Amazon Live: A New Way to Sell (and Score BIG)

Recently, I was fortunate enough to meet some wolves at a wildlife sanctuary. Aside from being an obviously magical experience, the sanctuary owner told us something that I think may be relevant here. It had to do with interaction. 

“If you’re not giving them the attention they want (in this case, deep tissue belly rubs), they will get bored and walk away from you.”

The way you interact with your customer base on and off Amazon works very much the same way. If your Amazon brand is not actively engaging shoppers, in authentic and original ways, they will get bored and they will click away.

What is Amazon Live?

In 2014, Amazon bought Twitch (the massively popular streaming platform, primarily used by gamers). Though Amazon Live is not the company’s first foray into the e-commerce live streaming space, they have begun to perfect it. 

Think of Amazon Live as QVC meets the Home Shopping Network… except every single person watching has a “buy it now” button right in front of them. 

[Your Brand] Broadcasting LIVE

Amazon Live gives your business the ability to engage with shoppers in real time by creating a platform to showcase your products and directly interact with Amazon shoppers over a live streaming video (and chat).

“The single greatest tool for private label sellers, to date” 

Carlos Alvarez (nine-figure Amazon seller) on Amazon Live marketing

The Amazon Live platform gives you a three-pronged injection of cutting edge customer interaction: inspire, educate, and connect. These are not new concepts, per say, but the freedom in which an Amazon-branded live feed gives you is something many Amazon sellers do not have access to. More on how to access Amazon Live in a bit. 

But first, the three prongs of Amazon Live that were promised…

1. Inspire: Introduce and highlight new products live to give Amazon shoppers the confidence that will fuel their purchase decision. 

2. Educate: Special offers, visual product features, and demonstrations give shoppers a crystal clear idea of how your product helps them. The better a customer understands how your product solves their problem, the more inclined they are to “add to cart.” Leave no doubt in their minds.

3. Connect: Using a dedicated live chat feature, field questions from shoppers in real time, shrinking the digital distance between your brand and potential customers to virtually nothing.

Showing Amazon shoppers something they’ve never seen before (even if it’s a marketing strategy) is one of the best ways to out-edge your competition. Amazon Live is the perfect opportunity to create themed live streams to capture attention during popular shopping periods like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Amazon Prime Day, back to school, etc.

For examples of Brand-created live streams, explore some here.

Am I Eligible for Amazon Live?

There are a couple of ways to utilize Amazon Live. 

If you have an Amazon Store and are Brand Registered, download the Amazon Live Creator app (free) and get started right now. 

Alternatively, certain sellers may collaborate with Amazon for a live stream. These Amazon-produced streams typically require a spend of $35,000 (US).

Note, Amazon Live is only currently available in the US. 

What Makes Amazon Live so Valuable?

Video marketing is a must-have weapon in any seller’s arsenal. Amazon Live video marketing takes things to the next level.

Your Channel… Your Audience 

When an Amazon shopper is tuning in to one of your streams, they will see a “Follow” button in the feed. This operates similar to the “Subscribe” feature on YouTube, making it incredibly easy for people to stay up to date with you. 

When you go live in the future, Amazon will send a push notification to every person that “follows” your channel. Over time, as you build your army of followers, you’ll notice your videos getting more and more traction. More momentum only breeds more momentum.

Additionally, you can use Amazon Live as a Verbal search-find-buy platform. For example, when you display an image of your product on your stream, let people know how exactly to find it on Amazon. 

“You can find this product by searching “x” and you will see it between products “y” and “z.” 

Then, throw up your promo code and countdown timer to create a sense of urgency and secure the sale. 

Ranking Reexamined

If you have a product bleeding out in your PPC campaigns, bring it into your Amazon Live strategy to resurrect it. Start by streaming three to five times per week. Once you start gaining momentum with followers (and sales), add more streams to your schedule (ideally everyday). 

You can literally rank your product back to the top of Amazon search results based on the sales you generate through Amazon Live. 

Marketing with a Twist

If you are connected with the right influencers, give them your custom Amazon Live URL, so they can share it with their audience (most of whom already have Amazon accounts to begin with). 

Even better, have an Amazon influencer go live on behalf of your brand. Chances are, their following is much larger than yours is (it’s their job after all). Suddenly, you have a magnet exponentially stronger than most sellers on Amazon.

Those already using Amazon Posts may be familiar with a recent update allowing sellers access to a dedicated URL of their feed. While you’re broadcasting on Amazon Live, you’ll have access to a text chat feature. Put your Amazon Posts feed URL in the Amazon Live chat so shoppers can see lifestyle images and an expanded view of your brand. Once you start “stacking” Amazon tools this way, you really begin to pull away from your competition (who are all most likely preoccupied with tackling one at a time).

Carlos Alvarez drives the point home:

“If you’re not running video ads, you just don’t like money”

How to Get Started with Amazon Live

For those Brand Registered sellers who are interested in “hitting record” sooner rather than later, fortunately getting started is very easy.

1. Download the Amazon Live Creator mobile app
2. Sign in with your Seller Central information
3. Select products, choose title, and creative assets
4. Record live video through the app or with the use of an external camera

Once you’ve connected your video stream, you can see what it looks like before going live. Take this time to connect other products with Brand Registry and prepare “lower third” graphics, promo codes, or countdown timers. 

When you do go live, Amazon puts your feed in front of everyone who is interested in that type of product. Amazon is the best in the world at doing this – you’ll be glad to have their algorithm on your side.

A Few Reminders

• People expect to be sold on Amazon Live. Don’t just focus on offering value, sell to them. Remember, that “buy it now” button is right in front of them!
• Be engaging and enthusiastic (but natural)… it’s contagious. 
• Encourage audience interaction via chat Q&A’s, callouts, or walkthroughs.
• Restate key messages and CTAs (calls to action) more than once throughout your stream

Every tool on your e-commerce belt has a purpose. Amazon Live happens to function as a fantastic foundation for engaging your audience directly, marketing your product authentically, and combining other Amazon marketing tools effectively. 

Alright, enough reading about it. 

Lights, camera… action!