Putting Paid Social to Work for Amazon Prime Day and Beyond

There’s no question about it. Amazon Prime Day has become one of the biggest shopping days of the year, with no signs of slowing down. On this day in 2018, the e-commerce giant sold $4.19 Billion worth of goods, up from $2.41 billion in 2017. If this trend continues – and experts at Digital Trends believe it will – 2019 Amazon Prime Day sales will be even bigger. Amazon Prime Day is entirely focused on selling exclusive deals on Amazon during what used to be a one-day event. But every year, the day has grown longer, extending to 36 hours and now 48 hours this year July 15-16. However, the opportunity for marketers to reach customers and build loyalty starts before the event and extends well beyond.

Amazon users are active on social. While Amazon offers full-funnel advertising solutions(which should be core to any Prime Day strategy), marketers are missing out if a paid socialapproach isn’t part of their campaign.

Here is how the experts at SocialCode recommend putting paid social to work for Prime Day efforts:

Have a Focused Audience Strategy

Audience matters more than anything, and analyses prove this point time after time. In fact, SocialCode data shows that having the right audience can drive 18x higher performance against core KPIs. Marketers can develop amazing content, but if your audience is not laser-focused, it won’t matter. Here are a few principles to take into account when building audiences-

• Make the most use of customer data: The people who willingly share their data by shopping your brand on Amazon or on your website provide the most valuable insight. With purchase information and a CRM list, you can easily find those who bought in the past, heavy upon those who purchase during promotional periods and build smart look-a-like audiences for prospecting.

• Think of website traffic as a strategic roadmap:  Hopefully, you’re highlighting Prime-Day deals on your website and implementing a pixel (if not, please do!). Use the tool to analyze digital signals like whether an offer ad was clicked on or how a user is navigating your website. These insights will guide audience building and yield knowledge of resonating messaging.

• Layer on third-party data:  Combine first and third-party data to enhance the attributes of current and past purchases. This will also help find prospects who score high in internet usage and likeliness to buy online. If access to first-party data is minimal, then third-party data from Oracle, Acxiom, and Experian on its own can be an incredibly effective way to target users who have purchased in your category.

Choosing The Right Social Media and Content Marketing Platforms for the Right Reasons

Platform selection should always be informed by your brand’s goals and prioritized based on the ability to improve brand relevance or sales lift. Here are some general guidelines for Prime Day:

Facebook, Instagram, and YouTubehave broadest audiences with more than 5 billion monthly active users combined. In the weeks leading up, invest in compelling video units with Stories and In-Stream to highlight deals. Drive to your website and consider displaying a countdown to the deal launch. Implementing this approach can drive more efficient performance, as seen in one Genomics and Biotechnology company’s Father’s Day campaign which increased RoAS to 11.13X by linking countdown copy in Stories to its website.

Pinterest 84% of users tap into Pinterest when planning and considering purchases. Use Promoted Pins’ broad creative capabilities to generate awareness. Since optimizations can be made multiple times to these creative units, leverage them to maintain relevance and timeliness. In addition to Promoted Pins, expand keyword offerings to be Amazon-specific to ensure your ads surface in searches related to Prime Day.

Twitter is a real-time workhorse. Be sure to communicate leading up to and on Prime Day with must-not-miss deals for an engaged audience, leveraging the appropriate hashtags always.

Be Creative and Fluid with Content

Plan ahead with content to give yourself time to generate awareness, learn what messaging resonates, and build retargeting pools. We recommend leveraging motion, as video tends to outperform static units. That said, whether video or stills, here are some general guidelines to keep in mind:

• The three-second rule. Within the first three seconds of video, call out your Prime Day deals and quickly get to when they go live – especially on Instagram Stories when you have only seconds to grab attention.
• Drive to more information. Link to a section of your Amazon brand page or website with a sneak peeks of these Prime Day deals so those interested can plan ahead.
• Go vertical. Use vertical on Facebook/Instagram Stories and Snapchat to show product demo and highlight key benefits. This will be especially helpful for higher consideration items such as appliances, makeup, and electronics to shape intent to purchase.

Set Measurement Goals

When it comes to data, measuring success on Amazon and reconciling the connection to social can be tricky.

The data and metrics your brand has access to depends on whether you have an ARA Premium or Seller Central account, with the number of page views determining how well your ads are performing. If access to these metrics isn’t available, measure RoAS by comparing your social spend to Amazon sales.

In closing, remember to focus on creating the right audience segments and build plans that are driven by data. Create content that’s compelling and fluid so you can flex in real time. Choose the platforms that will drive the most impact and you’re on your way to a successful Amazon Prime Day.

This article was originally published via Martech Series

Image Credit: www.mein-deal.com