Are you a writer and looking to promote your book? Marketing self-published books on Amazon can be tricky, and you might not know where to start. This blog post will walk you through the necessary steps to create an effective marketing campaign for your book, along with why you should prioritize marketing books on Amazon.
Why Use Amazon?
As of late, Amazon has been in the headlines as a world leader in e-commerce. If someone wants to buy tech products, clothes, or pet food, they can do so with a simple click of a button. Amazon wasn’t always like this, though. Like other businesses, it has had its humble beginnings. During its inception in 1994, the platform sold only books. However, in time, Jeff Bezos recognized its potential to be a marketplace for all sorts of products. Now, the company is housing a wide range of product categories, from A to Z.
Yet, here we are in 2021, and we’re saying that you should consider marketing books on Amazon. Its credibility and foot traffic for selling books never faded. Even today, Amazon remains the most prominent e-commerce store globally, selling more books than any other company.
As an author, one of the questions you’ll find yourself asking is “how do I get my ebook noticed?” or “how do I advertise my book?” Determining the correct answer to this question is tricky, especially if you don’t have a marketing background. But the most straightforward solution for any author would be to go where your target market is.
These days, people don’t have to go to bookstores to buy a book. With the accessibility of shopping online, it’s easier for customers to buy books from the comfort of their homes. This has become the more popular method due to the convenience and safety concerns in the past year. Now, with already over 310 million active customers on the platform, there is a huge opportunity for you to reach the available market as your potential customers.
Amazon currently holds more than 50% of the market share for ebooks alone, making it a top-seller of books on the e-commerce platform. So if you’re not sure whether you should consider marketing books on Amazon, the answer is yes! Take the opportunity to advertise your books on a high-traffic, reputable marketplace.
What Makes a Good Amazon Product Description?
When you’re selling on Amazon, you don’t have to worry about directing your target market to your store – they’re already there. You just have to get their attention. So if you’re wondering, “how do I promote my ebook?” here are some of the best practices:
Less is more
Most people think that the longer the product descriptions are, the more information you’ll be able to squeeze in. However, that’s not exactly how it works. Remember that you’re selling in a digital space where your market wants something quick and doesn’t want to spend too much time reading lengthy product descriptions.
Provide accurate details
A good Amazon product description should have the critical details your buyer is looking for. An excellent tip when writing these product descriptions is for you to think like a customer. What are the things you would want to know? Typically, you’d have to include its dimensions and weight for shipping purposes. Are these hardbound? Paperback? Ebooks? What’s the paper GSM (some readers are particular about this)?
Consider adding these details when writing your product descriptions. But make sure that you only add the important ones. Although buyers can contact you directly or even post on your page’s question and answer, having the information available is always a plus.
When selling on a marketplace like Amazon, the golden rule is that the quicker they get key information, the better.
3 Steps to Writing an Amazon Product Description
One of the fundamental steps to succeed in marketing books on Amazon is creating compelling product descriptions. Although it’s easy to glaze over the importance of a product listing, a lot of its selling success depends on it. No matter how good your marketing strategies are for your books, you might not get the conversions you’re looking for without an excellent product description. You can further maximize your listing’s reach with the following steps to writing an Amazon listing product description.
1. Find a keyword that best describes your genre
The keywords to incorporate in your product listings should be related to your book. For example, if the long-tail keyword is “best marketing books for beginners” and has a high volume yield, it’s best to incorporate these into your listings.
This way, the algorithm recognizes your listing as a book covering these topics. Working with high-ranking keywords will further maximize your reach. When you use keywords that are high in search volume, it will also increase your organic visibility. The more visible your products are, the more likely you are to make a sale.
2. Write the description in third person, past tense
Although this isn’t a requirement, if your goal is to rank for a specific keyword, this practice can improve your listings’ quality. Some Amazon FBA sellers have their product descriptions written in the first person and present tense, and when not written well, it could come off as informal and unprofessional.
3. Include an opening sentence with a catchy title to entice customers
Do you want to show off your writing style in your product listings? You have the freedom to do so! Just because you’re selling on Amazon, it doesn’t mean you have to compromise your tone completely. You can still make your listings Amazon compliant without losing your messaging style!
A catchy title and introduction in your product listings will hook the attention of your target market. Next, showcase your writing skills through your product descriptions! The more you show who you are in your listings, the more likely you will connect with your target audience. Although it might take you a few drafts and revisions to get the hang of writing descriptions (since you have to incorporate keywords), it’s worth investing your time into this!
Final Thoughts: Market Your Books on Amazon to Further Increase Your Reach
Having your book published, whether a physical or digital copy, is an incredible achievement in itself! The marketing part, however, is critical to maximizing your sales. For the reasons stated above, Amazon is one of the best platforms to market your books on, especially with their newest advertising option, Amazon DSP.
Since there are millions of books on Amazon, you have to step up your marketing strategies. A good product listing description is one way for you to get ahead of your competitors. So if you want to increase your book’s visibility and sales, take time to create excellent product descriptions that explain what your book is about while maintaining the best Amazon listing writing practices! It’s going to be worth investing your time and resources into this!
