Amazon is a great place to sell products, and while there are a lot of businesses using the platform, there is still scope to reach the right customers and gain momentum. However, it is still a competitive landscape, so using effective marketing tactics will ensure you get seen in the right places on the website.
If you’ve got the basics of Amazon marketing sorted, then leveling up your efforts is the next phase to improve conversions. Check out these handy tips to get started.
Mastering Amazon SEO
Unfortunately, it is not just a simple as adding a title and description and leaving it at that. Much like other search functions, Amazon acts as a search engine in its own right. It delivers the most relevant results based on user wants. So to appear in these top ranks, you need to develop a concise SEO strategy. Starting with keyword research is the best place to create your plan. Search terms and search volume is an essential metric to look at when hunting for the right keywords for your product.
Optimizing the product description is also a crucial step. However, it’s not just essential to make it searchable for Amazon; it has to be understood by people too. The product information should be accurate, effectively communicated, and presented and structured in a user-friendly format.
Product pictures are also vital and should be clear and relevant to the product listing. It is true, pictures do say more than a thousand words, and so if a customer sees poor quality and few details, they’ll likely attribute this to the actual product. Professional images and clear photos often lead to better engagement and conversion rates.
Encouraging feedback
Another critical element of Amazon.com marketing is gaining feedback. The platform was built on people leaving honest reviews, and it plays a significant part in how well your listing can perform. Negative reviews may also appear, but how you respond to them is the crucial factor.
Using Amazon advertising
Amazon displays many adverts in search listings. These ads are relevant to the search term and can help improve conversion rates for businesses. Adverts also appear on product pages to entice customers to keep exploring the site for related items. The platform has a dedicated service called Amazon Marketing Services (AMS). This advertising solution is based on pay-per-click (PPC) or cost-per-click (CPC) marketing. The AMS option gives your business the chance to target specific audiences and appear in places people are already searching for you.
To utilize this advertising feature, hiring an Amazon Agency can help. Although paid advertising is a fantastic way to drum up interest, an agency’s experience will ensure you do not waste money on expensive campaigns with little return. Outsourcing paid advertising will help to target the right type of adverts and opportunities to get the most for your budget.
Using Amazon Deals features
Alongside other promotions on the platform, some special limited offers discounts can be applied, such as ‘Amazon Lightning Deal’. These opportunities are not accessible to everyone, and it depends on your seller status. As a vendor, you can select products to apply the Lightning Deals too, but it is subject to a fee. There is also criteria and fee to participate in other offers such as Amazon Prime Day or Christmas campaigns.
Amazon coupons
Both sellers and vendors can create coupons now. A coupon allows businesses to grant customers a discount on a choice of products. They are shown in numerous areas on Amazon, such as product pages, search results, shopping carts, and dedicated marketing pages. To use this feature, there is a fee.
Brand stores
If your business has registered a brand on Amazon, there is the option to create a brand store. This is a multi-page website for your company within Amazon and is set up like a traditional online store. It adds another layer to your marketing efforts and presents an appealing aesthetic to customers.
External Amazon marketing
While optimizing your products on the platform and exploring paid options is a great idea, you can also use off-site activities to improve conversions. Take a look at some of the most common areas to use below:
External pay-per-click
While Amazon has it’s own pay-per-click model on-site. You can also utilize external solutions such as Google to advertise. If you are wanting to promote a specific product or listings, you can use adverts on Google to link directly to products people are searching for.
Email marketing
If you have an external email database, it’s an excellent opportunity to promote your products to these people. Email marketing is said to be one of the best ways to convert sales, as anyone signed up is already interested in what you have to offer.
Coupons and discount sites
Amazon discounts and coupon codes can be published on external sites to drum up attention. These sites are used by millions of people looking to save money on purchases, so there is the potential to improve conversions. However, be sure to check out the terms of each site as there may be some exclusions.
Get social
Social media is a great way to engage with people and improve brand awareness. It’s also an excellent tool for selling. While you don’t have to directly sell to people here, you can promote products and entice people with competitions and discounts to improve sales. You can also use social platform PPC advertising to target people that might be interested in your brand and products. Platforms such as Facebook also has store functions so that you can include listings.
By implementing some of the above marketing tactics for your Amazon products, you can see what works for your listings, and what doesn’t. Applying both on and off-site strategies open up multiple ways to drive traffic and, ultimately, more sales. While experimenting can work for some companies, seeking professional advice to improve return on investment is the best option for most companies.
Ryan Flannagan is the Founder & CEO of NuancedMedia, an international eCommerce marketing agency specializing in Amazon. Nuanced has sold $100s of Millions online and Ryan has built a client base representing a total revenue of over 1.5 billion dollars. Ryan is a published author and has been quoted by a number of media sources such as BuzzFeed and Modern Retail. To connect with Ryan, check out @Ryanflannagan on Twitter or via Linkedin.
