Devoted to small businesses and those who run them

I've been exploring psychological triggers in marketing lately. Barry Feig has written Hot Button Marketing: Push the emotional buttons that get people to buy.

As a Myers Briggs trainer and writing coach, I'm interested in understanding what makes people tick. As a freelancer writer and business person, I'm also interested in the business aspects.

One speaker at a gift buyers' seminar thanked us not for the gifts we provided in stores, but for the joy on his granchildren's faces when they open them.

In Hot Button Marketing, Steig outlines 16 consumer hot buttons and how retailers can use these to find an angle for targeted marketing and selling.

Copywriting is a crucial aspect of marketing, both online and offline. So elements such as headlines and calls to action need to be carefully crafted. 

One thing I was particularly interested in were the hot button word lists Steig researched and compiled. These are lists of words consumers respond to in marketing.

These hot button word lists include -
- words which appeal to a prestige oriented market
- word that speak of reinventing oneself
- words that appeal to the need to belong
- words that  relate to discovery
- words that relate to being or having the "best"

He also talks about other hot buttons such as self achievement, influence and romance.

In A Nutshell
The book is well structured and presented. It has an attractive easy to read format and a comprehensive index. If you are interested in what motivates customers or in psychological triggers for copywriting or blogging, then Hot Button Marketing is well worth a read.

More Resources On Hot Button Marketing
Tom Lindstrom has written an interesting article about What Motivates People To Buy. Tom also suggests keeping an eye out for Triggers by advertising guru, Joe Sugarman.

A good example of how hot button marketing works in practice can be found in Bryant Simon's video observations on how Starbucks influences its customers.