by Sasha Martinez, Client Manager | Coaching, Full-Service
Studies have shown that consumers would much rather look at images than read through long paragraphs of copy. As customers on Amazon, we subconsciously purchase what appeals to our eye. Let’s admit it, we’ve all taken a look at a product and said to ourselves “ this looks fake or like a scam”. We should keep this “customer mentality” in mind when listing a product. That means that the images on your product listings on Amazon need to be as clear, concise, and appealing as possible.
Amazon, of course, has their own guidelines for images in their TOS. You can find the break down of all the basics for both the main product and support images. Their guidelines provide basic prohibitions such as no profanity, blurry images, unprofessional shots, etc. They also provide basic rules on how to properly format images. Seems like common sense, right?
While these guidelines are great, they do not tell us everything we need to know about what makes an image successful with our customers. As sellers, we need to know what images are going to make a difference in the listing.
Consider your audience
Take some time to think about how your customers would like to see your product captured, as well as the different occasions that it will be used. Once you have made that list, you now have different ideas of not only product images but also lifestyle images that’ll set your listing apart from your competitors.
Hire a professional photographer
Your images should always appear professional and not look as if it was taken on your phone. Hiring a photographer can go a long way toward giving your product legitimacy. Product images are NOT a place where you want to cut corners. Consider using a freelance website like Fiverr.com or bartering with an up and coming photographer if your budget is tight.
Keep it simple
As a basic rule of thumb, the main image should be a high-quality product image with a plain white background that displays exactly what the product is. It’s always a great addition to show the packaging so that your customers will know exactly what to expect when purchasing your product. We’ve included an example of an excellent packaging image below:
Use every image slot
Amazon provides sellers with a nine-image block to fill with product images. This means you have nine opportunities to display your product in different ways and inform potential buyers about the product.
In these images, the product should be displayed in every angle. Utilize lifestyle images, infographics, social proof, instructions, unique benefits, and key features to fill your nine available blocks.
Be creative
Your images should paint a picture of how your product will fit into the customer’s life. The customer should be able to feel as if they can put themselves directly in the picture or at least feel that the product will work for them.
Don’t forget your brand
Give your images an extra spark by including your logo in the bottom right corner as well as taglines on your lifestyle images! Let your customers know who you are.
If you’re interested in finding out more information about how to optimize your images on Amazon, apply now to find out which services you need to perfect your listing.
by Amanda Springfield, Client Manager | Special Events
A Quick Note From TurnKey:
In this article we briefly mention Amazon Giveaways. While the rest of the article is still up to date and valid, as of October 10, 2019, Amazon Giveaways is no longer a feature hosted by Amazon. We loved this strategy so much and are sad to see it go. That being said, the principles that made the giveaway effective still apply:
- Leverage social media, email lists, etc. in order to send people over to a landing page to collect even more customer email addresses.
- Use squeeze pages to share more information and connect with customers. Video is a fantastic medium to include on the landing page because it gives you the unique opportunity to talk to your customers and pitch to them as if you were in the same room.
- Offer a discount code to people who watch the video.
So don’t worry just because Amazon isn’t offering this feature anymore. You can still find ways to incorporate the aspects of this strategy in order to impress your customers and increase sales! If you need more support, we have lots of other strategies to help you grow your sales, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
As a seller on Amazon, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two days out of the year that you don’t want to miss out on. The numbers speak for themselves. In 2017, a record $5 BILLION was spent on Black Friday and on Cyber Monday another record-breaking $6.59 BILLION! People are on the hunt for the best deals. So what can you do to make sure your Amazon listing gets noticed and ensure you get a piece of the multi-billion dollar pie?
Keyword Research
The first step in preparing for these big shopping days is to implement holiday keyword sponsored ads. Keyword sponsored ads trigger impulse buying and help drive holiday sales.
Start by creating a list of keywords for the holidays. Think about the words prospective customers might be searching for as they go to buy on Amazon. Some examples include: “Black Friday deals”, “Cyber Monday gifts for her”, and “best Christmas gifts”. Our go-to tool for creating keyword lists is MerchantWords. Once you have your list together, use the keywords you found and include them in your sponsored ads. Once you have the campaign you can pause and unpause it for years to come!
Images and Videos
The next step is to change your images to reflect the holiday spirit. This is the best place to get creative! Do this by superimposing a holiday bow on the main image, adding a picture of your product under the Christmas tree, including an image of a child opening your product as a gift, or embellishing your image with a holiday-related background.
If you are brand registered and really want to take your listing to the next level, consider adding a video that is tailored to the holidays. Think of the impact a video of someone who fits within your target demographic sitting next to their tree on Christmas morning excitedly opening a box that contains your product while their loved ones watch. A video makes connecting to your customers a no-brainer!
The idea of adding these images and videos is to paint a picture in the shopper’s mind of what it would look like to give your product as a gift. This makes the buying decision much easier on them!
Coupons and Promo Codes
Promo codes show up on your product details page at the bottom and should be geared towards the holidays and upcoming shopping days. To make the most out of your promo codes and optimize sales, try running a pre-sale promotion, a day of the sale price, and then an extended sale offering.
Some examples of promotions are:
PRE-BLACK FRIDAY SALE COUPON TAKES 35% OFF WHEN YOU BUY 4 OR MORE, OR 30% OFF 3, 25% OFF 2, OR 20% OFF 1 OF ANY [INSERT PRODUCT]
On the other hand, coupons get more visibility on Amazon because they show up on the details page at the top, in the search results, on the gold box deals page, and on a separate landing page just for coupons on Amazon. If you decide to use a coupon, when a customer is on your listing and they click the “clip it’ button, the discount is applied at checkout. However, keep in mind that there is a cost per clip.
To give your products an even better shot at optimizing sales on these big shopping days, run a promo code and coupon at the same time for more visibility. When creating them, don’t forget to make each one exclusive so they can’t be used together!
Cross-Selling
When it comes to selling around the holidays, cross-selling is a game-changer. It increases the profit margin on low-cost items, adds value to your items, helps get rid of slow-moving inventory, and gives you more keywords to rank for.
Cross-selling involves creating promotions that combine multiple products or including images of other complementary products all on the same page. Utilizing cross-selling in your product images or bundles takes your product to the next level and offers you more visibility. Please keep in mind that it is especially important to keep your bundles geared towards the holidays.
Social Media
As customers are searching for that perfect gift for their friends and family, social media has begun to play a larger role in the gift selection process. Utilize your social media accounts to help you engage with customers and make them aware of the deals that you have coming up.
This is the time to have fun, be creative, and above all, get festive and spread some holiday cheer!
- Pinterest: Add a “Top 5 Hottest [Insert Your Niche] Gifts This Season” Rich Pin on Pinterest so customers can stay informed about your product and get alerts for price changes.
- Instagram: If you have 10K+ followers, utilize the swipe up feature to get customers directly to your listing. If not, utilize your Instagram stories to highlight your deals.
- Facebook: Run a contest where all customers who purchase your product and post about it are entered into a drawing for a larger holiday gift package.
- Twitter: A trivia contest might be just the thing to get your followers engaged and keep them aware of the deals you’re offering.
- YouTube: Utilizing Amazon Giveaway, you can create a buzz around your product, secure more views for your YouTube videos and increase sales all at the same time. Another option is going live on your channel. This gives you a chance to interact with your followers, showcase your products and answer questions about them.
We hope you found these holiday selling tips helpful. Let us know how they work for you and if you have any other strategies that are effective for your listings. Happy holidays!
