Amazon advertising strategies: how to sell like a pro on the UK’s largest marketplace

Do you remember when Amazon just used to sell books? Back at the turn of the millennium, it was the place to go if you needed a university coursebook or a Christmas gift for the bookworm in your life.

Now you can buy everything from toilet seats and toothbrushes to trampolines and televisions! It’s no surprise that 17% of people in the UK shop on Amazon at least once a week.

This means that if you sell products, it’s well worth having a presence on Amazon. And if you want to get ahead of your competitors, Amazon Advertising gives you an excellent opportunity to stand out in the search results.

This guide will introduce you to the basics of Amazon advertising and how you can optimise your ads to bring in the clicks, and, most importantly, the sales!

How Amazon advertising works

Amazon sponsored ads are similar to how PPC search ads on Google work. You specify the keywords you want to appear for, and how much you’re willing to pay. Amazon then shows the appropriate ads when a customer searches for your keyword.

If a customer clicks on your ad, you’re charged for the click.

When done right, Amazon search ads are a fantastic way to showcase your products to shoppers that are ready to buy. But when done wrong… the only person who benefits is Jeff Bezos. I’m sure he’s got another flight into space to pay for soon!

Here’s how to tweak your Amazon advertising strategy to see a healthy return on ad spend.

1. Consider different ad types

As well as the sponsored ads I mentioned above, there are many different ad types to consider. For example, rather than promoting a specific product, you can promote your brand – ideal if you want to target people who search specifically for your brand name.

You can target customers on Amazon’s Sponsored Display platform, meaning you can serve adverts to people away from Amazon – similar to the Google Display Network.

You can even target customers with video ads and audio ads, which are played on Amazon Music.

If you’re new to Amazon advertising, I recommend starting with sponsored ads because they are easy to set up and manage. However, if you’re looking for something more specialist, there are lots of great options. Try a few and see which leads to the best return on ad spend.

2. Use negative keywords and avoid broad match keywords

With hundreds of millions of visits to the Amazon website a month, you must choose your keywords carefully to ensure the wrong people don’t click on your ads.

Let’s say you sell women’s dresses. You don’t want your ad to pop up when people search for ‘children’s dresses’ or ‘girl’s dresses.’ By marking these words and phrases as negative keywords, your ads won’t appear in these searches, meaning you get customers that are more likely to buy your products.

Another way to improve your campaigns is to focus on phrase and exact match keywords rather than broad match keywords. While broad match keywords can provide the most exposure, they also mean your ad is more likely to appear in irrelevant searches. For example, if you put ‘dresses’ as a broad match, it could end up in searches for skirts and trousers too!

Think of your customer’s intent and the specific keywords they will use when they’re ready to buy.

3. Don’t be afraid to piggyback off your competitors

This strategy can lead to a lot of conversions for your business; it’s just a case of knowing which brands to target.

Many people search for specific brand names on Amazon. For example, Fj?llr?ven backpacks, Bose headphones, Patagonia jackets. By bidding for these keywords, you can make your brand known and present yourself as a fantastic alternative.

Of course, you need to optimise your ads and product listings to entice people to make a purchase. If someone wants to buy a pair of Bose headphones, they’ll want to know that your product is as good, if not better!

4. Optimise your product listings

Like Google Ads, Amazon takes the quality of your product listing page into account. If your page gets lots of conversions and is popular with shoppers, you’ll get a welcome boost in the ad results.

Plus, optimising your page means you’re more likely to rank organically. Given that only 19% of people venture past the first page of the search results, the higher you can rank, the better. You may even land yourself a coveted Amazon’s Choice or Best Seller badge!

High-quality images, keyword-rich titles, and comprehensive, easy-to-read copy all contribute to a well-optimised page.

Think of your product page as you would a page on your website – how would you improve it from a search engine optimisation standpoint?

If you’re already using PPC or paid social advertising to promote your business, you’ll find it easy to get started on Amazon advertising.

All three marketing channels have the same end goal after all, to get people to the relevant content and drive conversions!

Know your keywords, optimise your pages, and keep an eye on your metrics, and you won’t go wrong.

Need a little extra help getting set up on Amazon advertising? Send me a DM; I’d be happy to help.