It isn’t news to us at content26 that, in ecommerce, Amazon is the new Google. Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) has begun offering Google-esque services to its largest vendors: pay-per-click advertising, search ads, and customizable landing pages. AMS has been around for several years, but it’s only been in the past 18 months that we have seen it begin to play an important role in brands’ Amazon marketing strategies.
These new Amazon advertising options offer greater brand control over discoverability and Amazon ad spend.
Additionally, savvy brands can now create dynamic content for Amazon Marketing Services that connects paid search with product-level content. This strategic approach to content will keep products relevant long after an ad campaign ends.
How can your brand succeed at content for Amazon Marketing Services? To put together a strategic plan that takes full advantage of AMS you’ll need to understand the path from paid search to product page. We’ll get you there by showing you how the AMS platform works and how content fits in.
Content for Amazon Marketing Services: Headline Search Ads
One of the first steps when setting up Amazon Marketing Services is to create a Headline Search Ad.
The Headline Search Ad, or HSA, is one of the most profitable of the AMS features. While doing research on 49 brands that use AMS, we found that only 22 percent of them utilize the Headline Search Ad. An HSA is simply a banner ad at the top of a search page. The reason why it is the most successful of the AMS features is because it is the first thing a consumer will see when they start a search. It is not a Sponsored Product Ad, another AMS feature, which is on a side bar of the search page.
Amazon Marketing Services: The Landing Page
When signing up for AMS, there is an opportunity for a brand to make a Landing Page. This brand-specific online shop can feature pictures, links, ads, suggested items, and product information.
If a brand wants to make the most of their content for Amazon Marketing Services, they should nail the landing page. It is the opportunity to create a specialized shop on Amazon, and expose shoppers only to the select Amazon products you want them to see. Additionally, landing pages provide online shoppers with easy access to products as well as offering a great opportunity for cross-selling related products.
Shoppers access Amazon Marketing Services landing pages in two ways: via a Headline Search Ad or any time the brand name is linked on a product page. To get started on improving a landing page, look to these examples.
The brand Similac has an impressive landing page:
The banner hero image at the top of the page offers advanced options such as tabs and links. Similac uses the Hero Image effectively by adding links to products. Under the links or “product widgets,” Similac shows off their best sellers. Similac ends their landing page with written information or a “text widget” about their product.
Another notable landing page is from Philips Avent:
On this landing page there is an advanced hero image as the banner. Beneath the hero image there are multiple products links, a product video and best seller options.
Connecting Amazon Marketing Services to Product Page Content
Headline search ads, landing pages, and product search ads all eventually lead to a product page. It is important to have strong product pages because it is the AMS finish line. All of the energy that is put into a HSA and landing page mean nothing if the product page they link to is not up to standard.
The Takeaway
If you have an interest in pay-per-click advertising, Amazon Marketing Services is a great way to start. If your company has strong product pages on Amazon, signing up for AMS and creating a landing page and HSA will be an easy next step to more exposure and online sales.
Download The Definitive Guide to Amazon Marketing Services to start optimizing AMS campaigns and get the most out of your ad spend.
