In this episode of The Seller’s Edge podcast, host Jonathan D’Ambrosio gets into the intricacies of e-commerce strategies with guest Casey Harvey, an e-commerce strategist with a surplus of experience. The episode covers a range of topics including the future of customer reviews, leveraging platforms beyond Amazon, a winning ad strategy, and the truth about gaming the system.
Key Takeaways
The episode provides valuable insights into the world of e-commerce advertising and strategies for success. Harvey’s expertise and experience offer valuable lessons for sellers looking to optimize their advertising efforts and drive sales growth, including:
- Leveraging sponsored ads can lead to successful organic rank improvements.
- Advertising strategies should focus on incremental, profitable sales, especially during growth phases.
- Maintaining a steady advertising presence can result in a more stable amount of sales.
- Branded keywords are a strong signal of intent to purchase and can be valuable for promoting new products or maintaining brand visibility.
Advertising Strategy: Incremental, Profitable Sales
Harvey emphasizes the importance of optimizing advertising efforts for incremental, profitable sales. Whether in a growth phase or aiming for defensibility, the focus should be on advertising where a product is not ranking organically, thus driving incremental sales. This approach can lead to a more stable upward trend in sales over time.
“If you’re in a growth phase…going heavy on advertising to increase your number of sales.” (14:00)
Advertising aggressively is critical during a growth phase to increase sales and market share. By investing heavily in advertising, sellers can accelerate their growth and establish a strong presence in the market.
“Optimize for incremental, profitable sales.” (16:30)
Sellers have a need for a strategic approach to advertising that focuses on driving sales that are both incremental and profitable. By targeting keywords that are relevant and have a high conversion rate, sellers can maximize their advertising efforts and see a positive impact on their overall sales.
“Defensibility…maintaining a steady amount of sales, resulting in a more steady amount of sales.”(17:22)
Maintaining a steady level of advertising spend to defend against fluctuations in organic rank is also an essential component of the overall approach. By consistently investing in advertising, sellers can ensure a steady flow of sales and avoid losing ground to competitors.
Leveraging Sponsored Ads for Organic Rank Improvements
One key takeaway from the episode is the effectiveness of a heavy sponsored ad presence in driving organic rank improvements. Harvey emphasizes that a well-optimized advertising strategy can lead to successful organic rank advancements, especially when focusing on relevant keywords that drive the highest number of purchases for a product.
“Heavy sponsored presence can drive organic rank improvements successfully.” (18:26)
This callout highlights the importance of leveraging sponsored ads to not only drive immediate sales but also improve organic rank over time. By strategically using sponsored ads to target keywords where a product is not ranking well organically, sellers can see a positive impact on their overall organic rank.
Branded Keywords: A Strong Signal of Intent to Purchase
Harvey also discusses the significance of branded keywords, noting that they are a strong signal that a customer intends to purchase a specific brand. He suggests that while advertising on branded keywords may not always be necessary, it can be a valuable strategy for promoting new products or maintaining brand visibility.
“If people are looking up your brand, that is a strong signal that that’s what they intend to purchase.” (21:30)
This quote highlights the importance of brand recognition and loyalty in driving sales. By focusing on branded keywords, sellers can target customers who are already familiar with their brand and are more likely to convert, ultimately leading to increased sales and market share.
In addition to these valuable insights, D’Ambrosio and Harvey also reveal the secret about how to game the Amazon algorithm. You can listen to the full episode on Spotify, Audible Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
