Each month, nearly 215 million people use Amazon to search for or purchase products. This is no surprise considering the ecommerce giant accounts for almost half of the online retail market. And amid the coronavirus pandemic, consumers are relying on Amazon more than ever.

With the holidays just around the corner, many brands are ironing out their digital marketing strategies. Amazon advertising can be very effective for boosting brand awareness and generating sales, especially during the festive season. If you’re new to selling on the platform and aren’t sure where to start, we’ve got you covered. Find useful tips for running Amazon ads below.

Become a Sponsored Brand 

One of the best ways to get consumers to check out your products is to become a Sponsored Brand. This cost-per-click holiday advertising option enables merchants to create custom headlines with relevant keywords. Plus, they have their logos featured at the top of Amazon search results. Ultimately, you’ll be able to build awareness among people shopping for products in your category.

Use Product Attribute Targeting

Similarly, Amazon’s Sponsored Products advertising option allows you to promote individual products. When you set up a campaign, you can use Product Attribute Targeting (PAT), which gets your product featured with complementary items.

In other words, your Sponsored Products will show up with related products. Also, they’ll be presented as pairings shoppers often purchase at the same time. For example, if you sell coffee beans, PAT might show that your product is “frequently bought together” with a top-rated coffee maker.

Give Your Product Detail Pages Some Attention

To get the most out of your Amazon ad campaigns, you’ll want to make sure your product detail pages are filled out. This includes comprehensive descriptions, accurate specs, and multiple high-quality images.

Most importantly, you’ll want to include the top benefit or use for your product in its headline. This can help with organic indexing, similar to having relevant title tags and meta descriptions to rank in Google searches. Also, shoppers will only be able to see your product’s headline when they browse on mobile devices.

Include Negative Keywords

Negative keywords are search terms you choose to exclude from your Amazon advertising campaign. This helps you narrow in on the search terms that will lead your target audience to your products and avoid ranking for the wrong keywords.

For instance, if you sell children’s footwear, you’ll want to appear in searches for “kids shoes,” but not “adult shoes.” In this case, you’d list “adult” as a negative keyword. You can also check the Amazon search terms report for phrases that don’t generate sales and add those as well.

Create an Amazon Store

Setting up an Amazon Store is free, and it can help you optimize your ecommerce advertising spend. Once you’ve registered as a seller on the site, you can create a homepage for your brand with a unique Amazon URL and customize it with templates and drag-and-drop blocks. Additionally, you can build out individual pages to feature multiple products or categories. With an Amazon Store, you’ll also be able to review your analytics, including insights about traffic sources, sales, and the status of your ad campaigns.

Explore Both Automated and Manual Campaigns

When you advertise on Amazon, you’ll have the option to run manual or automatic campaigns. If you go the automatic route, Amazon will determine when to feature your Sponsored Products based on keywords you’ve included in your headlines and product descriptions. This option can give you an idea of which search terms drive shoppers to your products.

With a manual Amazon campaign, you’ll set your own target keywords and bid rates. In the end, this gives you the most control over your targeting strategy. However, automatic campaigns can be really useful, especially for those just starting out. 

Is Your Amazon Advertising Ready for the Holidays?

The pandemic has created a lot of unpredictability for sellers heading into the holiday season. And while the crisis has boosted sales for some industries, others have seen a hit. With this in mind, your approach to advertising on Amazon should be based on your brand’s unique attributes and sales forecast. As with most marketing strategies, some trial and error is to be expected, especially in times of economic uncertainty.

Mad Fish Digital can help you optimize your Amazon marketplace strategy. We create custom campaigns to get the most ROI. Get in touch with us to learn more about our paid media services.