Advertising for Books E-Book

Dale L. Roberts

• Herausgeber: One Jacked Monkey, LLC
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Serie: Self-Publishing with Dale
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 157

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

You’ve published your book…

…but how do you get noticed?

Mastering Amazon Ads is crucial for boosting visibility and sales.

In this comprehensive guide, Dale L. Roberts offers a deep dive into practical, actionable strategies for making the most of your advertising on Amazon. Learn how to set up and manage various ad types, from Sponsored Product Ads to Sponsored Brand Ads, with clear, step-by-step instructions. Discover how to analyze performance, optimize bids, and troubleshoot common issues to drive real success for your book.

Why are Amazon Ads so tricky?

It’s all about managing expectations and understanding relevance.

You’ll learn:

- How to set up and manage various ad types on Amazon

- Effective bidding strategies and campaign optimization

- How to analyze performance and troubleshoot common problems

- Tips for maximizing book sales through targeted ads

…and much more!

You’ll love this helpful and informative book because it provides a clear roadmap to mastering advertising on Amazon. Dale’s touch of humor and expertise make this guide both educational and engaging.

Get it now!

Leseprobe

Advertising for Books: A Guide to Promoting & Selling with the Largest Online Bookseller

Copyright ©2024 by One Jacked Monkey LLC

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

eBook ISBN: 978-1-63925-041-7

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-63925-042-4

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-63925-043-1

Audiobook ISBN: 978-1-63925-044-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the copyright owner, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

Some recommended links in this book are part of affiliate programs. This means if you purchase a product through one of the links, then I get a portion of each sale. It doesn’t affect your cost and helps support the cause. If you have any reservations about buying a product through my affiliate link, then Google a direct link and bypass the affiliate link.

Contents

Introduction

Expectations vs. Reality: Why Are Amazon Ads So Difficult?

What Is Relevance?

Knowing the Terminology

What Ads Function Best for Books?

How to Set Up & Manage an Amazon Ad

Analyzing the Data to Optimize the Ad

Troubleshooting a Problematic Ad

Conclusion

A Small Ask…

About the Author

Special Thanks

Resources

References

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Introduction

Iwas broke, angry, and beyond frustrated. For a couple of years, I bought into somebody else’s dream, even at the expense of my bank account and my marriage. Sure, this is all on me. I own every bit of it. However, it doesn’t stop me from feeling a sense of regret or reflecting on time wasted working in a multi-level marketing company (MLM).

They sold my wife and me on the dream of quitting our nine-to-five jobs and being our own bosses. All it took was investing in the MLM supplement company for a hefty sum of $1,200. Oh, and that’s not all. If I invested more and recruited more people to hawk more goods, then I’d win big. Let’s not forget how we had to attend every local meeting and mixer, bring a friend with us, and put on happy faces despite deeply sinking into the red for our so-called business.

This MLM company had great products that I was happy to take myself. However, they built a culture around doing what they said and not questioning them one bit. While our bank account drained to support the cause, our friendships dwindled. Before long, it was just my wife and me against the world. I felt like that was all I needed—to be backed into a corner and come out fighting.

Boy, was I wrong! We lost a ton of time and resources because someone, more specifically a company, had sold us a bill of goods. Finally, we had to decide: do we keep going down this path or quit while we’re ahead?

With a heavy heart, I called my mentor in the MLM business and explained our situation. Little did I know that he’d curse me out and leave me feeling worse for opening myself up to him in the first place. He was downright ugly and made sure I felt his anger.

After hanging up the phone, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief. I no longer had to feel weird and do creepy sales tactics to put food on my table. I didn’t have to buy into some company’s mission statement and overall brand goals. My wife and I could officially work against the world on our terms.

Skip forward a few years after that day. We broke away from the MLM company and the two of us successfully started running our own work-from-home businesses. We didn’t have to invest any more than we wanted to put into it. In fact, I truly believe when I cut ties with that company, I wholeheartedly devoted my time to the business of self-publishing. The rest is history.

What exactly does a story about an MLM company have to do with Amazon Advertising? Well, I’m not comparing Amazon Ads to a sketchy direct marketing company, but to the way we go into it. If you go into advertising books on Amazon with the mindset of throwing money at problems, then you’re definitely going to lose big time.

Amazon Advertising is one of the best ways to promote your book today. The system is simple, yet nearly impossible to master. While some would-be gurus and overnight experts would have you believe Amazon Ads can be easy, the reality is it’s even easier to waste a ton of money without getting anything in return.

I don’t want you go down that dusty road and waste all your money and time on some get-rich-quick scheme. No, you will not get a ticket to my local mixer where I boast about making millions with Amazon Ads. You won’t have to worry about me disowning you if things don’t turn out the way you like. The fact is Amazon Ads aren’t for everyone.

However, I’m confident by the time you’re done with this book, you’ll have a better understanding of how to start, launch, and monitor ad campaigns. Then, you can decide if running Amazon Ads is for you. Keep in mind that results may vary, and I’m not saying you have to spend money on Amazon Ads to sell books.

Amazon Advertising is merely a tool in your box of marketing and promotional strategies. Much like an unused socket wrench set, you can leave it alone until you’re ready to use it. When the time comes and you’re financially able to invest in Amazon Ads, then you can bring it out of your toolbox and put it to good use.

Just remember this one fact:

Do not invest what you cannot stand to lose.

Yep, I’m literally telling you it’s possible to invest thousands and lose it all. I’m not trying to scare you away from running ads on Amazon; I’m just sharing the reality. Though I can offer every strategy and tip in my arsenal, I can’t assure you’ll have massive success. However, I’m confident if you ease your way into using Amazon Advertising for books, you’ll mitigate any financial loss and increase your understanding of ads.

Judging by the fact you picked up this book, you probably:

Are an authorAre looking to run Amazon Ads for your booksWant to improve your understanding of Amazon Ads

If you fit one of these roles, then you’ve come to the right place. I’m going to get granular with Amazon Advertising. I’ll lean heavily on my experience spending thousands on countless campaigns, earning multiple certifications in Amazon Advertising, and gleaning insights from other successful self-published authors who have used ads to bolster sales.

I have good news for you!

First, you don’t have to worry about investing anything in Amazon Ads. Simply focus on getting through this book first, then circle back around when you launch your campaigns. Next, you won’t have to spend anything beyond what you’ve invested in this book right now. Last, if you get to the end of this book still feeling like Amazon Ads may not be for you, at least you didn’t invest thousands of dollars to find out.

Now, if you’re one of these types of people who:

Believe I’ll provide the secret to successWant to get rich quick overnightDon’t want to put in the workDon’t have the money to invest in ads

… then I won’t have what you need. Simply close this book since you’ll be better off without it. I will not pump you up or give you a bunch of hot trash. Anyone who tells you that self-publishing is easy money has an agenda or ulterior motive. Also, if anyone tells you ads only work for specific genres or popular authors, they’re wrong.

Amazon Advertising can and will work for almost anybody, but it takes time, testing, flexibility, and good old-fashioned hard work. If you’re ready, willing, and able to do that, then let’s dig in!

Expectations vs. Reality: Why Are Amazon Ads So Difficult?

I’ve repeatedly heard from aspiring authors and established self-publishers that Amazon Advertising is hard, too expensive, or not suited to certain niches. While learning Amazon Advertising isn’t easy, the process can be rather simple if you give it time, attention, and some flexibility.

Can it be expensive? Sure, if you let it.

You’re in good hands though because I hate losing money or spending it frivolously on marketing. Do not invest thousands of dollars into advertising until you have a firm grasp on advertising basics. You first need to know the process, what brings you results, and how you can optimize your ads to pull in more book sales.

As for the myth that Amazon Advertising is only good for specific niches, that’s 100% wrong. Quite a few fiction and nonfiction authors—and even low-content book publishers—use Amazon Advertising to great success. Why is that? Because they don’t simply settle on pumping a bunch of money into the Amazon Ads machine hoping it’ll spit back money like a broken ATM. Every time someone comes to me for advice on Amazon Advertising, inevitably, they say it didn’t work, the niche is saturated, the keywords are too competitive to bid for, and so on. The reality is they just didn’t know what they were doing.

Sometimes, authors just threw money at Amazon Ads and hoped for the best. While other times, authors watched a few videos on my channel, took a course hosted by a famous author, or simply got advice from some random Facebook Group mastermind. While those methods alone aren’t bad, combined, the author absolutely must separate fact from fiction. Not to mention, they still have to make sense of what they curated, decipher it, and make the most of what they have left over.

The next biggest problem is most authors are blind to whether their book is packaged effectively. While you might think your book cover is on the money, the book description is perfect, and you priced your book competitively in your niche, the reality is if you aren’t getting sales without ads, then something is fundamentally wrong with your book.

The fundamentals to any good-selling book include:

Great book coverKiller book descriptionCompetitive price point

Having invested hours in your book, I can only imagine you think highly of it. Why wouldn’t you? You poured your heart into every page, so you should be rather fond of your publication. Sadly, it’s that bias that can get you into hot water and leave you in no-man’s-land where readers will never find you. Even when a potential reader finds your title, if you don’t have any of those three fundamentals dialed in, then all is lost.

Sure, you can have an ugly cover and still sell copies if your book description does a great job of closing the sale. Or you could have a stellar cover, but your book description isn’t convincing anyone to buy it. Of course, if you bargain-basement price your book, then many people might view it as cheap or inferior. But if you price your book far above others in your niche, you run the risk of readers thinking you’re overvaluing your content.

Why am I so focused on the fundamentals of book publishing rather than Amazon Advertising? If you can’t dial in the fundamentals, how can you ever expect to get results from ads? Yes, even a blind squirrel can get a nut, but why put the cart before the horse?

While having a bad book cover, poor marketing description, and questionable pricing might not stop you from using Amazon Ads, your conversion rate isn’t going to be high. Instead of aiming for a realistic and attainable closing rate per click, your ratio could be closer to one out of every one hundred clicks. The more clicks you have on an ad, the more you pay and the less you make—unless that click converts to a sale. But one sale per hundred clicks is not a formula for running a profitable ad campaign. Ideally, a decent conversion ratio would be one sale out of every ten to twenty clicks, so long as all the previous elements are on point.

You want to have those three fundamental elements showroom ready, so when you spend money to send traffic to your book’s page, people are more prepared, receptive, and happy to buy your book. Here’s how this scenario could play out:

The browsing customer searches for their interests on Amazon.Sixteen products are returned on the first page of search results, plus ads interspersed through those organic results. The browsing customer sees your ad and has a decision to make, whether conscious or subconscious. Does the book cover look like something they’d enjoy? If yes, they may click on the ad to go to the product page. If not, they’ll scroll past the ad, never giving your book a second thought. The good news is if the customer never clicks on your ad, then you aren’t charged for that customer seeing it, so you won’t lose any money.After the customer clicks on the ad, they have another decision to make. Will they buy immediately based on the cover? Possibly, but that doesn’t happen too often, especially if you don’t have an established following. The customer usually does one of two things: reads the book description or reads the reviews. Once the consumer has the information, they need to decide whether or not to buy the book, they will either purchase yours or return to the search results.Now, comes the tricky part. Let’s assume the customer decides to give your book a chance. That person won’t finally click that buy button if the pricing doesn’t align with what’s conveyed in the book description or on the cover. It’s mission critical to get your pricing set at a rate that makes sense and is in alignment with the value proposition.

Since I’m trying to demonstrate the value of getting the essentials right, let’s tackle the tough question: how do you know if your fundamentals are good? If you’re getting consistent sales daily, you’re probably on the right track. However, if you’re not seeing consistent results, then you’ll need to make some tweaks before you invest in ads. Here are a few tips to get those elements right.

Before you ever settle on a book cover, study the Amazon marketplace in your niche and note all the books at the top of the charts. What are the common themes, layouts, and color schemes? How can you best embody those elements? I’m not suggesting you directly lift someone’s intellectual property. And I won’t have the answers for you in this book. You’ll have to lean on your intuition and research for this step. Once you find the right elements, then hire a professional cover designer or do it yourself.

The next step is going to be a simple one, and I encourage you to use this method every year. Get a thumbnail mockup of your ebook cover and take a screenshot of the bestseller list for your niche. Place your book at the number one spot, just over the current #1 bestseller. Now, look at the competitors in your niche. Does your cover fit in with the rest? Does it stand out in a good way or a bad way?

If it’s the latter option, then go back to the drawing board. If your cover stands out in a good way, test it out. Share your screenshot with several peers in the industry; you get bonus points for having someone within your niche evaluate it. Be ready to take it on the chin because your peers should tell you the reality. Your baby might be ugly, but thankfully it’s not permanent. Adjust and go through this step again.

Join my Discord community to connect and network with other authors. With nearly 1,000 active members, you’ll find a few great people to offer assistance with your cover.

DaleLinks.com/Discord

Should you find book sales dipping a bit, then go back through this vetting process again. While the cover might have worked a year ago, that doesn’t mean it’ll work now. Be open enough to accept that if your cover doesn’t convert as well as it used to, then it’s time to switch it out for an updated design. Is this going to be costly and time-consuming? Yes, but it can be worth it, especially if your sales are suffering.

The book description can be a bit more problematic. Authors are great at writing their books, but when it’s time to describe that book in a way that compels readers to buy, they’re often at a loss.

Hey, don’t sweat it! I totally get it. That’s why I lean heavily on copywriters to create book descriptions for me. Copywriting is the ability to write content that entices prospective customers to buy. It’s not sleazy and is 100% ethical, as long as you deliver on the value proposition within the ad copy.

If you’re not running ads, it can be tough to know whether the book cover, book description, or pricing are to blame for a lack of sales. Using Amazon Advertising, you can infer that the lack of sales comes from poor ad copy. For example, if someone clicks on your ad, we can assume the topic and cover matches the potential buyer’s interests. If they do not buy your book after clicking the ad, then you can assume the buyer’s resistance is caused by one of two things: bad ad copy or poor pricing.

Prolific author and book description expert Brian Meeks has shared how the price point can be what you want, so long as the ad copy is enticing enough to merit a higher premium. You can price your book high, and possibly higher than most in your niche, but you must have the ad copy to back it up.