When it comes to optimizing Amazon listings, small businesses tend to overlook one decisive factor: the power of video.
That video is one of the most reliable forms of audience engagement should come as no surprise. Video is dynamic. It's persuasive. And above all? It doesn't tell. It shows.
There's a common misconception that video ad campaign production is unwieldy and highly technical. It doesn't have to be.
New services for advertising are being developed almost monthly on Amazon. And the vast majority of these solutions allow most sellers to integrate video into their Amazon listings across multiple product categories—even without any background in video production.
If you're still hesitant about leveraging video into your Amazon product listing, you may want to reconsider your reluctance.
Video and Amazon Advertising Campaign
Amazon advertising is quickly becoming the go-to marketing solution for many of the platform's estimated 6 million third-party sellers. And with a host of new updates and features over the past few years, they've never made it easier for merchants to boost sales conveniently, affordably and above all effectively.
Amazon advertising may be the key to boosting your sales. But Amazon video ads are one of the easiest ways to tell your brand story. With the decline in traditional TV advertising, digital media has enjoyed a significant boon over the past few years resulting in a 16.4 billion revenue in 2019 through video alone. And those numbers are only expected to increase.
Amazon is nothing if not a brand safe channel. Targeted video through Amazon storefronts, product detail pages, mobile apps and tablets ensure engagement across all deliverable channels, creating a unified and coherent message which highlights your product's key features and speaks directly to customers—no matter where they are.
Investing in video for your Amazon ad campaigns
But is video truly an effective investment?
Sources indicate so. According to a recent report from Feedvisor, 59 percent of brands surveyed indicated Amazon Advertising generated their highest return on media spending. 83 percent of those brands reported a return on advertising spending up to four times more than their initial investment, with 47 percent indicating a seven fold return.
Amazon has estimated that there are approximately 135 million unduplicated viewers reached by their streaming TV ads in the US per month. Not every brand can afford the relatively high cost of streaming TV advertising. But most brands can pivot an advertising campaign around video on Amazon that's effective, informative and above all, cost-friendly.
ROI may be one thing. But what about functionality? And how do you make the most from your Amazon Advertising campaign with a minimal budget?
Amazon sponsored brands may just be the solution.
Why Amazon Sponsored Brands?
You can access most available advertising solutions directly through your Amazon Seller Central account, including Sponsored Brand videos.
But why are sponsored brands one of the most effective avenues for brands looking to grow their business on Amazon?
An estimated 5.5 percent increase in RoAS and a CTR in excess of 108 percent, for starters.
Self service
Amazon Advertising has a host of both automatic and manual features in their Sponsored Brands campaign builder; including built in UI reporting, targeting and analytics that can help you successfully build and refine your campaign strategies on a monthly basis.
Mobile friendly
Both app and browser users combined reportedly spent over 15 billion minutes per month with Amazon in 2018. And if you're not taking advantage of an ad campaign that's video friendly (a platform estimated to account for 78 percent of all mobile traffic by 2021), you're not taking advantage of Amazon's full mobile potential.
Showcase
It's been estimated that video ads can lead to a conversion rate of almost 80 percent. And while you may not have the budget for a YouTube campaign, Amazon's services are designed to be cost inclusive for smaller businesses, allowing brands to showcase their product line effectively, no matter what size their budget.
How To Use Video In Sponsored Brand Ads
Education
Online shoppers aren't just shopping for luxury items. They're shopping for solutions. Make certain your video content is product-oriented and informs viewers about the benefits of your brand clearly and concisely.
Display
Amazon has indicated that products shown in the first few seconds typically tend to perform better. Display errors such as empty start frames and fading in from black aren't just wasteful. They can have a negative impact on customer perception altogether.
Focus
While Amazon Sponsored Brands allows video anywhere from 6 to 45 seconds in length, a video of approximately 15 to 30 seconds is considered optimal. It's just enough time to highlight selling points and just brief enough to ensure clarity and coherence.
Optimization
Because videos are automatically muted, customers will need to manually turn sound on. Unfortunately, there's a strong chance that more than a few simply won't.
There's no room for ambiguity in a video ad. Make certain your message is clear enough with text and images, not a voiceover narrative. User interface can also affect the playback, so ensure your video is optimized for both PCs and laptops as well as mobile without hindering any relevant selling points.
Self Service, Video and Personalization
Video in Sponsored Brands may be one of the most powerful tools you can use in an Amazon advertising campaign. That's chiefly because of the nature of self service.
As powerful as Amazon's A9 algorithm is, it still can't accurately predict the pace at which customers browse. Customers demand personalization in their shopping habits in 2023; and that sense of personalization extends as much to advertising as it does to browsing.
Brands who neglect their customer's lifestyle in their product listings will likewise find themselves neglected by that very same target audience.
That's because online shoppers rely on direct, tangible examples of products in use just as much as they rely on positive reviews. Video fulfills that demand by placing emphasis on the relatability of key product features on an otherwise static product detail page.
Amazon ad campaign services deliver personalization by allowing brands to create tailored ads based on specific customer pain points. Self service modules can be surprisingly easy to use, and are accessible through your Amazon Seller Central account.
But there's one catch. Amazon won't necessarily conduct customer research for you. And uncovering those pain points requires data based on direct insight.
Not all brand owners will have the time or experience to glean direct, actionable insights from raw customer data. Not only is it a time-consuming process, it requires constant review and refinement to be effective. You can't always rely on historical data to understand consumers. Their habits and needs are constantly changing.
And those habits and needs are influenced by advertising as much as they influence advertising itself.
Amazon Video Playback
With Amazon video ads, content is automatically played back once the display is at least 50 percent visible. While autoplay ads are typically muted, audio playback requires direct user interaction. Once your video is scrolled out of view, autoplay is automatically paused.
Ads can appear either within video content as an in-stream ad or as a creative element within a Sponsored Display ad. Typically, in-stream video ads get the most traction from Amazon's exclusive video inventory, including IMDb TV and Fire TV.
But keep in mind that the video ads are not currently supported by the most popular Amazon service: Amazon Prime. Nor are they necessarily indexed by most search engines. And despite early reports that Amazon was experimenting with a free ad-supported version of Prime, it doesn't look like they're going to implement it any time soon.
Tips For Creating Amazon Video Ads That Drive Sales
Use Amazon templates
Amazon is a constantly evolving platform with specific content criteria which seems to change every other week. Using pre-existing templates to create your video can help reduce specification errors and enable you to launch your campaign quickly more effectively.
Add a clear call to action
A call to action doesn't just reinforce your message. It's been known to increase conversions by as much as 121 percent. If Amazon's call to action doesn't include the exact text you want, consider adding a custom one instead.
Optimize for sound off viewing
Video ads on Amazon automatically default to a sound off setting. And customers won't necessarily click to turn the audio on. Make certain your visuals (including text) convey your message without customers second guessing.
Use Amazon DSP
Amazon Demand Side Platform (DSP) allows you to reach potential customers—even when they aren't on Amazon. DSP ads reach OTT, or over the top, customers on both Amazon-owned sites and third party sites to engage your ideal audience.
DSP content can be both self managed to allow you total control or managed by both Amazon and external agencies if you simply don't have the time for a more hands on approach to video.
Video looping
One of the quirks about Sponsored Brand video ads is automatic looping after initial viewing. Customers can sometimes find this frustrating. We suggest either adding an end card to help customers pause and take in your ad, or allow the fade out to transition seamlessly to the first frame without any sense of a disconnect.
How Color More Lines Helps You Maximize Advertising with Amazon Video
There's no doubt that video ads are effective. But to maximize your advertising, you're going to need absolute proof that your creative assets are going to perform well.
The proof is in emotional connectivity. Color More Lines takes every aspect of the lifestyle and shopping habits of Amazon customers into account when creating our videos. That's because our creative methodology is driven by hard customer data and real-time trends, not presumption and empty promises.
We don't just emphasize your product features. We emphasize the lifestyle they represent.
We know that you don't always have the time or resources to shoot videos yourself. That's why our creative team develops versatile and high-quality footage proven to maximize your ACoS. We know your customers need to be reached at all times. That's why our DSP management services deliver agile and in-depth reporting to ensure only up to date results on your campaign.
Your brand deserves more than just a run-of-the-mill showcase. But your brand story doesn't just deserve advertising. It deserves a lifestyle.
Maximize your creativity and you'll maximize your advertising. Find out more atColor More Lines.
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