Amazon Advertising Platform | Why you may want to consider it
Quick, think of the fields that Amazon is a leader! If you are like me, you probably thought of online shopping, in-home assistants, technology solutions and streaming entertainment. These are all good answers and have contributed to the reported 206.1 Million unique users for Amazon sites, just in the month of December 2018.1 There is at least one more item that should be added to that list though, digital advertising.
Amazon has steadily risen to third place in terms of US digital ad spending.2 In 2018, Amazon reported 10.1 billion in revenue from its “Other” category that primarily includes the sales of advertising services.3 It is expected that Amazon’s advertising solutions will only continue to grow in both market share and sophistication.
What are the Amazon Advertising Platform Ad Types?
Amazon advertising offers quite a few different solutions that can meet the needs of a variety of businesses. Several of these solutions are not tied to Amazon’s eCommerce platform nor do they require that products are sold on Amazon.
- Sponsored Products – These ads are focused on products sold through Amazon. They appear in search results and on product pages.
- Sponsored Brands – These ads are focused on a seller’s brand and products. They appear in search results.
- Display ads – These ads are similar to the ads used in other programmatic display advertising. They can appear both on Amazon websites and across the web.
- Video ads – These ads utilize video. They can appear both on Amazon websites and across the web.
- Custom ads – These ads can be heavily customized to convey a message in a unique way. They can appear in a variety of different locations and even incorporate traditional advertising methods. Custom ads can range from heavily customized ads and landing pages on Amazon to a printed product that can trigger an augmented reality experience.
- Stores – Although not quite like the other items mentioned in this list, brands can build custom landing pages on Amazon to showcase additional information.
- Native Shopping Ads – These ads are used to integrate products and recommendations on websites outside of Amazon. They are offered through Amazon’s Associate program, their official affiliate marketing program.
- Amazon Influencer Program – An influencer marketing program was recently established that allows influencers to easily link to products that they endorse. Establishing a relationship with an Amazon influencer can help build awareness and drive conversions in a niche target market. For more information on influencer marketing, check out our recent article on the topic: 7 Reasons Why You Should be Using Influencer Marketing.
When is Amazon Advertising Effective?
Amazon advertising can be very effective. They offer strong targeting options based on valuable data collected from Amazon. This isn’t just generic interest targeting but strong targeting based on shopping behavior. However, like all digital advertising solutions, the correct method needs to be implemented at the right stages in the marketing funnel.
Potential Solutions for Building Awareness
- Sponsored Brands
- Display Ads
- Video Ads
- Custom Ads
- Amazon Influencers
Potential Solutions for Influencing Consideration
- Sponsored Brands
- Video Ads
- Custom Ads
- Stores
- Native Shopping Ads
- Amazon Influencers
Potential Solutions for Increasing Conversions
- Sponsored Products
- Custom Ads
- Stores
- Native Shopping Ads
- Amazon Influencers
Potential Solutions for Developing Brand Loyalty
- Sponsored Brands
- Video Ads
- Custom Ads
- Stores
- Native Shopping Ads
- Amazon Influencers
Other Consideration to Maximize Efficiency
One last item to consider with Amazon advertising is their unique requirements and guidelines. Advertising requirements and guidelines tend to vary from platform to platform and Amazon is no exception. If they aren’t followed, the best scenario is that performance will suffer and the worst is that your ads may be prevented from running.
Amazon’s advertising solutions are growing and show no signs of slowing down. With a strong strategy and careful implementation, it can prove to be an effective advertising tool for most any brand or business.
Resources:
1 Most popular multi-platform web properties in the United States in December 2018 – Statista
2 Retail Marketers Plan to Shift More Ad Spend to Amazon – eMarketer
