Frequently Asked Questions About Amazon Marketing Services

After posting our initial Amazon Marketing Services article, we got tons of questions from our customers about it. Now we don’t mind answering all of them as we believe it is part of the service they signed up for. What concerned us though was the volume of questions coming from some of our older clients.

Now don’t get me wrong, we don’t assume that more seasoned Amazon sellers know more than newer ones. But the fact that some of the questions were somewhat basic ones led us to believe that there is a huge demographic of Amazon sellers out there that are in the dark as to what Amazon Marketing Services is, and how to effectively leverage it.

So with that said, I came up with some of the top questions we have been getting since the start of this AMS article series.

Now before I start, what I’m hoping is that for this article to become somewhat interactive. So if you have questions yourself, please don’t hesitate to post them on the comment section below this article. And if you wish to share any Amazon Marketing Services tips and trick, feel free to do so.

Below are the questions that you guys sent.

Amazon Marketing Services Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between Amazon Marketing Services based Sponsored Ads from non-AMS sponsored ads?

To start, non-AMS sponsored ads falls under Seller Central.

Product Ads that are handled by the Seller Central system can have either Manual or Automatic campaigns while the ones under Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) can only do Manual campaigns.

Is it possible for me to pick a specific location where my Sponsored Product Ad appears on search results?

No you can’t. You want to know why? Imagine this; if Amazon allowed it, everyone would want their ad to appear on the first page of search results. It will be a huge headache and stressor for everyone.

How can I easily scale profitable AMS ad campaigns?

The easiest would be to use the “Copy” option next to your campaigns. Doing so allows you to copy the details and specifications of any ad and use it for another one.

Is there any other way for me to add custom URL’s aside from headline search?

You can add any text on any kind of Headline Search, be it on selling or brand pages as well as on Product Display ads.

With headline search ads, if you are the only vendor bidding on ‘ties’ – will the ad be visible each time you type in ties? Or is it served based on consumer targeting, etc.

Will ads become visible when you type in ties if you are the only bidder for “ties” on headline search ads?

There are several factors associated to an ad to be appear or not.

  • Bid level
  • Content
  • Relevancy of product to keyword used

If you’re targeting the keyword ties, and you sell a wireless headset, your ad won’t perform as well as compared to a seller bid for bow ties.

How can I measure ROI in AMS. Will I be able to see my ROI metrics?

On AMS, ROI is measured through spending versus sales.

You will get reports through Headline Search Ads keyword and campaign levels. Though the report will not indicate your actual ACoS, you can easily calculate your ACoS by comparing data from both campaigns.

What’s your take on Branded Storefronts?

Branded Storefronts aren’t really a good investment unless that are coupled with AMS. Branded Storefronts that don’t leverage AMS, specifically Headline Search Ads, to drive traffic to their ads usually see lower ROI compared to those that do.

Take note that Branded Storefronts requires additional bandwidth. So if you are not getting enough traffic through ads, I believe it’s not a profitable investment.

Do Sponsored Products targeting use keywords within product listings?

Yes, it does, specifically for automatic campaigns.

Product content is used to calculate relevancy when someone searches for a product.

Will pausing and then re-starting an AMS campaign affect its performance?

Short answer would be no, it doesn’t.

But then again, the sales history of a product affects its organic search ranking as Sponsored Products auction puts value into products that have continues sales.

How do i determine the best bid amount?

Well, there isn’t a “best” bid amount. Each ad campaign has a different goal and margin threshold for each listing. Add to that different advertising strategies that can affect how much an advertiser would want to bid for a specific keyword.

The broader the search term you are gunning for, the lower your bids must be to lower your ACoS. For targeted keywords, you can bid higher.

So again, there really is defined figure on how much you should bid for a keyword. Just monitor your data and make adjustments to maximize your bids.

For Search Term Reports, what metrics do I need to focus on?

You need to keep an eye on:

  • ACoS
  • Sales
  • Spending
  • Clicks

Some also use Impressions, but for me they can sometimes be misleading. The reason for which is that Impressions encompasses all interactions regardless of relevancy.

Tip: Use AcoS as your main performance indicator.

What’s the difference between Exact and Phrase match keywords, and when do I use each?

Exact Match – As the name suggests, these are keywords that you use when you want a listing to appear for the exact search term.

Phrase Match – Use this keyword if you want your listing to appear for keywords that are similar or related to the search term.

Which is better for average CPC, Auto or Manual campaigns?

It would have to be manual campaigns. They have higher CPC’s since they can use high performing search terms off automatic campaigns.

Which of the AMS ad types should I invest more funds in?

It completely depends on what your goal and margin threshold is. I suggest you try the three ad types first and see which performs for you best.

Would it be better to let a campaign run or have a daily budget for it?

I prefer having a daily budget as you have some sense of control on how much you spend for a campaign. Letting it run can be ok, but the problem is that you might overspend without you realizing it.

So, do you have a question of your own? Or maybe you want to add you thoughts on things. Regardless, we want to hear what you think, so don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts on the comment section below.

As always, have a great day, and see you next time.