• EP46 | Amazon Ads Tracking – The Why, The How and The What

    Tracking may not be the most exciting topic to think about, but if you want to see success from Amazon Ads, keeping tabs on what is and isn't working is going to be a crucial task you need to be on top of.

    Tracking your Amazon Ads doesn't need to be a long, drawn out process; it can be something that adds just 5-10 minutes to your Amazon Ads Management time, but in the long run, it's going to pay you back in a big way.

    In today's episode, I'm diving into Amazon Ads Tracking, so listen in and enjoy! And don't forget to download your free Amazon Ads Toolkit that will help you implement exactly what I'm talking about, at www.matthewjholmes.com/adstoolkit

    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

    • Why tracking is so important
    • The stats to track with your Amazon Ads
    • The importance of identifying trends and patterns
    • The dangers of target duplication
    • A free tool to help you track your Amazon Ads
    • And so much more...


    RESOURCES

    E46 - 6m - Apr 27, 2022
  • EP45 | How To Use Sponsored Brands Category Targeting Campaigns For Keyword Research

    Sponsored Brands Ads are one of the highest converting Amazon Ad formats – and for good reason; they appear right at the top of the search results! So, a highly prominent placement where you can advertise 3 or more books and add a touch of creativity to your Ad by writing a short headline and a photograph of you, the author.

    The main targeting type used for Sponsored Brands Ads is Keyword Targeting, but today, I want to share with you a targeting type I rarely hear mentioned in relation to Sponsored Brands Ads – Category Targeting.

    Yes, you can use Category Targeting with Sponsored Brands Ads, and although they don't always convert exceedingly well (although they sometimes do), I predominantly use them for Keyword Research.

    Let's dive into today's episode all about Sponsored Brands Category Targeting Campaigns...

    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

    • A summary of what Sponsored Brands are
    • How to use Sponsored Brands Category Targeting to discover new keywords to target in other Campaigns
    • The one major drawback to Sponsored Brands Category Targeting
    • How to structure your Sponsored Brands Category Targeting Campaigns
    • The costs associated with Sponsored Brands Category Targeting and how to control them
    • And so much more...


    RESOURCES

    E45 - 7m - Apr 20, 2022
  • EP44 | Why You Should Segment Branded Keywords With Your Amazon Ads

    If you've ever looked at your Amazon Ads Search Term Reports, you'll undoubtedly have noticed that, after some time, you will be getting a lot of clicks on branded search terms, with many variations of:

    • Your Author Name
    • Your Book Titles
    • Your Series Titles


    Even if you didn't do this intentionally, Automatic Targeting Campaigns often default to targeting these search terms because they offer relatively cheap clicks in most instances and often convert very well, because readers are coming to Amazon to specifically look for your books.


    Yes, you should be protecting your Author Brand, without a doubt, but there is a downside to branded keywords, in that it can substantially restrict how many new readers Amazon Ads can bring into your world.


    On today's episode, I'm diving into how and when to use Branded Keywords with your Amazon Ads...


    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

    • What branded keywords actually are
    • The importance of protecting your Author brand on Amazon
    • Why branded keywords and ASINs can restrict your Automatic and Category Targeting Campaigns
    • How to run specific branded keyword and ASIN Campaigns – and why you should
    • And so much more...


    RESOURCES

    E44 - 16m - Apr 13, 2022
  • EP43 | How to Start Scaling Your Amazon Ads

    Scaling your Amazon Ads can seem daunting, overwhelming and a long way off if you're brand new to advertising your books on Amazon; but it doesn't have to be.

    Scaling is actually very simple and we often make it more complicated than it needs to be. Once you know 'what' to scale, the 'how' becomes much easier to implement.

    And that's what I'm covering in today's episode...How to start scaling your Amazon Ads.

    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

    • What scaling really is
    • Are you ready to scale?
    • Where to find scaling opportunities in your Amazon Ads account?
    • What do you do with these scaling opportunities?
    • How do you scale your Amazon Ads?
    • Why finding new scaling opportunities is so critical for Amazon Ads
    • Expectations to keep in mind when scaling Amazon Ads
    • And so much more...


    RESOURCES


    E43 - 12m - Apr 6, 2022
  • EP42 | Diagnosing Your Low Non-Converting Amazon Ads

    Low or non-converting Amazon Ads are one of the biggest frustrations of advertisers; but why does it happen and how do you diagnose why it's happening?

    That's exactly what I am going to share with you in today's episode.

    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

    • The metrics you need to focus on to diagnose your Amazon Ads
    • The conversion rates of different placements and targets
    • Why Amazon Ads are only part of the puzzle
    • The biggest driver of Amazon Ads success
    • And so much more


    RESOURCES

    E42 - 21m - Mar 30, 2022
  • EP41 | How Much Should You Be Bidding On Your Amazon Ads?

    Amazon Ads bidding is somewhat of a controversial topic with so many conflicting opinions, it can be difficult to know which way to turn and how to bid with your Amazon Ads.

    In today's episode of the Author Ads Academy Podcast, I hope to clear things a little for you, by diving into how the Amazon Ads Algorithm works and ultimately, based on the many Amazon Ads Accounts I manage, how I believe you should be bidding on your Amazon Ads.

    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

    • How the Amazon Ads Algorithm works
    • How much you should be bidding on your Amazon Ads
    • The 2 different approaches you can take to Amazon Ads bidding
    • A tip for generating high-profit sales through strategic bidding and keyword selection
    • How to figure out what your starting bid should be
    • And so much more...


    RESOURCES

    E41 - 14m - Mar 23, 2022
  • EP40 | Amazon Ads Mindset

    We are taking a little break from the tactical side of Amazon Ads this week and looking at one of, if not, 'the' most important tool in your Amazon Ads belt; mindset. Without this, your Amazon Ads are going to become a frustration that you'd just rather not deal with; you'll make poor decisions when working on your Ads and drive your results into the ground.

    With a good mindset, however, you will always see opportunity with your Amazon Ads and will make strategic decisions with confidence.


    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

    • The most important internal tool you need to run successful Amazon Ads
    • Acting on emotions rather than strategy – and which one wins. Always.
    • The biggest lesson I've learned from running thousands of Amazon Ads Campaigns
    • How to accept that you are not in full control of your Amazon Ads
    • How long you should leave Amazon Ads to run untouched when first launching
    • Amazon Ads Attribution and Big-Picture-Thinking
    • And so much more...


    RESOURCES


    E40 - 15m - Mar 16, 2022
  • EP39 | Amazon Ads Negative Targeting

    Amazon Ads can waste a lot of money on irrelevant keywords and ASINs, that, if not dealt with, can stack up to a staggering amount of ad spend on targets that generate zero sales and zero page reads.

    Not a good situation to find yourself in.

    Naturally, there is going to be some wasted Ad Spend as you put the feelers out there and find out what will and won't work for your books, but within a few weeks, you should have collected some good data and you will be able to figure out where you can 'trim the fat' and stop spending money on things that aren't working.

    You do this with negative targeting – and that's exactly what I'm diving into in today's episode...


    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

    • What negative targeting is
    • A brief case study of what happens when you don't use negative targeting
    • The thresholds I use when negative targeting
    • How often to perform negative targeting in your account
    • A controversial way of using negative targeting
    • My (less-controversial) approach to negative targeting
    • And so much more...


    RESOURCES


    E39 - 12m - Mar 9, 2022
  • EP38 | Amazon Ads Keyword Match Types Explained

    Using the 3 different Keyword Match Types offered with Amazon Ads is critical for success. This week on the Author Ads Academy Podcast, I'll be walking you through what the 3 Keyword Match Types are, the intricacies between them, as well as how and when to use them.

    Each Keyword Match Type plays its own role within your Amazon Ads Account and when used strategically and holistically, this is when you will see your Amazon Ads start to perform on a whole other level.

    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

    • The 3 different Keyword Match Types
    • The key differences between a Keyword and a Search Term
    • The 5 words that are ignored in all Amazon Ads Keywords
    • A deep-dive into each of the 3 Keyword Match Types
    • The funnel structure I use for Amazon Ads Keywords
    • And so much more...


    RESOURCES


    E38 - 10m - Mar 2, 2022
  • EP37 | Amazon Ads Sponsored Brands Campaigns

    Sponsored Products Ads should generally make up around 80% of your Amazon Ads budget because they are the Ads that generate the most traffic, sales and Page Reads.

    So, where do Sponsored Brands Ads fit into the mix? And what are Sponsored Brands Ads? Find out in today's episode of The Author Ads Academy Podcast...

    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

    • What Sponsored Brands Ads are
    • When and how to use Sponsored Brands Ads
    • Are Sponsored Brands Ads right for you at this time?
    • The type of targeting you can use with Sponsored Brands Ads?
    • My Sponsored Brands Ads strategy
    • Low-hanging fruit opportunities with Sponsored Brands Ads
    • And so much more...


    RESOURCES

    E37 - 12m - Feb 23, 2022
  • EP36 | Amazon Ads Sponsored Products Manual Campaigns

    If you want to target specific Keywords or specific books/ASINs with your Amazon Ads, 'Manual Targeting' Campaigns are what you need to use.

    This week on the Author Ads Academy Podcast, I'll walk you through the different types of targeting you can use with Manual Targeting Campaigns, as well as when and how you could be using them.

    Automatic Targeting Campaigns (that I covered on last week's episode) are great and very quick to set up, but they lack a lot of control. Manual Targeting Campaigns, on the other hand, allow you to have very precise control over what you are targeting and the individual performance of those individual targets.

    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

    • The 3 different types of manual targeting
    • A simple yet effective campaign structure
    • A simple funnel structure that harnesses the power of Auto and Manual Targeting Campaigns
    • The difference between long-tail and short-tail keywords – and when to use them
    • How to use Manual Targeting Campaigns to defend your books and your brand
    • And so much more...


    RESOURCES


    E36 - 24m - Feb 16, 2022
  • EP35 | Amazon Ads Sponsored Products Auto Campaigns

    Automatic Targeting Campaigns...some authors love them, some authors really don't like them! Today, I'm going to be diving into what Auto Campaigns are, best practices for using and more importantly, why they should form a fundamental part of your Amazon Ads Strategy.


    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

    • What Automatic Targeting Campaigns are
    • How to use Auto Campaigns to scale your Amazon Ads
    • The 4 different Auto Match Types
    • How much you should be bidding on Auto Campaigns
    • The best bidding strategy for Auto Campaigns
    • And so much more...


    RESOURCES

    E35 - 18m - Feb 9, 2022
  • EP34 | A New Direction For The Author Ads Academy Podcast

    Welcome back! It's been a while since I posted a podcast episode, so I apologise about that. The past couple of months have been extremely busy, but I am now making time to bring you a new podcast episode every single week.

    And today, I am introducing you to a new direction of the podcast, one that I am extremely excited about...

    Moving forwards, The Author Ads Academy Podcast will be focusing entirely on Amazon Ads for authors and in this week's short episode, I'll be covering my reasoning behind this change in direction as well as giving you a taste of what to expect over the next few weeks and months.

    WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

    • The new direction for the Podcast
    • My reasoning behind this new direction
    • What to expect from the podcast over the coming weeks and months
    • And more...


    RESOURCES

    E34 - 7m - Feb 2, 2022
  • EP33 | Where To Find Keywords For Your Amazon Ads

    If you've been running Amazon Ads for a while and you've generated sales from your Ads, you should have some good data to work with to find keywords for your Amazon Ads by digging into your Search Term Reports.

    If you haven't run Amazon Ads before, or you just don't have much data to work with, then where do you start? 

    That's exactly what I'll be sharing with you in this weeks episode.

    What You'll Learn

    • The one Amazon Ads Report that is a goldmine of information for mining keywords
    • Where to start keyword research if you haven't run Amazon Ads before or have very little data in your account
    • The 1-2 minute strategy to let Amazon find keywords for you
    • The Campaign Structure I use for keyword campaigns
    • How long to let these new keyword campaigns run
    • A quick way to force Amazon to show your Ads if you're finding that you're not getting many impressions, clicks and sales
    • And much more besides...


    Resources

    E33 - 10m - Nov 24, 2021
  • EP32 | My 80/20 Amazon Ads Strategy

    There are countless strategies out there for running profitable Amazon Ads and none of them are wrong, as they clearly work for some authors, but those strategies may not work for your books.

    The important thing with Amazon Ads, however, and advertising in general, is that you pick a strategy and stick with it for at least 3-6 months.

    If you're picking parts of a strategy from here, a bit from over there, another piece from that place over there, etc. then you're going to have a real mish-mash of strategies in one Account, which is going to have a negative impact on your results. 

    My 80/20 Amazon Ads strategy I'm going to share with you today may not be right for you and your books, but if you've reached your wits end with Amazon Ads, you feel like you've tried everything and nothing is working, or you're just looking for a fresh way to use Amazon Ads, then I encourage you to implement my 80/20 Amazon Ads Strategy that I walk you through in today's episode.

    What You'll Learn

    • The 2 phases I move through with Amazon Ads
    • How and why I focus on the 80/20 rule (Pareto's Principle)
    • What to do with your old and current Amazon Ads Campaigns
    • How many Campaigns I am running at any one time
    • The campaign types I use for the 2 phases of my Amazon Ads strategy
    • The importance of negative targeting with your Amazon Ads
    • And much more besides...


    Resources

    E32 - 10m - Nov 17, 2021
  • EP31 | What To Do If Your Amazon Ads Keywords Aren't Getting Clicks

    If the keywords you're targeting with your Amazon Ads just aren't getting clicks, or they're getting a few but not enough to actually generate significant sales, then today's episode is for you.

    What You'll Learn

    • What timeframe to look at when analyzing your keywords
    • The optimum account structure for your Amazon Ads
    • How many keywords to put in your Campaigns
    • What do about Ad Groups
    • Troubleshooting low impression and low click keywords
    • What books to target if you are using Product Targeting
    • How to fix keywords with a low click through rate
    • And much, much more...


    Resources

    E31 - 10m - Oct 27, 2021
  • EP30 | Spreading Your Advertising Risk As An Author

    As I'm sure you are aware, Facebook had a big problem on their hands this week when its entire server system went down, resulting in users not unable to access Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other properties owned by Facebook, including Facebook Ads.

    This is all goes to show that relying on one Ads platform can be devastating to your author business. Fortunately, Facebook managed to get things back up and running within 6 hours.

    Had the downtime been longer, however, what would you have done if you had been all in on Facebook Ads? Did you have a backup plan?

    That's exactly what I'm discussing in today's episode...

    What You'll Learn

    • The importance of a backup plan
    • Example backup plans for advertising your books
    • What's more likely to happen with Facebook Ads than downtime
    • Next steps if you are too reliant on Facebook Ads
    • And much, much more...


    Resources

    E30 - 8m - Oct 6, 2021
  • EP29 | Facebook Ads Dynamic Creative For Authors

    Facebook Ads Dynamic Creative is a fantastic way to test lots of different variables with your Facebook Ads in an effective and time-efficient manner. 

    Rather than setting up lots of different Ads testing one variable at a time (the traditional way of testing Facebook Ads), you provide Facebook with a number of different assets (e.g. images, videos, headlines, etc.) and let Facebook do the testing for you.

    If you’re brand new to Facebook Ads or just want to test some fresh ideas quickly, Dynamic Creative is the perfect solution.

    What You'll Learn

    • What Facebook Ads Dynamic Creative actually is
    • Best practices for setting up Dynamic Creative
    • How to analyze the data from your Dynamic Creative
    • Next steps after running Dynamic Creative Ads
    • The Pros and Cons of Dynamic Creative and whether it's right for you
    • And much more besides...


    Resources

    E29 - 15m - Sep 22, 2021
  • EP28 | A Case For Negative Keywords and ASINs With Your Amazon Ads

    Negative Targeting with your Amazon Ads is a task that a lot of authors don't perform, because it takes time and they would rather be writing! 

    However, if you want to see results from your Amazon Ads and not waste a huge chunk of money on them without seeing the results, then negative targeting is going to become your new best friend. 

    In today's episode, I'm making a case for why authors should be using negative targeting with their Amazon Ads...

    What You'll Learn

    • Why negative targeting is critical to see success with Amazon Ads
    • The difference between Keywords and Search Terms
    • Why you should be negating Keywords and ASINs, not just Keywords
    • Where to find Keywords and ASINs to negate
    • What to do with relevant Keywords and ASINs that are costing you money with little to no return
    • The always-on Campaigns that should be running in the background at all times for harvesting the top performers
    • And much, much more...


    Resources

    E28 - 8m - Sep 15, 2021
  • EP27 | The Number One BookBub Ads Metric

    Tracking conversions from BookBub Ads is something we aren't able to do, unfortunately; so we have to use another metric, aside from conversions, to determine the success of our BookBub Ads.

    In today's episode, I'm sharing what that metric is...

    What You'll Learn

    • The number one metric to focus on with BookBub Ads
    • How to improve this metric
    • The 2 levers you can pull to improve the success of your BookBub Ads
    • Some top tips for creating top performing BookBub Ads images
    • How to target your BookBub Ads to the right audience
    • And much more besides...


    Resources

    E27 - 12m - Sep 8, 2021
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