Amazon Advertisements: Essential

We all know how important Amazon when it comes to selling our books. Perhaps we don’t know just how important it is though.

This graph is from authorearnings.com, and is a bit outdated. Even a few years ago Amazon maintained roughly ¾ of US eBook sales, and its done nothing but grow since.

Kobo is still around. Apple is pushing to get back in the eBook market after their massive lawsuit for price-fixing a few years back. Nook is on its last leg, but might have a few tricks left up its sleeve.

All that said, Amazon is a behemoth. Books are sold on Amazon. And if we aren’t utilizing every resource at our disposal, our book sales will pay for it.

So how do we make our books succeed on Amazon then? Most authors measure the success or failure of their books by their Amazon sales, but yet we utilize ulterior sources for gaining sales. Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Google… the list goes on. But Amazon has tools too. And they can’t be ignored any longer. And I’m about to make the case for why.

The Competitors

Google has been alone at the top of the advertising world since they beat out Yahoo a lifetime ago. Facebook was a fast riser and has stayed at the top for awhile now. Twitter is a newer player in the industry, but things can go viral on there. And fast. They say that video is the most powerful and relevant form of internet marketing, and many authors have employed YouTube to that end.

But there is a difference between using these otherwise effective marketing platforms than marketing on Amazon. Why? People on Twitter and Facebook are scrolling, not shopping. People on Youtube are consuming content, not making a purchase. Those on Google are looking for information, a website or an article. Their wallets might not be nearby.

On Amazon though, every person is shopping. They don’t have to be redirected from laughing at cat videos and catching up with their high-school friend Jim. They’re already hunting for the next great novel or the how-to book that will change their life. Amazon is a search engine just like Google or Bing, but users aren’t scrolling, they’re shopping. They don’t have to be interrupted. They want what you have, they just have to find it.

While all of these various platforms are excellent platform builders and need to be part of every author’s marketing portfolio, Amazon is where books are actually sold. And therefore advertising on there will produce the greatest return on investment nearly every time (if your goal is to sell books rather the gain fans).

Amazon’s Mission

Recent history tells us a little bit about Amazon’s mission. They started out as a bookseller, and now they’ve branched out into just about every major industry you can imagine. Clothes, groceries, online video… you name it. Amazon likes being the best at everything they do. And for a very long time, they’ve lagged behind Facebook and Google.

For that reason it should be no surprise that in the summer of 2018 Amazon announced that they would be revamping their advertising structure so that it would become a major part of what they do. What was once known as “Amazon Marketing Services” is now “Amazon Advertisements” and even over the last several months we’ve seen update after update that reveals Amazon is making big changes. What was once a great tool for selling books on Amazon has now become a complete necessity. And here’s why:

Also Bought’s

Most published authors are familiar with the “customers who bought this item also bought:” section on their Amazon book page. Here’s an example:

This is a major discovery tool for us. Once we achieve some sales, our book will start appearing on other book pages in this “also bought” section.

So what does this have to do with Amazon Advertisements? Because Amazon has played around with removing them altogether. What would they put in their place? More advertisements (you can already see the “sponsored products related to this item” below, but Amazon might just include two rows of these ads).

Just because Amazon has tested removing the also-boughts section on certain servers doesn’t mean they actually will. They’ve also tested moving the also-boughts to the bottom of the book page, just above the reviews (where there is currently another row of ads). That might not happen either. To be honest, we don’t really know what Amazon will do as they roll out more updates in 2019. What we can infer from these tests is that Amazon is determined to push their ads until their advertising platform is competing directly with Google and Facebook. And since Amazon is where books are sold, that is something to take note of.

I hope I’ve thoroughly convinced you of the importance of Amazon Advertisements. They’ve been a major part of what allowed me to go from first-time author with no platform and a small marketing budget to an International Best Seller. And Amazon doesn’t play favorites. That can happen for you too.

If you’re interest in my online course on Amazon ads, follow the link here. Be sure to use the code A3AMS for 50% off!

Be sure to come back next month, when we’re going to jump right in to the different types of ads, where they’ll appear, and which ones are right for you.

Vincent B. Davis II is an author, entrepreneur, speaker, and soldier. His first novel “The Man with Two Names” was published in July 2017, and has since become an Amazon International Best Seller. He is passionate about helping authors improve their brand and platform. He works with publishing companies and individual clients to help them sell more books in the modern publishing environment. Vincent created Warrior Book Marketing Group in 2018 and he and his team would love to help improve your digital sales. Email him at vincent@warriorbookmarketing.com with any questions.