Monday, 8 am. John Smith wakes up with a buzz bug: “I need a new smartphone!” He goes online, searches, compares brands and features, and… chooses the smartphone he preferred less!
What Was That?
Emotional outburst happened, signaling John’s subconscious to choose faster.
Studies prove that it’s nothing but emotions that determine purchase decisions within seconds. As a marketer, you might want to understand how to appeal to them and, therefore, affect consumers decision-making.
How?
According to the study by the Wharton University of Pennsylvania, two factors elicit positive emotions: personalization and visual content. Since most people are visually-oriented, your website image can influence conversion by far.
Considering the psychology behind images is a must for marketers, as it allows to inspire consumers and lead them to choosing your product or service among others.
Message Psychology
A landing image is more than just a picture on your website. It’s the fastest way for visitors to acquire information and message of your brand, as well as the expression of a defined goal consumers should understand within 0.05 seconds to build a positive impression about your offer.
When choosing an image, consider the following criteria:
- It helps visitors understand the goal of your website.
- It’s relevant to your keywords.
- It makes your page look trustworthy.
- It demonstrates advantages of your offer.
- It contrasts with a page design and makes it easy for visitors to see a CTA button.
- It expresses desired emotions, making visitors look like heroes once they’ve chosen your offer.
Example:
This image looks cozy and personalized, evoking positive emotions and, thus, building trust. Visitors understand the goal: once they choose the offer, they become heroes who’ve saved time, solved the problem, and now can relax with a clear conscience.
Color Psychology
Back in 2014, Neil Patel nailed it:
“Psychology is one of the most important aspects of marketing that we all tend to overlook. From messaging to color, it’s the small details that can persuade you to either purchase or walk away.”
Did you know that:
- For 85% of consumers, color is a primary reason for purchasing.
- Visual factors influence up to 90% of purchase decisions.
- Color increases brand recognition by 80%.
- 66% of people won’t buy a product unless it comes in their preferred color.
Image source: quicksprout, how colors affect conversion
The psychology of color is a must-know for marketers: colors influence emotions and affect decisions, so they can help your landing page stand out.
quicksprout, how colors affect conversion
How to apply it to your landing image?
- Be consistent with colors, as they evoke associations and elicit certain emotions.
- Set a color palette to portray your brand, and make sure a landing image complements the overall design of your website.
Example:
Orange is the color associated with friendship, cheer, and confidence. No wonder, many brands choose it for logos and websites design. HubSpot uses images that complement their overall orange design: glasses, sweaters and other small yet significant details build a positive impression about the brand.
Contrast and Font Psychology
To evoke positive impressions about the brand, make sure visitors can read what’s behind your landing image. For that, consider the psychology of fonts and contrast.
Things to remember about contrast:
- Use dark texts only if your photo is close to white.
- Light font colors work best when used with black-and-white or dark images.
- Darken your photo to get a higher contrast, or add a background to the text.
Image source: deliveryhero, about us
The psychology behind fonts exists, too. Each type of font evokes definite associations, so keep in mind this fact when choosing it to complement your landing image.
- Serif corresponds to comfort, traditions, and respect.
- Sans-serif is about stability, modern, and purity.
- Script is for elegance and creativity.
- Modern corresponds to fashion, intelligence, and style.
- Display is for friendship, amusement, and expressiveness.
That’s all well and fine, but…
What Image Types Work Best for Landings?
Here go several options to choose:
1) Product
That makes sense. An eye-grabbing image that complements your product’s description can boost conversion if it’s of high quality and matches the overall design of the website.
2) Creators
According to some studies, photos of people have a positive impact on visitor’s first impression. Thus, an image of your product’s creator accompanied by text about personal talents and achievements might work well.
NB! Be sure to use a relevant photo. Stock photos that most people ignore won’t help your conversion. Pictures of people unrelated to your website and product don’t work, either.
3) Team
A picture of the team working on the project is a great option to try. The above-mentioned example of HubSpot’s page goes to this category. Happy and friendly faces of real people evoke positive emotions and help to build trust.
4) Context
That’s when your image is not a product but lifestyle, as in the example with Bid4Papers. For more ideas, look at the image of Bla Bla Car. A road doesn’t describe the service itself and yet makes it clear: Bla Bla Car is about travels.
Image source: blablacar, home
5) Neutral
The right psychology behind colors and strong visual cues make such images work even with no people or products in them. Just make sure the image matches your brand’s identity and conveys its message to visitors. For example:
Anything else to use as a landing image?
- The process of your product’s delivery or creation.
- Managers at work with clients.
- Bonuses offered with the product (gifts, booklets, instructions, etc.)
Whatever image you choose for landings, A/B testing remains the easiest method to learn if it works for your marketing strategy. It will allow to receive measurements and understand if a chosen picture evokes emotions, increases conversion, and generates leads.
About the author:
Lesley Vos is a content evangelist and contributor to publications on digital marketing and writing. She currently blogs for Bid4Papers, and you are welcome to check her profile here.