against you, red will tempt you to lowball the seller -- it's all about winning. Either way, you're on your guard and out to get someone. So what happens when the background is blue? You're more generous and willing to pay more."

After reading that...it seems that blue is the way to go...but then we read this:

"Not that blue works 100 percent of the time -- it depends on the product. If red makes people more watchful and defensive, companies that are promoting a product based on how it deals with negative issues can use red to encourage sales. If you're "fighting" something, your best bet is red."

In my case...my product is somewhat fighting something. But it's also a high-priced product.
#blue #coloring #information #product #red
  • Profile picture of the author torstenm
    I asked myself the same question before and wasn't sure if going for redor blue. So I did a split test with both versions and found out that the red version converted almost 30% better than the blue version.

    But as you state above, it depends also on the product.

    So why not just doing a split test and find out which version is the winning one?
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    • Profile picture of the author svedski
      Originally Posted by torstenm View Post

      I asked myself the same question before and wasn't sure if going for redor blue. So I did a split test with both versions and found out that the red version converted almost 30% better than the blue version.

      But as you state above, it depends also on the product.

      So why not just doing a split test and find out which version is the winning one?
      I will. However, this is for a pretty high-priced item (500 dollars) and I would rather get it right from the beginning. Very interesting that the red outpulled the blue with 30%. May I ask, what kind of product was it? Ebook, home study course etc? And in what market?
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      • Profile picture of the author torstenm
        Originally Posted by stolpioni View Post

        May I ask, what kind of product was it? Ebook, home study course etc? And in what market?
        In my case it was a much lower priced ebook in the internet marketing niche.

        But still, I think nobody will be able to give you the exact answer what is right or wrong. So only a split test with your audience will bring you closer to the answer.

        In the end it is worth it. You risk just x% of the sales during the split test and not x% of all your potential sales.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason_V
    I actually just read that if you sell items on an auction site, such as eBay, mind you this is for an auction not a buy it now product, the best color to have behind your product and under your product is red. It seems it attracts more bids than any other color.
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    • Profile picture of the author svedski
      Originally Posted by Jason_V View Post

      I actually just read that if you sell items on an auction site, such as eBay, mind you this is for an auction not a buy it now product, the best color to have behind your product and under your product is red. It seems it attracts more bids than any other color.
      Yeah it was in the article. When people are fighting over a product, red drives up the prices. When they're not fighting over it however...blue makes them pay more for it.

      Hard dilemma...I guess it's all about how much scarcity you use etc.

      So just for the heck of it...and to compromise a little bit, I'm going to settle for orange. Another good thing about orange is that it's more unusual.

      I'll probably still split-test with blue however.
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  • Profile picture of the author candymai
    IMO, blue font - white theme tends to be a friendly and "smooth" than red.
    Both are fine, use red at emphasized or warning, and blue at features.
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    • Profile picture of the author Cam Connor
      So Tough To Choose...



      Honestly, there's no real "right answer" to this question... what color is the rest of your landing page? You want your product to stand out, and look bold, so I would start with the one that best contrasts the color-scheme of your landing page, but of course, test, test, test.

      Best,
      -Cam
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      • Profile picture of the author candymai
        Originally Posted by Cam Connor View Post

        So Tough To Choose...

        Honestly, there's no real "right answer" to this question... what color is the rest of your landing page? You want your product to stand out, and look bold, so I would start with the one that best contrasts the color-scheme of your landing page, but of course, test, test, test.

        Best,
        -Cam
        I like your picture, Cam.
        Yes, it's depend on the theme. I believe blue-white and red-white are fine, especially blue-transparent!

        Totally offline, but you see what terror IOS 7 bring us? Green and white combination is a nightmare.
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        • Profile picture of the author sidneyng
          I agree with the rest...it's all about testing and optimizing it :-)
          Or - you can just re-release it later.

          The product and the entire layout would also determine conversions.
          Perhaps if you send us how the sales page would look like - it would be easier to make a recommendation.
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  • Profile picture of the author candymai
    Have you decided it? I want to look what your pages look line now
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  • Profile picture of the author AlexGeorge
    Both colors can be effective for grabbing the viewers attention. They are both striking colors but take a look at what colors and objects are surrounding it. You want it to stand out, so you don't want any other blue colors around if you are having blue text. You want to have contrast, but you could test both and see what converts better.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ghoster
    In terms of psychology, red is the better choice if you're trying to get someone to take action. Blue is the better choice if you're trying to project authority and build trust.

    Red:

    Exciting, arousing, stimulating

    Subconsciously associated with activity, strength, and stimulation.

    Long red-shift hues (red, yellow, orange) stimulate arousal in most people.

    Blue:

    Competence, intelligence, and trust

    Subconsciously associated with efficiency, logic and duty.

    Blue is seen as a more serious color, conjuring images of deep-thought.
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    On the whole, you get what you pay for.

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    • Profile picture of the author colorado1850
      And just to chime in, I have read in a few different reports for WSO's here on the forum that orange is not a good choice in sales letters. I don't know from personal experience, but I sure don't see it used on sales pages very often.

      Otherwise maybe you can set up a page with the text you want highlighted in red and then create another page with that text in blue and then use google/webmasters a/b testing and have it serve up the pages randomly and see which one converts best!

      Let us know how it works!
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