Marketing is always changing, and it’s hard to keep up with trends that come and go. Amazon understands this pretty well. But the ecommerce giant’s phenomenal growth means new challenges for sellers with their Amazon marketing strategy.
New brands flood the marketplace every month. Luckily, Amazon features several marketing resources which help sellers rise above the competition. Today, we’ll help you set up the ultimate Amazon digital marketing strategy to stand out from the crowd.
What is Amazon Marketing?
Amazon Marketing comprises a myriad of features, aimed at boosting sellers’ success in driving brand awareness and customer loyalty.
But how can you create a digital marketing strategy that strengthens these concepts? There are three main channels to do so:
- Amazon SEO: Focused on product listing optimization. It’s used to improve product visibility on Amazon’s search results.
- Amazon Advertising: Relies on Amazon-based tools to create Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads. It’s great to promote the brand on and off the marketplace.
- Off-Store Marketing: Tools and channels to promote items, outside of Amazon. For example: social media, influencer marketing or Amazon Associates.
First, let’s break them down into their essential features. Then, you can select the best tools to design your very own Amazon marketing strategy.
Amazon SEO
It’s all about keywords. The goal is to use the best search terms to rank higher on search results.
There are two types of keywords you can use on Amazon:
- Front end: They appear on the product title, bullets and description. These are the keywords customers can see. Use them to style up your content and drive sales.
- Back-end: Search terms are hidden within a listing. Customers won’t see back-end keywords, but the product will still get a visibility boost.
Savvy sellers use both keyword types to improve their ranks on Amazon searches. But it is not only about using high-ranking keywords.
The A9 algorithm takes all keywords you submit, and determines their customer relevance. So, Amazon SEO is about keyword value.
Here are a few tips:
Product Listing Optimization
Great titles and descriptions can go a long way to convert customers. Focus on the following when you create your listings:
Information: Give buyers all the relevant data about your product. For example: durability, energy requisites, materials, and dimensions.
Communication: Go beyond the facts. Tell customers what’s the main innovation they’ll get from the offer. How will your product benefit their lives?
Presentation: Use the title, bullets and description wisely. Make sure all the data is set up clearly, so buyers can get the whole picture, quick and easy.
Detail: Don’t leave any blank spaces. Go into details about your product. This will boost engagement and customer satisfaction.
Going mobile: Most Amazon customers shop from their smartphones. So, always check that your content is mobile-friendly.
Now it’s time to do some SEO. Take your frontend keywords and include them in your listings.
Use matching phrases: Include the most relevant terms to create engaging titles and bullet points.
Long-tail keywords: Users tend to search products using several terms at once. Take advantage of this. Create long phrases using single keywords, and post them on your descriptions.
Enhanced Visual Content
No content is complete without images. High-quality visuals show customers how a product works. They also can tell a user everything they want to know about an offer quickly and clearly.
Make sure you upload high-quality images and videos. How-to-use tutorials are especially useful to convert customers. They are an interactive aid to tell users how a product will benefit them.
Professional Amazon Sellers should also include A+ content in their marketing strategy. This tool offers enhanced content display in a product listing.
A+ allows sellers to include detailed text and images and videos. It’s also great to share a personalized brand story, so customers can know who the brand is.
Amazon Advertising
The marketplace features many in-house advertising tools for brands. Some of the most effective are Stores and PPC campaigns.
Amazon Stores
Registered brands can set up custom storefronts to showcase their product offers. Amazon Mobile Stores is a personalized space to draw users and loyal followers into the marketplace.
Stores can be fully customized by sellers to offer the best customer experience. Here, you can highlight best-selling products, or even launch new Amazon-exclusive items.
To create an Amazon store, you have to:
- Log in to Seller Central, go to Amazon Store Builder, and click on Create Stores.
- Upload your brand logo and submit your store name.
- Create and upload a personalized meta description. The text will appear underneath the title, and also in Amazon search results.
- Select a template to customize your landing page. You can also upload a custom template.
That’s it, just create your page and place your product offers.
Be sure to comply with Amazon Stores policies. If everything’s in order, the marketplace will approve your store in less than 24 hours.
PPC Campaigns
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns are also known as Sponsored Ads. These are one of the most used Amazon marketing strategies.
There are 3 types of sponsored ads:
- Products: Ads featuring a single item. They appear alongside search ranks, and on product listings.
- Display: Exclusive to brand registered sellers, these ads can appear on and off Amazon. They also track user behavior for 30 days, to help target specific shoppers.
- Brands: These highlight up to three items in one banner. Sponsored Brands are also brand customizable. You can include your logo and tailor-made headlines to boost visibility.
Here’s how to use PPC campaigns: Select the product you want to advertise on Amazon. Then take the item-relevant keywords, and embed them in the campaign. Finally, set one PPC bid per keywords.
The ad will appear to customers who use the specified keywords on Amazon search. If they click on the ad, they’ll be directed into your listing.
Shipping and Fulfillment
Great packaging is a unique opportunity to improve buyer experience. That’s why Amazon created the Frustration Free Packaging (FFP) program.
Amazon FFP is an easy-to-open package, made with 100% recyclable materials. It’s designed to protect items, while protecting the environment.
Now, it’s been rumored that Amazon may shut down FFP. But don’t fret, here are more options sellers can use to boost customer satisfaction. For example:
- Small and Light. Enables free shipping and reduces fulfilment costs for eligible items.
- FBA Export. Sell products abroad, without investing in localized storage. Amazon will ship items overseas from US-based warehouses.
- Subscribe and Save. Ensures buyers get repeat buys on a regular basis, at a discounted price.
Packaging investment means customers get to enjoy the Amazon delivery experience. At the same time, they forego the cardboard waste that comes after.
Final Thoughts
Brand awareness and customer loyalty are the key concepts that make a successful Amazon marketing strategy. It’s about investing in the customer’s trust and happiness.
Esteban Muñoz is an SEO copywriter at AMZ Advisers