When Selling on Amazon FBA, is Marketing Necessary?

If you’re an Amazon seller using the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program, you may be wondering whether investing time and money into marketing is really necessary. After all, doesn’t Amazon’s massive site traffic and enormous customer base mean your products will get decent visibility without any extra marketing effort?

While Amazon does provide a built-in customer base, marketing is still crucial for FBA sellers. Through targeted advertising and promotional strategies, you can drive more traffic to your listings, stand out from the fierce competition, and maintain healthy long-term sales velocity for your products.

In this post, we’ll explore When Selling on Amazon FBA, is Marketing Necessary? for Amazon FBA expert sellers, which marketing tactics work best, and what the bare minimum level of marketing you need is.

When Selling on Amazon FBA, is Marketing Necessary?

In one word – absolutely! As an Amazon FBA expert I learned this lesson the hard way years ago. Even with access to Amazon’s massive customer base, consistent marketing remains imperative for FBA sellers. Without promotional effort directing interested shoppers to your listings, they get lost in the sea of millions of competitors. 

Ongoing paid and organic marketing keeps your products visible, top of mind and outselling rivals. Basically, don’t make my early mistake – to turn a healthy profit selling on Amazon long-term, laying the marketing groundwork is as crucial as shipping those boxes off to FBA warehouses!

Why is Marketing Important for Amazon FBA Sellers?

Even though Amazon helps direct site traffic to your listings, relying solely on Amazon’s algorithm and site visitors is generally not enough. Here are 3 key reasons why investing in marketing and promotion as an Amazon FBA expert is essential:

Driving Targeted Traffic to Your Listings

With millions of competing product listings, customer attention is limited. Using advertising like Amazon PPC campaigns allows you to get your products in front of the ideal searchers and browsers most likely to purchase them. This helps convert site traffic into sales.

Additionally, leveraging external traffic sources through strategies like influencer promotions on social media or content marketing on blogs/Youtube directs fresh streams of targeted visitors to your Amazon listings. More traffic equals more sales!

Standing Out From the Fierce Competition

Simply having a product listed on Amazon does little to differentiate you. The site is flooded with competing listings, including from major brands and sellers. Marketing allows you to set your brand and products apart by highlighting your unique value proposition, features, or positioning.

Through consistent and creative messaging, Amazon FBA expert can convince customers why your particular listing deserves their hard-earned money over other options. Solid marketing builds brand affinity and trust.

Maintaining Sales Velocity to Prevent Stagnation

When first launching a product, you may see an initial spike in sales. However, without ongoing promotion, listings risk stagnating with week-to-week declines. Maintaining healthy velocity ensures consistent sales.

Smart digital marketing also helps guard against external issues like changes to Amazon’s algorithm that can suddenly tank listings. By driving external traffic, Amazon FBA expert take control over your product’s success.

Marketing and promotion is invaluable for getting found by your ideal customers, standing out amid cut-throat competition, and sustaining sales momentum over the long run.

What Marketing Strategies Work Best for Amazon FBA?

Now that we’ve covered why marketing matters for FBA sellers, what specific strategies should Amazon FBA expert focus on? With countless options and approaches today, it’s crucial to direct your limited time and resources into the tactics with the best ROI:

Leveraging Amazon PPC Ads

Amazon’s proprietary Sponsored Products pay-per-click ads appear at the top of search results based on keyword relevance. These ads are proven to help listings generate more impressions and clicks.

 Similarly, Sponsored Brands ads offer branding real estate on-site via product photos and logos. They are displayed in the first search results page or product detail pages. Sponsored Brands build critical brand visibility and awareness with shoppers.

The key is honing your PPC keyword targeting, bids, budgets and ad copy over time. Start small, measure results, then scale up profitable campaigns. Mastering Amazon PPC is paramount for FBA seller success.

Tapping into External Traffic Sources

While Amazon PPC has the highest ROI for most sellers, expanding into additional digital channels diversifies your traffic sources. Some top options include:

Influencer Marketing on YouTube, Instagram etc

 Identifying influencers in your niche with engaged followers allows you to tap into their audience. Negotiate promotions like sponsored content, product reviews/unboxings or giveaways. Monitor sales during and after promotions using promo codes or links.

Content Marketing Through Blogs, Videos etc

Producing useful, engaging blogs posts, Youtube videos and other content centered around customer pain points drives organic search traffic to your site and listings over time. Prioritize topics that target your product keywords.

Building an Email List for Retargeting

Collecting customer emails on your website using pop-ups and offering opt-ins in packaging allows Amazon FBA expert to continually market to purchasers. Email tactics like promotions, customer re-engagement and surveys keep your brand top-of-mind. According to marketing firm Data & Marketing Association, email marketing generates $36 in revenue for every $1 spent. Retargeting previous customers has strong ROI.

In short, every successful FBA seller needs to become competent both with Amazon PPC advertising and external digital promotion channels outside of Amazon. Learning what works for your niche takes testing, but combining multiple strategies is key for sales scalability.

What is the Bare Minimum Marketing Needed?

Executing a fully-fledged digital marketing strategy requires significant expertise and effort. At a minimum, what are some quick wins FBA sellers should prioritize from day one?

Optimizing Listings for Maximum Visibility

Having optimized Amazon product listings is table stakes. This includes:

High-quality product photos and visuals that accurately showcase your items. This is crucial since over 50% of Amazon shoppers cite images as the most important listing element.

Well-crafted title, bullets and product descriptions that convince browsers your product delivers on their needs using emotional, benefit-focused copy.

Relevant keyword optimization for key product descriptors and pain points to improve visibility for searches.

Quality backend search terms to tap into Amazon’s algorithm and related product recommendations.

Monitoring and Responding to Customer Reviews

Customer ratings and reviews significantly sway purchase decisions on Amazon. Yet sometimes negative product experiences happen. Diligently monitoring incoming feedback allows Amazon FBA expert to:

Address customer issues preemptively before they leave bad reviews by reaching out to solve problems.

Respond professionally to negative reviews by apologizing and offering solutions.

Taking a proactive approach limits review damage while showing customers you care.

Checking Keyword Rankings and Opportunity Gaps

Routinely plug key product keywords into Amazon search and assess where your listings rank. Monitor which competitors consistently dominate first page results so you can:

Improve listing content like images and copywriting to target sought-after search terms.

Identify additional relevant keywords that competitors rank well for which your listings could target to expand visibility.

Though simple, diligently optimizing listings, monitoring reviews, and checking keyword gaps allows FBA sellers to tap into prime Amazon real estate and demand.

FAQs:

Q1: Do I need marketing if I sell with FBA?

Yes, marketing remains vital even with FBA since it drives targeted traffic to stand out, maintains sales velocity, and guards against external issues. Relying solely on Amazon limits control.

Q2: What are the best marketing strategies for Amazon FBA sellers?

Top strategies include Amazon PPC ads like Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands, influencer collaborations, content marketing, and email retargeting previous purchasers.

Q3: Is Amazon PPC worth it?

Yes, Amazon PPC delivers strong ROI by getting your listings in front of high-intent searchers. Success requires continually optimizing targeting, bids and ad copy over time to boost conversions.

Q4: How much budget for Amazon PPC is needed?

Start small at $100-200 monthly, measure results, then scale up profitable campaigns. Many experts recommend setting aside 10-30% of estimated sales revenue for PPC. Target a minimum 2X ROAS.

Q5: Can I be successful on Amazon without marketing?

It’s highly unlikely. With over 5 million sellers on Amazon, marketing is required to drive external traffic to stand out. Relying solely on Amazon limits visibility and sales velocity.

Q6: What should I do before spending money on marketing?

Prioritize free quick wins first like optimizing listings, diligently managing reviews, and monitoring keyword rankings. Once mastered, allocate budget into paid marketing like Amazon PPC.

Conclusion:

As an Amazon FBA seller, fully outsourcing fulfillment to Amazon does not mean Amazon FBA expert can outsource marketing too. Growth-oriented sellers must invest time, effort and budget into crafting and executing promotional strategies across multiple channels.

Though Amazon provides access to millions of potential buyers, relying solely on their storefront means losing control over your success. Only through marketing can FBA sellers drive targeted traffic to stand out against the sea of competition. Maintaining sales velocity is also paramount to prevent declining momentum.

While executing integrated campaigns across Amazon PPC, external digital channels, email and more has the highest revenue potential, even bare minimum marketing makes a difference. Ensuring listings pop, managing reviews and improving keyword visibility establishes a marketing foundation.

In the ultra-competitive Amazon landscape, the days of “listing it and forgetting it” are over. As an FBA seller, make marketing an integral part of your ecommerce growth engine. Treat your Amazon listings as living, breathing products that need consistent promotion. This single strategy shift can unlock game-changing sales and profitability!

What about you? Are you currently selling on Amazon with FBA? What specific marketing tactics have you found most effective? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!

Get free consultation right now!

Read More:

Shopify or Amazon FBA (or any other online business)?

Can I start an Amazon FBA business while working full-time?