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Want to make money on Amazon? 

The “playbook” is pretty straight-forward. You can start by choosing a product with good margins. Then, take a look over the shoulders of previously successful Amazon sellers by using a tool from Helium 10 or Jungle Scout that allows you to filter for products that are already selling. 

Next up, make sure that your product is well optimized, and do enough research to know that you’re targeting the right keywords with your Amazon Pay per Click (PPC) advertising campaign. 

Sound familiar? It should, because it’s what everybody else is doing. 

It’s the Fourth Quarter – Time to Make a Big Push

For most companies, Q4 (or the fourth quarter) is the last quarter of the financial year, and begins Oct. 1 and ends on Dec. 31. 

It’s also a critical time for businesses trying to end the year on a high note by doubling

down their efforts to boost profits. Ecommerce sellers circle this date on their calendars because it’s also known as a time when many consumers are more free with their wallets and begin spending on festivities, a saved-for item on their wish list, luxury goods, or special presents for the family.

If you’re a sports fan, you might also identify October as when we start getting into the meat of the National Football League’s regular season. It’s relatively common knowledge that a team can come out of the gate a little slow and make it up as the game goes along. After all, comebacks are a staple of all sports. 

It’s the same throughout the sporting calendar year. Lose a few games early; no big deal. It’s later in the season when teams need to really buckle down and do things the right way!

On Amazon, Is Doing Things the Right Way Enough?

If your ultimate goal is to be an Amazon shopper’s first choice when they’re looking for the product that you’re selling, “putting some more ad spend” behind your flagship products isn’t going to really move the needle. 

That’s because, come Q4, every other Amazon seller will be doing the same thing. All it will accomplish is to collectively drive the cost of the ads that everyone is buying right through the roof! 

When I hear the following (incorrectly attributed) Albert Einstein quote, it reminds me of Amazon sellers trying to spend their way to the Buy Box in Q4. OK, Albert probably didn’t say, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Still, for Amazon sellers, it rings true. 

To set your Amazon business apart, you are going to need to forge your own path forward, and do things differently in the fourth quarter of 2022. 

Q4 Strategies to Set Your Brand Apart in 2022

Football strategists used to say that all wins could be distilled down to just playing good defense. Then, 2020 came along and talented quarterbacks started “stretching the field” with high-octane passing games that kept the other teams’ defenses out of breath and unable to respond. 

I mention that because while it’s necessary to maintain a defensive posture, particularly in Q4, Amazon sellers NEED TO GO ON THE OFFENSIVE.

So, leaving the sports metaphors behind, what exactly does that look like for Amazon sellers? 

One way of scoring points (sorry, a momentary relapse), is by stealing the marketplace bandwidth of your competitors. 

Tackle your competitors

All it takes is a quick read through reviews of your competitors’ Amazon product, and you’ll have a blueprint for how to beat them. There’s a number of very good Amazon review-filtering tools, but I’m most familiar with Helium 10’s Review Insights tool that’s part of their Chrome extension. 

Many of the other companies’ tools do something similar, but what you should be looking for are ways to throw a little “shade” at your competition.  

By targeting your competitors’ keywords and products with PPC campaigns, you’re also able to use customer reviews to identify pain points then SELL to them. 

If you were advertising against this product, you’d sure want to promote the fact that “your” product is durable, and lasts! 

Bad First Half? – It’s Time to Jump Start Sales

There’s no lack of good advice in the Amazon-selling ecosystem. That’s part of the problem. Unfortunately, a lot of sellers are “copy and pasting” that advice to get ahead. That’s like trying to win a race to a destination by hopping on a bus, together with your competitors. 

All Amazon sellers go through a little flat spot from time to time, it’s what you do about it that sets you apart from the competition. How about running split tests to determine a better main image or informative product video? Or, maybe it’s time to adjust your Amazon PPC campaign to include sponsored display in order to follow shoppers “off” of Amazon. 

Bundling strategies are another way that clever Amazon sellers can induce shoppers to press the Buy Button when you’ve put together a bundle that your buyer simply cannot pass up. 

Intercept the Shopper

Going on the offense means building your brand and customer base BEFORE they get to Amazon. Using off-Amazon marketing, and niche influencers allows you to develop all-important social proof. When everything else is equal, that can easily tip the buyers’ decision in your favor. 

Are you comfortable in front of a camera? How about Amazon Live? With livestream selling, a host demonstrates a product in a live online video either through a social media platform, or direct video calls with groups of customers. 

Amazon says that “Amazon Live takes the fun and interactive nature of live video and joins it with online shopping.” Over Prime Day 2022, Amazon reports that it had more than 100 million livestream views, with thousands of Amazon sellers taking advantage of the platform. 

Though it’s still in beta, Amazon’s new Creator Connections program matches up influencers with brands for social media campaigns that will drive traffic to Amazon listings.

Maybe You Need to Throw a “Hail Mary” Pass

Amazon is a very big place. For the brave and young at heart (and those reading recent reports of the effectiveness of the short-form, viral video platform), there’s TikTok advertising. How about Amazon dropshipping or Merch by Amazon to get your mojo back? There’s not just one way to be successful on Amazon. 

That’s why from time to time, CANOPY Management likes to make sure that Amazon sellers aren’t limiting their options unnecessarily. CANOPY Management’s Brian R Johnson is one of the top minds in ecommerce. He’s an important part of the CANOPY team as a thought leader in the Amazon-selling space for both our team internally, as well as for our partners. 

With the fourth quarter nearly upon us, CANOPY wants to get you started with some key plays you can start using right away. 

CANOPY will be hosting a one-time only workshop on How to Start Building Your Own Amazon Ads Offensive Playbook.

In this free training, you’ll learn how to:

• Calculate the risk/reward of going on offense for each of your products
• Stake out and then claim the most valuable ad real estate on Amazon
• Set up your campaigns to maximize your ROI, both in terms of sales and mindshare

Seats are limited, so register now to reserve your spot for this one-time event!

You can also register here: https://hubs.li/

How CANOPY Management Can Help

CANOPY Management is a “full service” marketing agency for Amazon sellers, and our team consists of former Amazonians, multi-million dollar sellers, and award-winning experts. When you consider the ways in which CANOPY Management is able to help you grow your Amazon business, you’ll know why.

• Strategic Growth Planning
• Listing Copywriting Optimization
• Listing Photography
• Product Videography
• Advertising Management
• Customer Service
• Demand Side Platform (Amazon DSP)
• Amazon Posts
• Full Service Management
• Amazon Review Aggregation

Are you looking to expand your income stream, or transition away from your primary career? It’s a new year and with the growth of ecommerce, now is a great time to reap some benefits yourself!