Amazon Banner Ads: How To Use Display Ads To Boost Product Sales

Difference Between Display Ads And Banner Ads

“Amazon banner ads” is the traditional way that some people still refer to Amazon's display ads.

In the past, many websites would have banner ads at the top of each page that could direct users to Amazon’s products. Whilst this might still be the case, there are various types of display advertising that go by different names.

Amazon's display ads are now found on many websites as well as some of the most popular blogging platforms, so website owners and bloggers can display them directly on their pages with simple integrations.

You'll see these types of ads when you read blogs about lifestyle, fashion, sports, or any other niche that has products for sale on Amazon.

For the purpose of this article, we will be using the terms “Amazon Display Ads” and “Amazon Banner Ads” interchangeably.

3 Types Of Amazon Sponsored Display Ads

There are 3 main types of Amazon display ads for you to consider. They are known as:

Let's have a deeper look at each of them.

Product Targeting Ads

This is one of the most popular types of Amazon-sponsored display ads because it allows you to get your product in front of people who are actively searching for that type of product.

Audiences: Views Remarketing

You can also set up an Amazon-sponsored display ad campaign targeting people who have already visited your product page.

This type of campaign would show your ads to individuals that viewed your products in the past but did not end up making a purchase. This is a great way to reach potential customers that may have forgotten about your products or didn't realize they could buy them on Amazon.

Audiences: Interests

You can also set up an Amazon-sponsored display ad campaign based on the interests of individuals who are shopping for related types of products to the ones you offer. This is a great way to increase brand awareness and get more clicks, which in turn will make it easier for you to sell your product. 

The drawback with this type of campaign is that since people are not actively and specifically searching for your product, you'll only show up on people’s search results if they have previously indicated that they are interested in the type of product categories that you offer.

Benefits Of using Amazon display Ads

Amazon display ads have many benefits that you can take advantage of for your business.

Let's just look at a few of them below.

Target Exactly The Right Audience

Amazon's ability to reach a highly targeted demographic through display ads will result in higher conversions and less wasted budget.

You can even narrow your target audience down based on buyer signals and demographics related to what you're selling. This way, you know exactly who will see your products and how many times they'll be displayed to that audience.

By narrowing down your audience by buyer signals and demographics, you'll be able to stay focused on a specific group of people who are more likely to buy your products on Amazon.

No matter what your budget is for Amazon advertising, then the targeted nature of Amazon's display ads will help you with your ad spend since you will be able to spend less money on ads that don't work. This is because Amazon will show specific adverts only to the right target audience.

With this approach, there's no guesswork involved. You know exactly which kind of customer sees each ad. Keep in mind that once someone clicks on your ad and lands on your product detail page, they should find information that resonates with the ad.

Easy Conversion Tracking

Tracking the number of conversions in your business is fundamental to any successful marketing campaign.

Amazon display ads make it easy to track your conversions because all you need is a special link for people to use when purchasing your product.

You can then see how many conversions each link has led to and adjust accordingly.

The most effective way of tracking conversions is by using Amazon's URL builder. It allows you to customize links that will be used in Amazon banner ads so that you can easily track where sales are coming from. 

Can Be Adapted Mid-Campaign

Flexibility to change your ads when you need to is a key advantage of working with Amazon display ads.

You may find that when you start a campaign with one type of ad, you are not getting the results you need.

Amazon's system makes it possible for advertisers to change their approach mid-campaign to get more conversions and better results.

For instance, if any part of the targeting needs changing because click-throughs are low or less than satisfactory, then this can be adjusted quickly. This means that once the new ad is live, new users will get served this updated ad without any interruptions.

Easy To Combine With Other Channels

You can easily combine Amazon display ads with social media channels to further understand your audience. Social media is a great way of reaching potential customers and it's easy to use Amazon display ads as a catalyst for social growth.

You have the opportunity to learn more about which channel is working best with each ad format so that you can allocate your budget accordingly - making sure that every single dollar spent on advertising has a positive impact on your business.

What Are Common Display Ad/Banner Ad Sizes?

According to Amazon, the common sizes are as follows:

The great thing about this is that ads will look a little bit different on each device - based on the one that a user is on. This means that each user gets a more tailored experience and the likelihood of taking action on your ad is increased.

As such, the different ad formats offer marketers the chance to boost their revenue through Amazon’s display ads without needing to provide tens of different images to cater for all current devices.

Questions To Ask To Make Display Advertising Work

The following are the questions to ask when creating an Amazon product display ads campaign:

1. Who Is Your Target Audience For The Sponsored Products?

Going in-depth and doing your research when it comes to building product detail pages is integral. It is also the first step you should take to find out who the right people to target with your ads are.

Advertising to the right target audience ensures that your sponsored display ads appear more relevant and are shown to the right people.

2. What Are Your Goals With This Campaign?

Before you create sponsored display ads campaigns, you should always figure out what your goals are.

Do you want to increase brand awareness? Do you need to reduce return rates? Do you want to promote sponsored brands?

Perhaps you simply want to get more sales and conversions. Your adverts will only be able to fulfill this goal if it is one that is specific and well-defined.

3. What Is The Design That You Will Use For Your Sponsored Product Ads?

Ad creatives are an essential part of any campaign. The design must be impactful, yet simple enough for potential customers to understand the message.

Along with the design, think about the action that you want users to take. One of the most important things to remember when striving to create an impact with ads is that the call-to-action needs to be crystal clear (more on this later). Whether you want people to click or save your product, make sure that's what your ad says

4. What Is Your Campaign Budget?

When setting a budget, you need to consider how much time and money you have at your disposal. Going in too hard with a high amount of spend might seem like a good idea, but it won't necessarily lead to more conversions - there is always a trial and error period till the right success is found.

On the other hand, If bids are too low then Amazon will display your ads less often than your competitors’ -  which means fewer eyeballs on your products. At the end of the day, it all depends on your business and what you're trying to achieve.

5. Which Targeting Method Will You Be Using?

As we discussed above, there are different targeting methods that you should consider. If you're going for a target audience that has already seen your products and adverts before, you might want to consider the remarketing model.

On the other hand, if your campaign is more focused on new customers, then the recommended method is product targeting. 

Understanding the differences between each method and figuring out which one works best for your business is a skill that you can’t expect to develop after you run your first sponsored product ad - the more ads you run, the better the skill will become.

6. Do You Have Everything In Order? It's Time To Execute

Make sure that everything is in order and you've set the right options such as creative, budget, and so on. On Amazon’s platform, you will be able to preview how the ad looks before you decide to launch it. This way, you can see exactly what your potential customers will see when they see your product display ads.

The Process Of Running And Optimizing Amazon Display Ads

This is where things start getting exciting. When you launch an ad and it gets approved, you will be able to see the effect that such an ad has on your prospects as they get converted into customers.

Make sure that you track everything closely to find out what works and what doesn't. Your ad creative, pricing points, bids, etc, are all factors that can be tweaked until you get the results that you want.

After a certain amount of time, Amazon will provide you with some stats that allow you to see how successful your sponsored display campaign has been so far. The platform will show you what's working and what isn't.

Optimize Your Sponsored Display Campaigns

The good thing about Amazon's self-serve platform is that it helps you optimize your ad campaigns automatically. Just set up some goals in advance (whether it is click-through rates, conversions, or something else entirely) and Amazon can take care of the rest.

For example, if you’re only interested in conversions, Amazon can only display your ads to people that meet this criterion. This means that these people are more likely to convert compared to others.

It also means that you can be sure that you're putting your ad budget to good use.

Get Feedback, Improve And Optimize

Finally, you should ensure that your Amazon product display ads are being seen by the right people.

By looking at what's working and what isn't, you can refine your campaigns and constantly improve on what's already been done. This doesn't mean that it has to stop here though. 

There are plenty of other tactics that you could use to make sure your product display adverts are as effective as possible so continue doing research and testing until you find something that works well for your business.

Thinking About Your CTA When Creating Amazon Banner Ads

One of the most important things to consider when creating Amazon banner ads is the call-to-action (CTA).

What exactly does this mean? A CTA button encourages your audience to take a specific action. The great news is that with Amazon display adverts, there are several types of CTA that you can choose to use.

For example, if you're looking for clicks, then you could put a "learn more" CTA but if you want people to buy something from Amazon, then displaying a "shop now" button would be more suitable.

Let's have a look at some of the most popular Amazon display ad CTAs.

Shop Now

This is one of the most popular Amazon banner ad CTA's. It instructs people to purchase the product in question while leaving no interpretation about the desired action.

Subscribe & Save

This CTA is mainly useful when you are selling products that are available on a subscription basis - for example, household items.

See Details

The "see details" Amazon banner advert will prompt your audience into clicking through to Amazon to find out more about what they're interested in seeing. For shops, this could include an image of the product with pricing and other relevant information. This can be used when people might want further information before making a buying decision.

Watch Now

Similar to "see details", the "watch now" Amazon display ad CTA goes above and beyond in the sense that it has another purpose too. It encourages people to click through so they can watch a video that gives them more information about a product. The "watch now" CTA button ad is particularly effective when you are promoting products that have dedicated videos e.g. technology or new gadgets.

Learn More

If you're looking for clicks, then using a "learn more" call-to-action might be the best option because it directs people to third party websites where they can find out more about what's on offer. This increases your chances of converting them into customers.

Pre-Order Now

Finally, if you want people to purchase something in advance before it gets released, then the pre-order CTA will be perfect for this purpose. Pre-orders are great if your product isn't available yet but it's something that people are guaranteed to want.

Sponsored Display Ads Best Practices

In this last section, we'll look at some of the best practices that you should be following when working on Amazon-sponsored product display ads.

Use Images That Relate To Your Products And Services

This is a really important factor as it helps to make the ad look relevant. The right product image can be a great way to help the user's imagination run wild, building up the emotions they’ll go through when they’re using your product.

This makes them more likely to click through your ads and take the right action. If you can, try and think about what might appeal to their interests and make sure there is a good contrast between the background and the objects.

Understand Where Your Budget Can Take You

It might sound obvious, but many businesses neglect to consider things such as how much they want to spend and the impact that this will have on their Amazon banner advertising campaign. They also tend to overlook what happens if they go over budget because there are no limits with Amazon just yet.

Running A Display Ad Isn't Enough

Running a successful Amazon display ad campaign is about more than just creating an advert and putting it online. You need to monitor your ads carefully to see which ones work best so you can learn from them and come up with new strategies for better click-through rates.

Keep Your Goals In Mind

Finally, it's important to keep your goals in mind at all times. Every advert should have a specific goal before it’s started -  whether it is to increase traffic, promote an offer or even test the waters with multiple ads before picking the best ones, a goal should always be present.