RESOURCES

We could talk endlessly about the connection between social and Amazon, especially in today's landscape. But, for a long time, brands considered selling on Amazon and social media marketing as separate endeavors. Now, these industries have evolved and become intertwined. As a result, many brands embrace online marketplaces outside of Amazon. And, they've fully delved into advertising on and leveraging popular social platforms. With this, savvy brands are taking advantage of all channels to create an omnichannel experience for today's shoppers. However, it's not always a simple or natural process. So, we're here to share some important reminders for brands and advertisers as they navigate the need for both media and commerce.

Social Advertising is Key to Driving Traffic to Your Amazon Listings 

It may seem obvious, but social media advertising can be a powerful tool for our Amazon clients when used appropriately. In fact, most of our clients advertise on a variety of social platforms and direct traffic to their Amazon listings. We have seen solid results year-round, and especially during peak seasons like Prime Day and the holidays. However, it’s important to be very thoughtful and strategic in your approach. It can be tricky to ensure you're driving the greatest return and not wasting spend on non-converting traffic. If anything, we want to stress the importance of a strategic partner in this scenario. Because if your PDPs get an increase in traffic from social advertising but visitors don't convert, your rankings on Amazon will suffer. With the proper support, brands can increase visibility, rankings, and sales on Amazon through social advertising. 

→ Click here for insight into how we measure these efforts. 

Social Commerce isn’t Competition for Amazon, it’s Complementary 

After years of advancement in tech, and major changes to consumer behavior, today's environment looks entirely different than it did even five years ago. And, more recently, progression fast-tracked as shopping online became the norm throughout the pandemic. During this time, many brands didn't have the option of a singular focus on their D2C site, Amazon, or newer social shopping options. Shoppers were turning anywhere that was convenient, shipped products quickly, and had products in stock. This subsequently put the power into the buyers' hands and now their shopping preferences will be a key factor in determining where they buy a product moving forward. 

This shift inevitably puts pressure on brands to be everywhere all the time. Making it more important than ever to remember, most social platforms and online marketplaces have unique business models. Meaning, they attract different kinds of shoppers with diverse behaviors and preferences. And they don't necessarily compete with each other. That being said, the key for brands is to realize their 'ideal consumer' could fall into any realm of behaviors and preferences despite being part of a similar demographic or persona. Therefore, it's crucial to have a presence on as many platforms as possible to ensure you're not alienating shoppers and losing sales to competitors. When done correctly, brands that prioritize an omnichannel experience, have an opportunity to expand their pool of buyers exponentially.

A Spotlight on Prime Day 

Finally, now that Prime Day 2021 has come and gone, it's worth thinking about how you can leverage social for next year’s event. It’s never too early to begin planning while we wait for results to come in and lessons to be learned. We encourage you to consider the above points about social advertising and social commerce as you plan for next year's Prime Day and the upcoming holiday season. Brands and advertisers can use plenty of platforms and channels to give themselves a competitive advantage.

Taking it a bit further, we touch on three additional considerations below: 

• Creative assets in your advertising strategy can be a make it or break it for the success of campaigns. Make sure assets are attractive, informative, and include a deal your brand is running for Prime Day. 

• If you're using broad audiences, consider implementing a traffic objective. This will attract the most shoppers to your product's detail pages and catalog. 

• Don't forget to set up A/B tests to measure the effectiveness of creative and targeting techniques. This is a great way to learn and gain insight into day-of performance.

Final Thoughts 

While this blog post offers specific reminders to many, our goal is to stress the importance of fostering an omnichannel presence. This includes shoppable media, social shopping and advertising, online marketplaces, and beyond. The digital marketing landscape provides a wealth of opportunities for brands that can form a connection between platforms. At Marketplace Strategy and Code3, we do just that for our clients. Please reach out to us with any questions or to schedule a free consultation to discuss how we could work together and elevate your business.