What Is Amazon Marketing Services?

Millions of products are sold on Amazon. So, yes, there’s a lot of competition to get your product in front of your target audience. Fortunately, Amazon Sellers aren’t on their own when it comes to promoting their products. Amazon Marketing Services enables sellers to efficiently market their products to their intended customer base.

Take note; the term Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) was changed to Amazon Advertising Console back in 2018. The two terms have continued to be interchangeable (you will also see that as you continue reading this post).

In this guide, we cover the benefits of using AMS, the tools available, how to qualify for AMS, and more.

• Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) Defined
• How Does Amazon Marketing Services Work?
• How Do You Qualify For Amazon Marketing Services
• Wrapping Up

Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) Defined

Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) were launched back in 2012. Of course, the program has understandably gone through numerous changes over the years. We will be covering the current state of AMS in this guide and how you can use the tools to give your business the boost you have been looking for.

As of writing this guide, there are three main advertising formats for you to familiarize yourself with:

Amazon Sponsored Products Ads 

Amazon Sponsored Product Ads can be Automatic (content-driven) or Manual (keyword-driven) targeted ads. Since they are middle-of-the-funnel ads, they usually appear on the right rail and even the top or bottom of the Search Engine Results Page.

Such ads are easy to create (not taking more than an hour to get approved). They are available to be used by vendors and 3P (third-party) sellers. 

Amazon Headline Search Ads/Sponsored Brands

Amazon Headline Search Ads, also known as Amazon Sponsored Brands, tend to be keyword-driven ads. As top-of-the-funnel-ads, you will see them being displayed across the top of the Search Engine Results Page. Take note; such types of banner-like ads can only be used by Amazon Vendors.

Amazon Product Display Ads

As the name implies, Amazon’s Product Display Ads target a product or an interest. They can be displayed on your product detail pages or even on a competitor’s product detail pages. Keep in mind, Amazon Product Display ads can only be used by vendors.

As bottom-of-the-funnel ads, you can see them acting as the final ad showing up in front of the customer before they click the “Add to Cart” option, whether the customer is on your product page or your competitor’s.

How Does Amazon Marketing Services Work?

It shouldn’t take you long to get the hang of using AMS for your benefit. Below, we will go over the basic functions of AMS.

 AMS offers two options:

• Products that operate via PPC (Cost-Per-Click)
• Products that operate via impressions (Cost-Per-Thousand).

We will be going over the PPC option in this guide. 

The primary benefit of AMS or the Ad Console is that they will display your product in front of the target audience. You will have the ability to target individual product detail pages. The ad for your product can be displayed before a customer is about to purchase a similar item from a competitor to get them to reconsider their buying decision.

AMS offers self-service solutions that vendors can use as they please. The tools include:

• Amazon Sponsored Products: Sponsored Products are meant to promote products to the target audience when they type specific keywords. Your item can also be displayed if customers search for products similar to what you offer.
• Amazon Sponsored Brands: Sponsored Brands used to be HSA or Headline Search Ads. Such types of ads display a collection of items when customers use specific keywords.
• Amazon Stores: Amazon Store ads used to be Brand Pages these pages help sellers creating a strong brand on Amazon.
• Amazon Sponsored Display: Sponsored Display ads house Product Display Ads. They can play a role in redirecting customers who viewed similar products like yours toward your item or storefront.

Depending on which marketing goals you want to achieve, you can decide to use all or only a few of the marketing tools. As long as you abide by Amazon’s marketing terms and conditions, these tools offer a good amount of customization for you to have an edge over your competitors.

How Do You Qualify For Amazon Marketing Services? 

So, how does one qualify for AMS? The process is simple. Amazon Console or AMS are available for vendors.

If you want to start using AMS, you will need to have one of the following valid accounts:

• Vendor Central
• Seller Central
• Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
• Advantage Central

Not only that, but you can also gain access to AMS by being an agency representing a seller or vendor on Amazon.

For you to become an Amazon seller, you will be required to provide an ID verification, tax information, bank account details, etc. If you follow the guidelines put forth by Amazon, it shouldn’t take you long to be approved as a seller and start using AMS to promote your products.

What is the benefit of using Amazon Marketing Services?

As an Amazon seller, you should look into using Amazon Marketing Services to help boost your promotional strategy. These tools have been made available by Amazon to assist vendors. So, why not use them, right? There are several benefits of using AMS (if you know how to do it correctly).

Improve Brand Awareness 

Branding is everything when it comes to Amazon. If your business has brand loyalty, you will be able to have a customer base that will always be interested in purchasing your products. Loyal customers are a great source of promoting items via word of mouth.

Through AMS, you will be able to create ads that will be displayed in front of the target audience when they search for items on Amazon. AMS also allows you to create a dedicated Brand or Store page that will help improve the customer experience of people interested in buying items from you.

Attract New Customers

A lot of people are on the lookout for a better deal. Through AMS, you can showcase your products to people during their browsing sessions. Seeing an ad for your product while they’re shopping for a similar item can lead them to give your business a try.

Increase Storefront Traffic

Due to the ads being displayed near or in Amazon search engine results, sponsored ads on Amazon have a higher chance of being clicked on by potential buyers. Depending on the ad type selected, you can redirect online traffic toward your storefront and share the rest of your items with interested buyers.

Increased Sales

Of course, an effective marketing strategy means that you have an increased chance of experiencing better sales numbers. The marketing tools in AMS can help you with that. Also, AMS is a good way to get a leg up on your competition. Depending on the type of ad being selected, you can have an ad show up as a customer is getting ready to add a competitor’s item to their cart.

An engaging ad can help you beat your competitor by having AMS highlight your product to tell a customer why it’s a better deal.

How do you qualify for AMS?

If you’re a verified Amazon seller, you will gain access to the AMS tools for marketing your products in front of customers shopping on Amazon. Not following Amazon’s guidelines may lead to your account facing penalties, including losing access to AMS features.

Wrapping Up 

Using Amazon Marketing Services the right way can benefit your business a lot. The marketing tools allow you to display ads in front of the target audience in a manner that can increase the traffic to your brand page as well as help with better sales. AMS offers customization options that enable you to create ads the way you want. Whether you want to showcase your entire brand or just a couple of products, you hold decision-making power.

However, effectively using Amazon Marketing Service means you need to get the hang of proper optimization techniques. Advertising tools offered by Amazon won’t do you any good if you don’t know the proper way to create headlines, select images, write copy, etc. A poor promotional campaign can make you lose a lot of money and potential buyers. Fortunately, Helium 10 is available to assist Amazon sellers with using AMS tools in a manner that will get them the results they want. From selecting the correct type of ads for the Amazon ad campaign you wish to run to learn how to write an enticing copy, Helium 10 is a reliable source for Amazon sellers to bring their business’s marketing plan to the next level.

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