What’s REALLY Killing Your Amazon Ads

Are you tired of the old myth that Amazon Ads just “kick the bucket” randomly? Put on your myth-busting glasses . . . if such things exist . . . and learn the real reason Amazon advertisements stop serving impressions.

As a book marketer and an Amazon Advertising veteran, I’ve been in the trenches, marketing novels for several years. I’ve heard all sorts of advertising tales, from the enlightening to the misguided. And there’s one rumor in particular that’s as persistent as a telemarketer on commission: the one about Amazon ads randomly giving up the ghost.

Understanding how Amazon Ads function is akin to being the Gandalf of the book marketing realm – a guide in the dark, holding the light of wisdom (a little dramatic, I know, but I am a book marketer). Jokes aside, there’s no magic or wizardry involved, just good old-fashioned knowledge and insight.

Let’s pull back the curtain on Amazon Ads. We’ll investigate how Amazon Ads function, why the notion of “ad death” is mythic, and what the real villain of the piece might be. Hint: it’s not an evil wizard, a green witch, or even a cease-and-desist from the Tolkien estate.

It’s our not-so-friendly dark lord, low Click-Through Rate (CTR).

Debunking the Myth: “Do Amazon Ads Die?”

Here’s where we stab at the heart of our mythological beast – the notion that Amazon Ads meet an untimely demise, like a character in a George R.R. Martin novel.

First, we need to understand how this myth was born. Like most legends, it probably started with a grain of truth. A marketer, somewhere out there, noticed their ad was no longer getting views, clicks, or impressions, and they thought, “Well, I guess it just died.”

Or not.

Seriously, I don’t know how the legend started, but plenty of book advertisers still believe it.

Don’t get me wrong; I love a good yarn. I’ve been known to regale friends with tales of impossible SEO feats and legendary email campaigns. But when it comes to business, we need to separate the myths from the facts.

The truth is, your Amazon Ads are more resilient than you give them credit for. Amazon wants them to survive so you’ll spend money on clicks. Ads don’t kick the bucket. That’s not how it works. They don’t come with a built-in expiration date or a countdown clock, though you can schedule an end date to any campaign.

What really happens is more akin to a Broadway show with dwindling ticket sales. If nobody’s coming to see the performance, the theater won’t keep the lights on. The curtain call isn’t because the show has a secret death wish; it’s because there’s no audience.

Instead of mourning our ‘dead’ ads, we should be digging deeper to figure out why the audience – the potential readers – stopped showing up.

The Real Culprit: Low Click-Through Rate (CTR)

CTR is like a popularity contest in high school. It’s a measure of how many people saw your ad and thought, “Hmm, that’s interesting. Let me click on that and learn more.” You know, kind of like when everyone wanted to know more about the new student with a mysterious past and a black leather jacket.

Now you might be thinking, “Low CTR? That doesn’t sound so scary.” But here’s the thing: In the Amazon Ads game, low CTR is devastating. It’s more of a silent killer, pushing your ad into oblivion until nobody sees it anymore.

Low CTR tells Amazon that your ad isn’t appealing to its audience. Think of it as a lackluster audition on a talent show, where the judges aren’t impressed, and viewers are reaching for the remote. Amazon is all about customer experience. If your ad is more of a wallflower than a social butterfly, they’ll stop showing it.

From Amazon’s perspective, every ad space is a golden opportunity to engage a customer. Low CTR means what your selling isn’t relevant to your audience. Why should Amazon show your advertisement when the next author’s ad is drawing clicks and sales?

Your ads don’t “die”. They get voted off the island when they don’t resonate with the audience.

Strategies for Maintaining High CTR in Amazon Ads

A healthy CTR is like the fountain of youth for your ads. With the right strategies, you will keep your Amazon Ads robust, energetic, and immune to that dreaded “ad death.”

First up, the face of your ad – the creative. The most important part of the creative is your book’s cover. You want your cover to be eye-catching and compelling. This is the all-important first impression. Think about your cover image, title, and description. Do they tantalize and intrigue the viewer? If not, it might be time for a makeover.

Next comes targeting. This is all about knowing your audience, the folks who will be most interested in your book. You want to introduce your story to the right people. With Amazon Ads, you can target based on interests, keywords, categories, and ASINs. Refer back to our lessons on the importance of keyword and ASIN targeting.

By nailing the targeting and displaying a compelling book cover, you’ll turn impressions into clicks and maintain a healthy CTR.

Empowering Book Marketers Through Knowledge

Now you know the real reason Amazon advertisements die. Their life force – your advertisements’ visibility and reach – is tied to their popularity, as measured by CTR.

Knowledge is power. The more we understand about how Amazon Ads work, the better we can leverage them for our book marketing efforts. And when we’re armed with this understanding, we’re not just marketers; we’re strategists, ready to make informed decisions and navigate the ever-changing landscape of online advertising.

Every dark cloud has a silver lining. In this case, high CTR not only keeps your campaigns running, it also lowers your cost per click. This is because Amazon will give your ad the nod over someone with a higher bid but a low CTR.

So the next time some guru tells you that Amazon Advertisements die off for no reason, you’ll know better: The guru’s advice is as poor as their targeting.