When you’re trying to market your restaurant and your brand, the first things that likely come to mind are improving SEO, creating unique campaigns to draw attention, and perhaps even holding special events to draw customers into your space.
While all of these marketing techniques are useful and can be effective, you may be missing one key element — color.
If your restaurant brand uses a variety of different colors in your marketing then you’re not utilizing colors to make a statement, and could be missing out on drawing the attention of the customers you want.
There is actual psychology behind how people feel when they see different colors. That can have a huge impact on business marketing. One study even discovered that up to 90% of snap judgments people make about certain products are based on the color scheme used.
Simply put, if you’re not using color to its full potential within your business, it could be time to give your restaurant a colorful marketing makeover. Let’s go over a few ways to do that.
The Right Interior Color Scheme
One of the best places to start focusing on color is inside your restaurant. What kind of atmosphere is your space creating? Is it the one you want for your customers? Choosing the right color scheme can help you to change the way people see your space, and how they feel once they’re in it.
You don’t have to have a ton of interior design experience or even a lot of marketing experience to choose a color scheme that works. If you’re completely confused as to where to start, a good rule of thumb is to combine one or two eye-catching colors with other neutral shades that don’t “steal” from the show.
When you’re choosing your color scheme, it’s important to decide what you truly want your corporate identity to be. A light color scheme can be great for more upscale restaurants and small bistros (because they make a space look bigger). Darker color schemes can be effective in trendy bars and restaurants, while earth tones are great for cafes.
Even utilizing individual colors can elicit different responses from your customers once they’re in your restaurant. Let’s go over a few and how people tend to react to them:
- Red – Can encourage hunger and cause guests to eat faster
- Orange – Makes people feel upbeat and happy
- Yellow – Makes people happy and content
- Green – Can help to relax diners and make them comfortable
- Blue – May reduce appetites but increase thirst
Once you’ve decided on a color scheme, stick with it and use it everywhere. Painting your walls is a great place to start, but it’s also important to keep up the scheme on your restaurant menu, on your website, on social media, and of course — on your restaurant’s logo.
A Restaurant Logo That Lasts
Your restaurant’s logo and your “external color scheme” (what you’ll use for marketing, branding, social media, etc.) are often the first things potential customers will see. Think of it as making a first impression on someone.
You can use the same color scheme ideas within your logo as you do for the interior of your space, choosing specific colors based on the type of feelings you want to stir within your customers. But, your logo should be easy to see, with a color palette that is unique to your restaurant.
Spreading your brand involves growing your online presence. When you decide to go with a certain color scheme or to change up your logo, you’ll need to do a complete overhaul of your website and social media sites to make sure everything has the same consistent palette.
You can also use social media as a research tool to help you learn more about your audience. For example, if most of your followers are people in the 25-35 age range and you’re an up and coming bar, you might want to adjust your color scheme to be more enticing to that age group on social media and beyond. When you can be identified based on color and imagery alone, it’s a good indicator that you’re doing the right things for your brand.
Encouraging Event Excitement
Finally, don’t be afraid to use colors to promote events. While the color scheme you choose for your restaurant should always be consistent and present in advertisements promotions, it’s okay to add another color or two in order to promote something special.
Keep in mind how some of the colors listed above can impact the way people feel and react. For example, if you have a trivia night coming up, you can utilize colors like yellow or orange to get people excited and make them feel happy about attending. If you’ve never put much thought into the psychology of colors before, it’s time to start when it comes to marketing your restaurant. Utilizing the right colors in your branding can change how people see you, and how they feel when they dine with you. Once you decide on the identity you want for your business, you can share that with others with a few creative pops of color.
