April 07, 2021

6 Insider Tips for Selling on Amazon from Ecommerce Growth Experts

When you’re trying to grow an eCommerce business, it can feel like an uphill battle to start making sales. It can feel like even more of an uphill battle to keep the sales coming!

That’s why smart eCommerce brands are starting to branch out from using just one online retailer platform to generate sales. Think about it—when you’re searching for a new pair of shoes, are you going directly to a brand’s website to make that purchase? Or are you searching Google shopping for discounts, Pinterest for styling ideas, and Instagram for color options?

The reality of a modern buyer’s journey is that it jumps around...a lot. So marketers need to keep up just to reach people where they are. Thriving brands in 2021 are branching out to social commerce and online marketplaces like Amazon to build strong, profitable sales channels.

Growth marketing agency, EmberTribe, specializes in helping eCommerce brands gain traction and stimulate growth by building multi-channel growth systems designed to get conversions. They’ve learned the best strategies for generating sales on Amazon for their clients through testing and optimization. Check out these six expert tips for selling on Amazon from their team of growth specialists.

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#1 Don’t skimp on product image quality and product descriptions.

A lot of sellers who start on Amazon or add Amazon to their selling mix decide that it’s fine to use sub-par photo quality. They assume that since they’re using Amazon as a secondary channel for sales, it’s not as important to use high-quality photos and in-depth product descriptions.

But product images and descriptions are a top way to differentiate your brand from similar competitors.

✅ Do you have nice packaging? Include it in photos.

✅ Does your product size matter to customers? Include a photo that shows context and scale.

✅ Does your product have cool features? Use a product image with graphics to point them out!

✅ Do you want your ideal customer to picture themselves with your product? Hire a model and get lifestyle photos.

There are a lot of ways to build trust through product images and stand out from the Amazon masses—and this is key for generating sales on a giant marketplace. When in doubt, run your listings through a quality check auditing tool to get actionable advice for improvements.

#2 Engage in defensive targeting.

Consider using defensive targeting to gain an advantage over your competitors. Defensive targeting is conceptually similar to brand keyword targeting (i.e. when you bid on branded search terms for competitors in your niche).

In a nutshell, you want to create a sponsored products campaign with all your products and target your own products so that those products (instead of competitors’) take up the sponsored ad space on the listing. This tactic works even better if you can break your targeting out by product category if your product mix allows.

Defensive targeting doesn’t work if you’re selling just one product, but it is low-hanging ad space for new products because it’s likely that competitors haven’t started bidding against you yet. It’s quick and easy to set up and helps you gain traction in the long run.

#3 Test low bid automatic campaigns with no negative keywords.

You can catch cheap, profitable sales by having low bid automatic campaigns. If you’re new to Amazon advertising, that might sound a little bit intimidating. In reality, it’s extremely easy!

Here’s the breakdown: When setting up an automatic campaign in Amazon ads, Amazon will usually suggest bids somewhere between $0.80 and $2, depending on the category. EmberTribe growth specialists have discovered that if you instead bid around 10% of Amazon bid’s suggestion on campaigns with no negative keywords, you can catch a few easy sales. Because your bids are extremely cheap, the conversions you generate through this method generate a positive return on investment and help balance out your ad spend budget.

#4 Research, research, research ASINs and keywords.

Thorough research is key for finding customers—or helping customers find you—on Amazon. You should plan on doing tons of Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) and keyword research using your favorite trusted keyword tools. With this information, you’ll be able to set up stronger campaigns to reach the right buyers.

Build out a campaign for each Parent ASIN you’re promoting with plenty of broad, related keywords. To get the most out of your bidding, make sure you’re keeping your funnel in mind when selecting keyword match types.

Broad keywords are best for your top of the funnel searches, while phrase keywords are a little more specific and akin to the middle of the funnel. Exact keywords are at the bottom of the funnel and indicate higher conversion intent—they’re typically more competitive and expensive.

Keep an eye on your campaigns and adjust bidding accordingly.

#5 Take advantage of Amazon’s robust review system.

Shoppers expect Amazon’s reviews to be comprehensive and honest, which can either help or hurt your selling potential on the marketplace. One helpful trick for dealing with Amazon reviews: you can use the reviews to your advantage!

Use reviews to keep engaging with customers in honest and authentic ways. Browse reviews and pull ideas for testing new messaging, answering customer questions, and developing your brand. When you get good reviews, incorporate them into your marketing.

If you aren't getting a ton of reviews on your Amazon products, you can request reviews manually by each purchase or use bulk review requesting tools.

#6 Always be testing.

Yes, we mean always. We love watching Mad Men as much as the next blue-blooded marketer, but the days of cigar-and-scotch-fueled advertising based on ideas alone are gone. In today’s advertising landscape, marketers live by data.  Data should form the foundation of your marketing efforts, from Facebook to TikTok to Amazon. If you’re not collecting and analyzing data, you’re missing out on the key to unlocking sustainable growth: testing.

Growth marketers apply the scientific method to their campaign strategies. That means that their campaigns are as data-driven as they are idea-driven. You should strive to be a growth marketer! After all, what is marketing if not a tool for stimulating business growth?

Don’t leave your Amazon selling success to chance. Start running tests to determine the best ways to optimize your listings for conversions.

Some potential tests you could be running:

  • Running branded and unbranded keyword bid campaigns through Amazon advertising.
  • Using product videos instead of static images.
  • Changing up messaging in product descriptions.
  • Increasing or decreasing prices.
  • Updating product titles based on keyword research.
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Read further:

91% of bestseller listings contain A+ content, while, for non-bestseller listing, the number is just 70%. With access to high-quality data, we've discovered which are the best success tactics when it comes to listing optimization: The Anatomy of a Bestselling Amazon Listing