Amazon Posts: Make Your Marketing Strategy More Social

Posted by Jimi Patel | February 25, 2020

Amazon did it again! The retail giant has made yet another attempt to make the experience of its shoppers more social. Amazon has always been keen to penetrate the social media industry, but it always failed miserably. You may remember Spark (Amazon’s first and rather feeble attempt to meshing social media with e-commerce), but there is a possibility that you never heard of it in the first place. Also known as the “Instagram of Amazon” Spark targeted Prime members to go and post images of the products they brought. Like, “Hey everyone, look at the tissue papers I bought” Didn’t find it interesting? Probably this is why it doesn’t exist anymore. It was laid to rest in June 2019 and fast forward to two months after and Amazon Posts was introduced.

 

Would Amazon Posts blow up and become the next Instagram, Facebook or Twitter or will it become a thing of the past like Spark; only time will tell. But I think this new program does seem to have more potential and it can become a success. In this article, we will dive in deep into what are posts, who can use them and how can sellers make the best use of this new feature.

 

What Exactly Is Amazon Post?

 

 

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Image reference: Amazon

 

In Amazon’s language,

“Posts is a new browse and discovery experience on Amazon focused on brand-shopping. Posts help shoppers discover new products and see what’s new from brands by browsing feeds of brand-curated content. Posts link to product detail pages, making each post in a feed shoppable, and each post includes category tags so shoppers can continue exploring posts in related categories.”

Well, I know you didn’t bother to read the whole thing either, so here is a simple and easy-to-digest explanation: Posts allow brand sellers to create a social media-esque looking posts of their products on Amazon. Sellers can use curated photos of their products and inspire shoppers to engage with their brand. Just imagine what it would be like if Amazon and Instagram had a baby. Amazon Posts is exactly that. Like a social media feed, shoppers can browse through different products, but Posts stands out because they are linked directly to the listing! Though some placements are similar to Sponsored Ads, they are also quite different because the look and feel of Posts is far far better. All in all, Posts are a great way to make shoppers familiar with your brand and instantly learn more about the product.

 

This Is How Amazon Posts Looks Like:

 

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Image reference: Amazon

 

Each Amazon has basically 5 elements you need to understand.

1) The Brand Name & Logo: Displays the name and logo of the brand advertised.

2) The Image: Sellers can use the brand-provided image that demonstrates a lifestyle or the product features or anything that can attract a customer to click.

3) The “Show Product” Button: When the customer clicks on this, it will reveal a product card that shows all the details like star ratings, price and Prime eligibility for the product featured. Any customer who clicks on this card will be redirected to the product page.

4) The Caption: Amazon allows you to write up to 2200 characters here but keep in mind that only the first two lines will be displayed by default. You can write a sentence that highlights product features, communicate a call to action and emphasize branding.

5) The Tag: Unlike Instagram and Facebook, here, Amazon will automatically tag your post with relevant product categories. When a shopper clicks on a particular tag, it will lead them into a vertical feed of posts relevant to that category.

 

Where Do Amazon Posts Appear?

 

Before we get to know where the posts appear, let me clarify one thing, you cannot choose where they appear. Amazon explains it as follows, “Our systems will automatically place your posts in relevant feeds and on detail pages for your products and related products. There is no need for you to specify where your posts will be displayed.” So in short, Amazon’s A9 algorithm will decide and not you and you cannot question Amazon for that. However, here are the four places where your post can appear if A9 God chooses to shine upon you.

 

1) On Your Brands Product Listings:

 

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Image reference: Amazon

 

When a customer scrolls down through your product detail page, he/she can view Amazon Posts sandwiched between “Customers who bought this item also bought” and the “Customer’s Questions” section. This is more like a cross-selling opportunity where you can advertise the other products of your brand on your product detail page itself.

 

2) On Product Listings Of Your Competitors:

 

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Image reference: Amazon

 

AKA the related brands. Again you cannot choose which brands or what products. It’s all decided by A9. This placement is a great way to get your products in front of customers who are already looking for a product that is similar to what you are selling. The downside is that if Amazon chooses a competing brand that gets customers that do not resonate with your product, then it may not be that fruitful.

 

3) With Related Post Feeds:

 

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Image reference: Amazon

 

When people click on a Post to view it, other related posts (all of which will be decided by A9) will show below in a section called “Related Posts”.

 

4) Category Based Feeds:

 

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Image reference: Amazon

 

These are based on the tags Amazon assigns to your posts. If a shopper clicks on that tag, they will be redirected to that particular category feed which will be full of other posts that will also have the same tags.

 

Why Using Amazon Posts Is A No-brainer:

 

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#1: It’s FREE

You get to advertise your products on the world’s biggest online shopping platform and that also completely free. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? There will be no cost for impressions; there will be no cost for clicks, there will be no cost if a customer clicks on the ad and does not buy. So you have got nothing to lose, but your products can gain exposure and more and more customers will get aware of your brand, what more can you as for. I highly recommend each and every seller to use Amazon Posts.

 

#2: You Can Reuse & Recycle Your Social Media Content

You have spent so many dollars on creating those promotional images for Facebook and Instagram, but you don’t get to use them on any other platform. But now with Amazon Posts, you can use all the images and save your precious time. If you are a brand which is already maintaining an active Instagram or Facebook account, then using Posts is a no-brainer for you.

 

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#3: Get Your Hands On Data, Data & More Data

The Posts dashboard gives you an insight on valuable customer data like impressions, click and click-through rates for the featured post. Sellers can look at the data and tailor their contents to furthermore improve the performance.

 

#4: Tell A Brand Story

After A+ Pages (formerly known as Enhanced Brand Content), Posts is yet another way for leading brands to differentiate themselves from the competitors and increase brand affinity. It helps brands engage their customers for longer, which means they will have more opportunities (and time and space) to tell their brand narrative to the shoppers. If used appropriately, brands can increase customer retention and convert one-off shoppers into loyal and returning consumers.

 

#5: Sky’s The Limit

You can add as many posts as you want and you can fill the Product Categories and Related Products field with as much content as wanted. This increases exposure and promotes your products right in the competitor’s listings. And Posts are evergreen – as long as Amazon Posts are around, anything you post will be live on your listings and everywhere else A9 God wants to place it.

 

#6: Did I Mention It’s Free?

Yes, I did, this was just to remind you :p

 

Tips To Create Successful Amazon Posts:

 

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#1: Post More Often – The more you post, the more people will see your post and more people will get to know your brand.

 

#2: Repurpose Your Social Media Content – Posting multiple times a day can take time, but as mentioned above, you can always use the content you are posting on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or any other social media channels.

 

#3: Use Images That Compel Shoppers To Click: Your image is what catches everyone’s attention and compels shopper to stop scrolling, click and explore further. So use only and only high-quality content. If you need any help in creating great images, feel free to Contact Us.

 

#4: Connect With A Headline – You can entice a reader to click on the post by writing a headline that connects with them. As I said before, only the first two lines will be visible, so try to make it concise as well as to the point. In other words, don’t be dull.

 

#5: Add An Element Of Curiosity – One way you can attract more audience is by making your audience curious. Like you can write something like, “wanna say goodbye to pimples forever?” If you can open up a question in the reader’s mind, there is a greater chance that the shoppers will want to read on and find answers which means eventually they will spend more time with your brand.

 

#6: Try, Try Again, Till You Succeed – It’s definitely not a one-time thing. You will have to post for a couple of weeks, check the metrics, make changes and then try again. You can use the metrics to learn about the type of pictures, headlines and copy to use. Learn what your audience likes and what converts better.

 

So, How To Get Started With Amazon Posts?

 

Amazon Seller consulting

 

Amazon Posts (beta) is currently available only to the vendors or sellers who have Brand Registry. If you are a brand registered seller, you can use Amazon Posts by following the steps mentioned below:

Step 1: Visit posts.amazon.com and sign-in using your advertising console credentials

Step 2: Create your profile by verifying your brand name and uploading your brand’s logo

Step 3: Start creating posts by uploading images, writing captions, and tagging related products

 

Here Are A Few Things To Take Note Of:

 

1) Your profile name should be the registered name of the brand and it is CaSE SeNsiTIVE.

2) Your logo should be the registered brand logo or social media icon that identifies your brand and it cannot be a product or lifestyle image. It must be a 1×1 square image of 640 x 640 pixels. Please note that your logo will be cropped into a circle so resize it accordingly.

 

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3) Post image should be larger than 640 x 640 and the maximum file size is 100mb.

 

Final Thoughts:

 

Amazon Posts is an excellent opportunity to get your new products off the ground, increase engagement and brand reach. However, at the same time, it demands time you don’t have. But don’t let that sole reason make you miss this great opportunity. Our Amazon PPC expert can help you out with everything from enticing content creation to micro-level tweaking of Amazon Posts to make it more and more profitable. And as I previously mentioned, it’s free, so you have got absolutely nothing to lose! Just give it a try, this is something you don’t want to (and shouldn’t) miss out.

 

Published by Jimi Patel

Jimi Patel, is a Co-founder and CEO at eStore Factory, an Amazon SPN certified agency that serves as a one-stop solution for all your Amazon business needs. Having helped countless brands increase sales and grow their footprint on Amazon, Jimi provides the most practical and effective solutions for your business. He is highly skilled in developing and executing plans that align with your specific business goals and objectives. When not working, Jimi enjoys practicing yoga and traveling to new places. He is an avid reader and enjoys staying up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in the e-commerce industry.

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