Newbie Importing and Selling on Amazon

[Deleted2BB3x9]

I think donating is important.

I think donating shows you have strong values.

I am very passionate about donating and giving back.

However I'm unsure of the impact it will have, since were only a small company. I'm not at the point where I would be able to get a sponsorship from a non-profit.

 

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[cautiouscapy]

I second @JAJT on making your copy 8000 characters long

I third @JAJT.

What I've been noticing in how few Amazon sellers put much copy on their listings at all.
There often isn't even a complete description.

A longer description suggests that the seller is an expert on the product (as you surely are), not just an opportunist who sees similar products being sold and decides to buy a few items in.

Answer people's questions in your copy, give them all the information they might want to know. You can revise the copy later if there are FAQ you hadn't thought of.
Read your competitor's product reviews and see what questions you might answer in your copy - if reviews mention a slightly unsatisfactory feature x, how is your product's feature x better?

I have a long-tail keyword product on Amazon with one competitor. My competitor has a 2 word title and a cr*ppy 150 x 150px image of the product in its package and no other information at all.

My listing has a title with synonyms and a description of what the product is for, my image shows the product being used and is zoomable. My description is a few bullets long and lists the exact material, how it's finished, where it's made, that it's made for me in a particular European country by experts...I had to email my competitor just to find out what size and finish their item was.
I'm not sure either of us shift many units via Amazon but I know which listing looks like the seller knows something about the product.

 

[Deleted2BB3x9]

I third @JAJT.

What I've been noticing in how few Amazon sellers put much copy on their listings at all.
There often isn't even a complete description.

A longer description suggests that the seller is an expert on the product (as you surely are), not just an opportunist who sees similar products being sold and decides to buy a few items in.

Answer people's questions in your copy, give them all the information they might want to know. You can revise the copy later if there are FAQ you hadn't thought of.
Read your competitor's product reviews and see what questions you might answer in your copy - if reviews mention a slightly unsatisfactory feature x, how is your product's feature x better?

I have a long-tail keyword product on Amazon with one competitor. My competitor has a 2 word title and a cr*ppy 150 x 150px image of the product in its package and no other information at all.

My listing has a title with synonyms and a description of what the product is for, my image shows the product being used and is zoomable. My description is a few bullets long and lists the exact material, how it's finished, where it's made, that it's made for me in a particular European country by experts...I had to email my competitor just to find out what size and finish their item was.
I'm not sure either of us shift many units via Amazon but I know which listing looks like the seller knows something about the product.

Turns out the limit for characters is 4500.

I don't know why I said 8000 before. When I was writing the advertisement I just wrote it out on word and aimed for under 8000 characters, I wrote it like a classic sales page.

Then it turned out I was only allowed 4500 (2000 for the description and 500 for each bullet point, with 5 bullet points.) So I had to restart and edit my copy to a shorter form.

I found that to make the listing look nice, you have to write your advertisement in amazon's native format. Write in amazon's style, don't write an advertisement on word then try to squeeze it into amazon's format.

Now I have a nice listing with a 2000 character description, using <p> and <b> tags. The bullets points probably aren't 500 characters each but I find it better to only have one or two sentences as it makes them look a lot cleaner and official looking.

Also keep in mind, amazon's items often has a much bigger description, more bullet points and pictures in the description.

Non-amazon items have limited descriptions.

 

[JAJT]

Non-amazon items have limited descriptions.

Yeah, that's a very unapologetic unfair advantage Amazon has over their third party sellers. It is what it is :/

Also keep in mind when writing copy that special characters (the < and > characters) count as 4 characters each. Found that out the hard way when I was trying to do a lot of special formatting and used up almost half my limit on tags...

 

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[Vigilante]

Yeah, that's a very unapologetic unfair advantage Amazon has over their third party sellers. It is what it is :/

Also keep in mind when writing copy that special characters (the < and > characters) count as 4 characters each. Found that out the hard way when I was trying to do a lot of special formatting and used up almost half my limit on tags...

It is my understanding that even basic HTML code gets flagged by Amazon now. It doesn't affect existing listings, but does trigger when you try and edit an existing listing.

 

[Deleted2BB3x9]

In other news! I wrote a press release.

I just realized the importance of writing for blogs and publications. It's essentially free marketing.

My press release describes a new product with revolutionary new features.

I also have another idea for a story, it would describe how a 16 year old (me) just launched a new company.

I'm thinking about publishing both of them. The first one would be kind of a test.

Now I just need to find which blogs I want to publish in. I think I should only send the story to one blog/blogger and seek to establish a long term relationship.

 

[JAJT]

It is my understanding that even basic HTML code gets flagged by Amazon now. It doesn't affect existing listings, but does trigger when you try and edit an existing listing.

I've been hearing that bold and line spacing is still perfectly acceptable.

I have not added a new product since this news though so I'd love it if any new sellers chime in regarding that.

 

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[Vigilante]

We have attempted to edit copy and were prohibited from doing so until we removed all HTML tags from existing copy.

 

[ddall]

Amazon has also been clamping down and disabling listings with bad title form in certain categories (for example, certain keywords will auto trigger suspension of listing, words such as 'guarantee', #1, etc.). HTML enforcement has also been applied to maintain consistency among listings as per their TOS which they have generally been slack on in the past. Some sellers have been using images for their descriptions (which Amazon only allows for with certain vendor status) by exploiting the HTML coding. It has also resulted in some very messy looking descriptions.

I've heard rumours Amazon plans to roll out higher price tiered seller accounts that allow for video and image descriptions. Just rumours.

 

[SeanyHang]

I recommend www.productphoto.com - I've used them in the past and they do great work.

I've never heard of these guys - their work looks phenomenal! Great resource!

 

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[Deleted2BB3x9]

Sorry for the delay guys,

I decided to create a press kit to send along with my press release. My press kit contains a Company Profile, FAQ, Biography, Product Description, Photos of my product, logo, and my face, Contact Info, and my Press Release.

On a side note, I need to improve my productivity.

I also made a list of blogs in my niche. I'm not sure how many people I should send my press kit to though. I'll start by just sending one and seeing if I get a response.

 

[Deleted2BB3x9]

Emailed a blogger today, and got my wisdom teeth removed

 

[MoneyDoc]

Emailed a blogger today, and got my wisdom teeth removed

There goes your wisdom!

Keep up the great thread Ben!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

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[Deleted2BB3x9]

Just Photoshopped all my images, now there's no more shadows and the background is seamless with everything else!

Also, mistake #1: Always have one of your product models on hand... I accidentely shipped out my last sample i had on hand, instead of giving the winner of my giveaway contest a coupon for amazon. And now I have been getting comments on Instagram about wanting some see some action shots but I cant take any since I don't have a product.

 

[Deleted2BB3x9]

Another update about instagram : I had a recent convo with customers about what my future products would be, I had currently already been thinking about this and someone suggested what i was already thinking. So I asked them about this idea with 2 possible variations and they said they loved both.

These products would be at a lower price point than my previous product. I really like this idea and the product concept is very important to my brand. However I'd like to sell my current offering first to gain a bit more capital for this project, but I might also consider starting with this product as there would be lower hesitation to buying because of a lower price point and I could still offer my higher price point item.

 

[MoneyDoc]

Great progress Ben. Seems like you're headed in the right track.

 

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[James Fake]

Kudos on the action!

 

[KDurg]

Ben, Great job man. I too started with Amazon. I found that FBA alone helped my products sell (just as you have). My question is have you had much luck with Amazon Ads? I have spent boatloads on Amazon ads, some successful and others weren't. If you have had luck, do you have any pointers on building up your lists or drawing extra traffic to your product page?

 

[Deleted2BB3x9]

Ben, Great job man. I too started with Amazon. I found that FBA alone helped my products sell (just as you have). My question is have you had much luck with Amazon Ads? I have spent boatloads on Amazon ads, some successful and others weren't. If you have had luck, do you have any pointers on building up your lists or drawing extra traffic to your product page?

Alright, time for an update.

Yes, i've found amazon ads effective, I sold my first 2 products using them but haven't seen any sales since. I think to succeed with amazon ads you need to optimize your listing effectively, my photos are all great quality now, however they're still just a white background.

I'm gonna take some action shots and a video soon, but I don't have any of my samples left on hand. So I asked the winner of my giveaway contest if he could send me some action shots until then.

I'm also testing out FB ads right now. FB is looking promising, I started my ad late last night and have 2 likes and 7 comments so far. I have 39 clicks and I only spent 11$, my clicks are cheap since my CTR is pretty good. It's about 3.1% right now, and i've only been running the ad for a couple hours.

I also got a comment saying "I need one!" But i've also had other people saying that and they haven't bought, which makes me think my price might be too high.

Anyway, I just have to wait and see now.

 

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[Deleted2BB3x9]

Also an update about my press release... I haven't got any replies back, so I guess I have to work on my pitch.

When it's tuesday, i'm going to send out a bunch of emails (not just one) and personalize every single email.

 

[SYK]

My press release describes a new product with revolutionary new features.

I also have another idea for a story, it would describe how a 16 year old (me) just launched a new company.

Your first approach feels simply like product copy in the guise of a press release. Possibly with the exception of some trade/niche outlets, bloggers/journos won't run this; they don't like be thought of as simply mouthpieces for your marketing plan.

Use the second angle. It tells a story. Something that bloggers/journos can write about and not feel like corporate shills. Brand recognition will be a byproduct.

Here's a relevant example you'll be able to take cues from: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/11/prweb3147154.htm

 

[Deleted2BB3x9]

Your first approach feels simply like product copy in the guise of a press release. Possibly with the exception of some trade/niche outlets, bloggers/journos won't run this; they don't like be thought of as simply mouthpieces for your marketing plan.

Use the second angle. It tells a story. Something that bloggers/journos can write about and not feel like corporate shills. Brand recognition will be a byproduct.

Here's a relevant example you'll be able to take cues from: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/11/prweb3147154.htm

Thank you so much SYK!

 

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[Deleted2BB3x9]

Just finished writing my new press release.

I also got my first share for my ad on facebook. I'm up to 97 clicks now, but no sales yet, I'm thinking I might need an email funnel as my price is 99$.

I also rewrote the copy on my amazon listing to better represent my brand.

 

[Deleted2BB3x9]

My press release finally got published!

I found a really cool media network that allows you to post sponsored posts across their blogs.

So, I paid 150$ to publish my article on a PR6 blog and I got a backlink too.

I set up my website about a week ago, and have started collecting email addresses. I have 9 so far.

I also got another sale on amazon.

My plan for 2015 is to start publishing content on my website and spreading it on social media. I also want to concentrate on SEO and PR.

I also plan to start selling other products in 2015 but I want to first establish myself with this first product.

 

[brandonrush]

How many units have you sold so far in 2014?

Your progress if fun to watch. I also started recently and have sold a little over 80 units since December 10th. I'm waiting on a larger order from my vendor now to really start the push.

I just started an INSIDERS only Amazon Private Label skype group if you'd like to join. Message me on skype at user id: BrandonRushi and I'll add you.

 

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[Deleted2BB3x9]

How many units have you sold so far in 2014?

Your progress if fun to watch. I also started recently and have sold a little over 80 units since December 10th. I'm waiting on a larger order from my vendor now to really start the push.

I just started an INSIDERS only Amazon Private Label skype group if you'd like to join. Message me on skype at user id: BrandonRushi and I'll add you.

I've only sold 3 so far. I think this blog post will get me a lot of exposure and hopefully i'll sell the last 3 of my samples.

What have you been doing for marketing your product? I assume your product has a cheap price point since you've sold that many.

And thanks, I'll message you.

 

[brandonrush]

I've only sold 3 so far. I think this blog post will get me a lot of exposure and hopefully i'll sell the last 3 of my samples.

What have you been doing for marketing your product? I assume your product has a cheap price point since you've sold that many.

And thanks, I'll message you.

You're right, I'm priced right under $20 so I'm in a much more impulse buy range than your product. Marketing is similiar to what you've been doing. I set up Amazon and Facebook ads, only 9 of those 82 sales have come from Amazon ads. Other than that I built a Facebook page specific to my niche that I'm posting to, similar to Ryan Moran's method that he gives a Youtube talk on. It's currently got 2000 followers and I use that to post offers and niche specific topics. All of my ads/links are currently going straight to my Amazon listing, so a landing page is something I'm looking to work on.

 

[Deleted2BB3x9]

Looks like my press release is getting around. I checked my website this morning and I saw I had referrals coming from a new source. It turns out that another PR6 blog reposted my article.

I also got another sale from amazon ppc. So I'm getting a few sales here and there but I want to start getting consistent sales daily. And after watching the video Brandon suggested I realized why my launch on instagram didn't work. My next strategy is to order another 100 of my product. And give away 50 on instagram to boost my ranking on amazon.

 

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[tudor]

Looks like my press release is getting around. I checked my website this morning and I saw I had referrals coming from a new source. It turns out that another PR6 blog reposted my article.

I also got another sale from amazon ppc. So I'm getting a few sales here and there but I want to start getting consistent sales daily. And after watching the video Brandon suggested I realized why my launch on instagram didn't work. My next strategy is to order another 100 of my product. And give away 50 on instagram to boost my ranking on amazon.

I just finished reading this thread... absolutely love it. Perfect example of taking action and regardless of setbacks (getting banned on forum, etc.) I hope you make a killing selling your product Ben.

 

[SYK]

Looks like my press release is getting around. I checked my website this morning and I saw I had referrals coming from a new source. It turns out that another PR6 blog reposted my article.

Awesome work mate. My search came up with four hits plus twitter/facebook/email referrals by unnamed others. Yours is a good story easily propagated. Keep those PR efforts going!