How to create Sponsored Brand ads in your Amazon seller account

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Creating Sponsored Brands ads in your Amazon seller account can be a valuable marketing tool that increases brand visibility, drives traffic, and boosts sales for your products on the platform. Sponsored Brands are a type of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising that allows you to showcase your brand logo, a custom headline, and multiple products in a single ad unit. This type of advertising is particularly beneficial for enabling sellers to tell their brand story and attract potential customers. In this guide, we will go through the step-by-step process to create Sponsored Brands ads, tips for optimization, and best practices for running successful campaigns.

Understanding Sponsored Brands

Before diving into the steps to create Sponsored Brands ads, it’s essential to comprehend what they are and how they operate on Amazon:

  1. Visual Appeal: Sponsored Brand ads are visually distinctive. They can display your logo, a customized headline, and up to three products. This format increases your ad’s engagement and encourages potential customers to explore more.
  2. Location: These ads are typically displayed at the top, alongside, or within search results on Amazon. Their placement makes them one of the first things a shopper sees when browsing or searching for products.
  3. Optimize Brand Voice: With Sponsored Brands, you can express your brand voice through compelling headlines and thoughtful selection of products. This ensures that your brand message resonates with your target audience.
  4. Cost-Effective Model: Sponsored Brands operate on a pay-per-click model, which means you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, making it a budget-friendly advertising solution.

Step-by-Step Guide to Create Sponsored Brand Ads

Step 1: Meet Eligibility Requirements

Before you can create a Sponsored Brands ad, ensure you meet all necessary eligibility criteria:

  • Professional Selling Account: You need a Professional Seller account on Amazon.
  • Brand Registry: Your brand must be enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry. This is essential for mounting your brand’s presence on Amazon and gaining access to Sponsored Brands.

Step 2: Access the Advertising Console

  1. Log into your Amazon Seller Central account.
  2. On the main dashboard, navigate to the “Advertising” tab.
  3. Click on “Campaign Manager” to enter the advertising interface where you can manage all your ad campaigns.

Step 3: Create a New Campaign

  1. In the Campaign Manager, click on the “Create campaign” button.
  2. Select “Sponsored Brands” from the list of advertising options.

Step 4: Set the Campaign Details

Now that you’ve selected Sponsored Brands, it’s time to configure the essential settings:

  1. Campaign Name: Choose a descriptive name that reflects the content of your ad. A good naming convention can help you identify campaigns more efficiently later.
  2. Start and End Dates: Decide when the campaign will start and, if necessary, when it should end. You can leave it ongoing if you’re unsure.
  3. Daily Budget: Determine how much you want to spend per day on your ad campaign. Consider your marketing goals and spending capabilities.
  4. Campaign Status: Set the initial status of the campaign to ‘Enabled’ or ‘Paused’ based on your preference.

Step 5: Choose Your Ad Format

Amazon provides options for ad formats under Sponsored Brands:

  1. Product Collection: Highlight multiple products under your brand, driving traffic to them.
  2. Store Spotlight: Direct customers to your Amazon Store, allowing them to browse multiple products within your brand.
  3. Video: If you have a compelling video that represents your brand, you can choose this format as well.

Select the ad format that suits your marketing objectives, with the product collection being around the most common.

Step 6: Create the Ad Group

An ad group is a subset within your campaign where you set your product targeting options and bids:

  1. Ad Group Name: Name your ad group. Keeping it descriptive may help later when analyzing performance.
  2. Select Products: Choose the products you want to promote. You can select up to three products; it’s wise to select those that are most representative of your brand’s offerings or those you aim to sell more of.
  3. Custom Headline: Craft a compelling headline (up to 50 characters) that resonates with your target audience. Make it catchy, informative, and aligned with your brand message.
  4. Targeting Options: For Sponsored Brands ads, you can use:
    • Keyword Targeting: Pick relevant keywords that shoppers might use when searching for products similar to yours.
    • Product Targeting: This allows you to target specific ASINs or categories.

    You can choose one or both of these targeting options based on your campaign objectives.

Step 7: Set Your Bids

  1. Default Bid: For keyword targeting, set a default bid that represents how much you are willing to pay for each click on your ad. You can do this for individual keywords as well based on their competitiveness.
  2. Bid Adjustments: Consider adjusting your bids based on performance metrics over time. Higher bids on high-performing keywords can help improve visibility.

Step 8: Review and Launch Your Campaign

Once all the details are filled in, review all settings to ensure they meet your expectations. Check:

  • Campaign name
  • Daily budget
  • Products selected
  • Targeting options
  • Headline

After ensuring everything is correct, click the “Launch campaign” button to submit your Sponsored Brands ad.

Tips for Optimization and Best Practices

  1. A/B Testing: Run multiple variations of Sponsored Brands ads to find which headlines, products, and targeting strategies yield the best results.
  2. Monitor Performance: Regularly check the Campaign Manager to observe metrics such as impressions, clicks, and conversions. Analyze data to adjust bids, budgets, and strategies as needed.
  3. Keyword Research: Invest in comprehensive keyword research tools to understand what your potential customers are searching for. Long-tail keywords often yield better results due to lower competition.
  4. Adjust Bids Strategically: Based on the monitored performance, make changes to your bids. You may need to increase bids for high-performing keywords and reduce for low-performing ones.
  5. Engage with Customer Reviews: Your ranking can also improve by generating and responding to customer reviews. More reviews can attract more traffic to your products.
  6. Utilize Amazon Store: If you have an Amazon storefront, encourage traffic to your Store from Sponsored Brand ads. This boosts not only individual product visibility but overall brand presence.
  7. Seasonal Promotions: Align your Sponsored Brand ads with holidays or promotions to attract customers during peak purchasing times.
  8. Ad Copy and Visuals: Keep testing your ad copy and visuals. The right combination can make a significant difference in performance.

Creating Sponsored Brands ads in your Amazon seller account is a strategic way to boost visibility and drive sales. By carefully configuring your campaigns, selecting appropriate products, targeting relevant keywords, and continually optimizing based on performance data, you can effectively leverage this powerful advertising tool to grow your brand. Remember to be patient, as those campaigns often require time and adjustments to yield the best results. Engaging with customers and staying responsive to market dynamics will further enhance your advertising success on Amazon