In Part 2 of How to Scale Your Business Using Amazon Advertising we will be covering 5 new/additional strategies that can be used to effectively scale your Amazon business when the time is right for you to do so.
If you have not previously done so, please take time to read Part 1, in which you'll discover several fundamental practices that should be in place that are vital for successfully scaling your Amazon business. You will also learn the first 5 strategies for scaling.
Strategies for Scaling Using Amazon Advertising (6-10)
VI. ASIN Targeting – ASIN Targeting can be done for all three types of Amazon Ads (Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Display).
ASIN targeting enables sellers to target specific competitor product detail pages on which they want their ads to be shown. Sellers have granular control over which product(s) gives them visibility with ASIN targeting because they can specify the product variations that they want to advertise on.
Along with ASIN targeting, sellers have the option of performing Category Targeting with Refinements. This strategy permits sellers to target an entire category of products, then refine for price, brand, and star ratings. These refinements set specific criteria for when their ads are shown. For example, sellers have the ability to target their competitors' product(s) that are similar to theirs but have lower ratings when compared to what they are selling.
Allowing sellers to add more layers of refinement provides a competitive edge to those sellers who have a solid understanding of their current market, trends, and price points.
The additional reporting provided permits sellers to make data-driven decisions when assessing and optimizing their campaigns. They can identify what’s working to create new opportunities for profitability, lowering ACoS, and for scaling their Amazon business.
VII. Find New Audiences (to study and learn from) – Test out different audiences through Category Targeting campaigns, to see which ones resonate best with your product(s). Category targeting allows sellers to cast wide nets and then begin drilling down to test sub-categories, complimentary product categories, etc.
Sellers can use this data to gain a deeper understanding of online shoppers' behavior, which will permit them to reach their target audiences at different stages of the Customer Buying Cycle. For example, if sellers want to promote and increase sales of their newly launched product(s), they can target the audiences who have recently browsed (Awareness phase), may be considering (Consideration phase), or have recently purchased (Decision phase) products similar to theirs in those categories.
Finding new audiences can help sellers to scale because these new audiences provide a wealth of data, which if interpreted correctly, will reveal those shoppers' searching, browsing, and purchasing behavior. A seller can retarget an existing customer base with Amazon advertising campaigns as well as create lookalike and new audiences based on these existing audiences.
Scaling can also be facilitated as sellers identify new overlapping audiences who may be part of their brand’s existing targeting type and extend the reach of the advertising campaigns to these new audiences. Also, they provide an opportunity to customize the advertising messaging and creatives based on the interests of these audiences.
VIII. Continuous Research (inside of your Search Term Report) – By studying their Search Terms Reports regularly, sellers can gather insights into ongoing shoppers' trends and purchasing behaviors. They can also filter their reports by Ad Spend to look at the search terms that drive conversions. This helps sellers to reduce their ACoS and increase profitability.
Sellers who conduct ongoing research into their Search Term Reports, can leverage this information in order to optimize their keyword targeting and product targeting based on their PPC goals and to scale.
Search terms reports give sellers enough information into the historical data about what their consumers are looking for to find a product(s). Sellers should utilize this opportunity to test and optimize their listings as well as PPC campaigns for better relevance and discoverability, which over time allows them to scale their businesses easier.
IX. Build an Army of Highly Targeted and Relevant Sponsored Brands Ads Over Time (copy, rinse, repeat) – Start with an in-depth look at the goals for your campaigns. Be aware that Sponsored Brand ads aren’t primarily intended to drive direct sales. The primary goal of Sponsored Brand ads is to create brand awareness and acquire new customers, which are essential components for scaling a business.
Sellers want to create highly-aligned Sponsored Brands Ads. This is done by including what the online shopper is searching for inside of the ad.
Sellers can use several of their best Sponsored Brands Ads and copy them inside of Seller Central. The next step would be to find the shopper search terms that align with the product(s) they are selling, and then use them to edit their headlines, and the keywords to be targeted. Use this copy, rinse, and repeat strategy to create highly targeted Sponsored Brands Ads in order to scale.
X. Build an Army of Video Ads – Video has been proven time and again to be more compelling in attracting online shoppers’ attention and engaging them better than the more static formats of images and text. That’s why it’s important to build an army of videos ads when attempting to scale.
The principle is simple…as online shoppers surf on Amazon via their desktop or mobile devices, product videos with automatic playback are specifically played to strengthen the brand-customer relationship in the long term.
Video ads can be made to increase brand awareness or to make a seller’s brand stand out from the competition. Online shoppers can also be informed about the functionality or handling of a product(s) or simply be made aware of a new addition to the product line.
To ensure that your video ads aren’t scrolled past unseen, follow these best practices recommendations for video design…
- Make videos customized to the actual search terms online shoppers are using.
- Even without sound, your ad should be understandable and compelling for the viewer.
- Get to the point right from the very start. Amazon even favors a maximum runtime of a crisp 15 seconds.
- Videos should last between 15 and 30 seconds and be limited to a handful of essential sales arguments.
- The core message is communicated in the first 5 seconds. Show product(s) in use instead of a person describing the product(s).
- Use text headlines in your video to get the point across without narration.
- In general, the duration of videos intended for desktops or mobile applications should not exceed 3 minutes.
Scaling your brand is a crucial part of your journey to build a strong brand that may someday become a household name. But there are a lot of moving pieces to consider and implement. If you suspect that you may have missed a critical piece, our experts can work with you to make sure that everything is 100% on track, while freeing you from the daily grind.
Read Part Three of This Blog Series.
Schedule a call with us to discuss your Amazon advertising needs.
