The science and art of marketing have been studied over the years to understand more about how consumers make decisions, and why some brands have such a strong connection to their fans. One particularly interesting area of study is how color affects consumer decisions and things like brand identity.

The reason Facebook is blue isn’t because blue is calming and focused. It’s reportedly because Mark Zuckerberg is red-green color blind. Still, when you look at some of the biggest and most recognizable brands—Coca-Cola, Nickelodeon, Google, John Deere, Mercedes Benz—it’s pretty obvious that they have chosen their colors wisely.

Here are some ways that you can use color in your marketing to help reach your business goals and connect with your audience:

Red

Red can portray sales and clearance because there is a sense of urgency to it, and it makes people more likely to act fast. Where you’ve seen it: Meijer, Target, Coca-Cola, Pinterest, and many restaurants use red in their branding.

Yellow

Yellow is optimistic and attention-getting. Depending on the shade, it can be modern and fun or more retro. Where you’ve seen it: Subway, McDonald’s, and Denny’s all use a shade of yellow for food marketing, but Best Buy, Shell, and Ikea feature mostly yellow logos to bring fun and energy to their brands.

Green

Green is known for portraying health and wellness as well as growth and financial stability. Where you’ve seen it: Whole Foods, Tropicana, and Starbucks are green to deliver a natural feel to their foods, but Animal Planet, Land Rover, and Jeep use green to associate with nature and wilderness.

Blue

Blue is a soothing color that is the most common favorite color. It tends to have a calming quality and portrays trust and friendliness. Where you’ve seen it: blue is everywhere from Facebook to Ford, Pepsi to AT&T. Depending on the shade, it can be used to portray security for banks, advancement for tech companies, or community for social media—and more.

Orange

Orange is by far the coolest color around—just check out our logo! But some people don’t agree. Popular marketing blog KISSmetrics analyzed data about consumer preferences and found that colors like orange and brown are the most disliked. We’re not offended. Cool companies like Innereactive Media, Amazon, Harley Davidson, and Food Network are orange. We think orange is creative, energetic, and awesome!

What about your branding? Are there ways that you could work in a new color to bring a different energy to your business?