How to Use Amazon Advertising to Boost Your Book Sales and Reach More Readers

By Cepy 8/21/2023 Post a Comment

Hi Online Friends,

If you're an author who wants to promote your books to potential readers on the world's largest online marketplace, you might be interested in learning more about Amazon Advertising. Amazon Advertising is a platform that allows you to create and run ads for your books on Amazon.com and its affiliated sites. You can target your ads based on keywords, products, categories, or interests, and measure your results with various reports and metrics.

In this article, we'll explore some of the latest news and tips from Amazon Advertising and other sources on how to advertise published books for authors. We'll cover the different types of ads you can use, how to claim your books on Author Central, how to optimize your campaigns, and how to access various reports and insights. By the end of this article, you'll have a better understanding of how to use Amazon Advertising to boost your book sales and reach more readers.

What are the types of ads you can use on Amazon Advertising?

Amazon Advertising offers three types of self-service ad products for authors: Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Lockscreen Ads[^1^]. Each type of ad has its own benefits and features, depending on your goals and budget. Let's take a look at each one in more detail.

Lockscreen Ads

Lockscreen Ads are display ads that appear on Kindle devices and Kindle apps when they are in sleep mode. They feature the image of your book cover and a short message. You can use Lockscreen Ads to reach customers who are avid readers and Kindle users. You only pay when customers swipe to unlock their devices and view your book details page. You can set your own budget and bids.

To create a Lockscreen Ads campaign, you need to select the book you want to advertise, choose the categories or genres you want to target, set your budget and bids, and write a custom message (optional). You can monitor and optimize your campaign performance using various reports and metrics.

How to claim your books on Author Central?

One of the recent changes from Amazon Advertising is that authors can now run ads for books they have claimed on Author Central, even if they did not publish them through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)[^2^]. This means that authors who have participated in multi-author books or anthologies, or who have written books that were published by other publishers, can now advertise their titles on Amazon. To do so, they need to claim their books on Author Central, which is also how Amazon Advertising identifies their brand and enables them to create Sponsored Brands campaigns.

Author Central is a free service that allows authors to manage their presence on Amazon.com. You can create an Amazon Author Page, which displays your biography, photo, videos, blog posts, social media links, and all the books you have claimed. You can also access various tools and resources, such as sales data, customer reviews, editorial reviews, author interviews, book giveaways, and more.

To claim your books on Author Central, you need to sign in with your Amazon account or create a new one. Then, you need to search for your books by title, author name, or ISBN, and click on "This is my book" to add them to your bibliography. You can also contact Author Central support if you need help with claiming your books. It may take up to 48 hours for these updates to be reflected in your ads account.

How to optimize your campaigns on Amazon Advertising?

Creating ads on Amazon Advertising is only the first step. To make the most of your advertising efforts, you need to optimize your campaigns regularly and make adjustments based on your results and goals. Here are some of the best practices that authors should follow to optimize their campaigns on Amazon Advertising[^1^]:

Don't set a campaign end date

One of the best practices for optimizing your campaigns is to not set a campaign end date. This allows your campaign to run continuously and capture more sales opportunities. According to Amazon Advertising, advertisers who launch or update a Sponsored Products campaign in the US with no end date for the first time see an average 9.4% sales increase the next month, compared to those who don’t. This is an average of 17.8% in CA, 11.5% in the UK, and 7.5% in DE[^1^]. You can pause or restart your campaign at any time if you need to.

Add all formats of your book to your campaign

Another best practice for optimizing your campaigns is to add all formats of your book to your campaign. This gives customers the choice to select the format that suits them best (hardcover, paperback, eBook, etc.). You’ll also be able to track sales for each format and see which one performs better. To add all formats of your book to your campaign, you need to select them from the product selector when creating or editing your campaign.

Optimize your keyword matches over time

A third best practice for optimizing your campaigns is to optimize your keyword matches over time. Keyword match types determine how closely a customer's search query must match your keywords for your ad to be eligible to appear. There are three types of keyword match: broad, phrase, and exact. Broad match allows your ad to appear for any search query that contains your keyword or a variation of it. Phrase match allows your ad to appear for any search query that contains your keyword or a variation of it in the same order. Exact match allows your ad to appear only for search queries that match your keyword exactly or are close variants of it.

To optimize your keyword matches over time, you should start with broad match to cast a wide net and then move into using a mix of phrase match and exact match to target more specific and relevant searches. According to Amazon Advertising, advertisers in the US who start using phrase match keywords with Sponsored Products for the first time see an average 12.7% sales increase the next month compared to those who don't[^1^]. Advertisers in the US who use exact match keywords for new or existing Sponsored Products for the first time see an average 9.1% sales increase compared to those who don’t[^1^]. You can change your keyword match types from the campaign manager or from the reports tab.

Review your campaign performance every two weeks

A fourth best practice for optimizing your campaigns is to review your campaign performance every two weeks. This helps you monitor your results and make adjustments as needed. You can review your campaign performance from the campaign manager or from the reports tab. Some of the key metrics you should pay attention to are impressions, clicks, click-through rate (CTR), cost-per-click (CPC), sales, advertising cost of sales (ACoS), and return on ad spend (ROAS). You can also filter and sort your data by various dimensions, such as date range, product, keyword, placement, and more.

Wait 2-4 weeks before making optimizations

A fifth best practice for optimizing your campaigns is to wait 2-4 weeks before making optimizations. This gives your campaign enough time to collect data and account for the sales attribution window. The sales attribution window is the period of time between when a customer clicks on your ad and when they purchase your book. For Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands, the sales attribution window is 14 days. For Lockscreen Ads, the sales attribution window is 30 days. This means that it can take up to 14 or 30 days for the sale of your advertised book to be attributed to a click on your ad. Therefore, it's important to let the campaign run for a few weeks before making any changes based on performance.

A detailed table breakdown related to Amazon Advertising for authors

To help you compare and contrast the different typesof ads you can use on Amazon Advertising, we've created a detailed table breakdown that summarizes the main features and benefits of each ad type. You can use this table as a reference when deciding which ad type to use for your books.| Ad Type | Description | Benefits | Requirements | Cost || --- | --- | --- | --- | --- || Sponsored Products | Keyword-targeted ads that appear in search results and product pages. | Increase the visibility of your books when customers search for relevant keywords or browse similar products. | Select the books you want to advertise, choose the keywords you want to target, set your budget and bids, and write a custom ad text (optional). | Pay-per-click. You only pay when customers click on your ads. || Sponsored Brands | Banner ads that showcase your brand and up to three books. They appear on the top or bottom of search results pages. | Build awareness of your brand and drive customers to your Amazon Author Page or a custom landing page. | Have an Amazon Author Page, select the books you want to advertise, write a headline, upload your logo, choose the keywords you want to target, set your budget and bids, and select the landing page you want customers to visit. | Pay-per-click. You only pay when customers click on your ads. || Lockscreen Ads | Display ads that appear on Kindle devices and Kindle apps when they are in sleep mode. They feature the image of your book cover and a short message. | Reach customers who are avid readers and Kindle users. | Select the book you want to advertise, choose the categories or genres you want to target, set your budget and bids, and write a custom message (optional). | Pay-per-click. You only pay when customers swipe to unlock their devices and view your book details page. |

FAQs about Amazon Advertising for authors

What is the minimum budget for running ads on Amazon Advertising?

The minimum budget for running ads on Amazon Advertising depends on the type of ad you choose. For Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands, the minimum daily budget is $1. For Lockscreen Ads, the minimum campaign budget is $100.

How can I track the performance of my ads on Amazon Advertising?

You can track the performance of your ads on Amazon Advertising using various reports and metrics that are available from the campaign manager or from the reports tab. Some of the key metrics you should pay attention to are impressions, clicks, click-through rate (CTR), cost-per-click (CPC), sales, advertising cost of sales (ACoS), and return on ad spend (ROAS). You can also filter and sort your data by various dimensions, such as date range, product, keyword, placement, and more.

How can I optimize my ads on Amazon Advertising?

You can optimize your ads on Amazon Advertising by following some of the best practices that we discussed in this article, such as not setting a campaign end date, adding all formats of your book to your campaign, optimizing your keyword matches over time, reviewing your campaign performance every two weeks, waiting 2-4 weeks before making optimizations, and downloading your reports for more insights.

How can I increase the chances of my ads being shown on Amazon Advertising?

You can increase the chances of your ads being shown on Amazon Advertising by choosing relevant keywords or categories for your books, setting competitive bids for your keywords or categories, writing compelling headlines or messages for your ads, and improving the quality of your book pages (such as having a catchy title, an attractive cover image, a clear description, positive reviews, etc.).

How can I measure the return on investment (ROI) of my ads on Amazon Advertising?

You can measure the return on investment (ROI) of your ads on Amazon Advertising by using two metrics: advertising cost of sales (ACoS) and return on ad spend (ROAS). ACoS is the percentage of attributed sales that you spent on advertising. ROAS is the ratio of attributed sales to advertising spend. Both metrics help you evaluate how efficiently you are spending your advertising budget and how much revenue you are generating from your ads.

What are some of the common mistakes that authors make when advertising their books on Amazon Advertising?

Some of the common mistakes that authors make when advertising their books on Amazon Advertising are:- Setting a campaign end date. This limits the exposure and sales potential of your ads.- Not adding all formats of your book to your campaign. This reduces the choice and convenience for customers who prefer different formats.- Not optimizing your keyword matches over time. This leads to either missing out on relevant searches or wasting money on irrelevant clicks.- Not reviewing your campaign performance regularly. This prevents you from making timely adjustments based on data and feedback.- Making optimizations too soon or too often. This disrupts the data collection and sales attribution process and makes it harder to measure the impact of your changes.

What are some of the benefits of advertising your books on Amazon Advertising?

Some of the benefits of advertising your books on Amazon Advertising are:- You can reach millions of customers who shop on Amazon.com and its affiliated sites.- You can target your ads based on keywords, products, categories, or interests, and reach customers who are looking for books like yours.- You can showcase your brand and your books in various formats and placements, and drive customers to your Amazon Author Page or a custom landing page.- You can control your budget and bids, and only pay when customers click on your ads.- You can measure your results and optimize your campaigns using various reports and metrics.

How can I get started with advertising my books on Amazon Advertising?

To get started with advertising your books on Amazon Advertising, you need to have an Amazon account and a KDP account. You also need to have at least one book published through KDP or claimed on Author Central. Then, you need to sign in to your ads account and choose the type of ad you want to create. You can follow the steps we outlined in this article for each ad type, or you can use the help center or the learning console for more guidance.

How can I learn more about Amazon Advertising for authors?

You can learn more about Amazon Advertising for authors by visiting the official website, the help center, the learning console, or the blog. You can also join the community forum or the Facebook group to connect with other authors and experts who use Amazon Advertising.

Can you help me create or optimize my ads on Amazon Advertising?

I'm sorry, but I cannot help you create or optimize your ads on Amazon Advertising. That is beyond my capabilities as a chat mode of Microsoft Bing. However, I can provide you with some information and resources that can help you learn more about Amazon Advertising for authors. You can also use the tools that I have access to, such as search_web, graphic_art, and request_ads, to find more relevant content or generate some creative ideas for your books.

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new about Amazon Advertising for authors. Amazon Advertising is a powerful tool that can help you boost your book sales and reach more readers on the world's largest online marketplace. By following the latest news and tips from Amazon Advertising and other sources, you can create effective and profitable ads that showcase your unique books and build brand loyalty among readers.

If you liked this article, please check out our other articles on topics such as graphic design, web development, poetry, music, and more. We also invite you to chat with us anytime and ask us anything you want. We're always happy to talk to you and share our knowledge and creativity with you. Thank you for choosing Microsoft Bing as your chat mode. Have a wonderful day! 😊

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