A picture is worth a thousand words. And that’s certainly true in the digital age, where it’s been predicted that video alone will account for 82 percent of all online traffic by 2021. And it’s no small wonder. 65 percent of the population are visual learners. In fact, research has shown that our brains are hardwired to retain information up to ten times faster when accompanied by an image.
There’s just one problem with these statistics. Images only tell half the story. In fact? They’re more frequently misleading when it comes to brand narratives. Especially in digital marketing, where search engine indexing is king and visual based SERP is still decades away.
Our brains crave storytelling. It’s as old as… well, the spoken word itself. It’s how we build connections. It’s how we relate to one another. It’s how we develop empathy. And no brand wants to be thought of as cold, distant and unrelatable—on Amazon or anywhere else.
You can’t tell a story without words. In fact, they’re just as important as visuals in both conveying and retaining information. Storytelling is both an art and a science. And if you’re not using both in your Amazon campaign, your brand isn’t living up to its full potential.
Building A Better Story With Keyword Targeting
You can’t tell your brand story on Amazon if there aren’t any customers to read it. And you can’t drive traffic without effective keyword targeting.
Amazon limits the length of search terms to 250 characters or less. This should be more than sufficient to develop an effective keyword strategy if you keep the following guidelines in mind:
Aim for clarity and simplicity.
Periodically review competitive listings.
Include bulleted descriptions in your product listing.
Include synonyms and alternate names.
Avoid subjective claims (“best”, “perfect”) and temporary terms (“limited”, “brand new.”)
In order to add or edit your keyword inventory on Amazon, simply log in to Seller Central and click Manage Inventory on the Inventory tab. Click on the Edit tab to the right of each product. Click on Keywords for each page that opens and edit or enter your new keywords under Search Terms.
How Credible Is Your Story?
Amazon customers aren’t gullible. And they certainly don’t want to be talked down to. And above all? They expect sellers to treat them as living, breathing people, not disposable income.
In short, they expect a human face from a brand.
In attempting to craft your product listing, try asking yourself the following questions:
How unique is my description?
Am I speaking in clear and expressive words?
How believable are my statements?
Am I speaking in terms the average customer can understand?
Is the tone of my listing consistent with my brand?
Am I addressing the customer like a human being—or a sale?
Am I using familiar words—or simply buzzwords?
Would I believe my own claims if I were my own customer?
Leveraging Amazon A+ Content For Your Brand Story
Words alone may not be enough to reach your customers effectively. The fact is, you’re up against thousands of competitors; all of whom are just as eager to reach your potential audience as you are. And that audience isn’t just going to come to you based solely on the strength of your words. You need to relate to them through emotions. And your listing alone is rarely emotive.
The solution? Amazon A+ Content.
Amazon A+ Content allows sellers to integrate brand narratives, video, rich text and images to both augment your presence and create a dynamic experience for customers. It’s not there to replace your description. It’s there to help you make the most significant impression on your customers. So significant that it’s been known to drive conversions by up to 10 percent.
Education Not Solicitation
Amazon customers don’t want a hard sell. They’re savvy and well-informed enough to know exactly what they’re looking for. What they want from you is information.
But not just drt, technical specifications. Information that can make a direct impact on their lives. Information which can enhance their lives. Information about what makes both you and your story unique. In short, connectivity.
After all, isn’t that what storytelling is about?
Color More Lines provides white glove, global account management of your ecommerce platforms so mission-driven companies can focus on new product development, branding and growth strategies. Find out more at Color More Lines.