Amazon is transforming ecommerce and we’re seeing more agencies offer Amazon marketing services designed to help retailers succeed in the marketplace, whether this is paid advertising, content optimisation, brand store management or more.
It pays to think carefully about why it is you need an agency, and find the one that best solves that problem for you. For you, it may be a lack of internal resources to manage selling in multiple countries, or it could be a requirement for specialist advertising skills.
Whatever your needs might be, here are some things to look for when you’re searching for an Amazon agency.
#1 – Asking Questions
Prior to delivering a proposal, a good Amazon agency will take the time to thoroughly understand what your current challenges are and what you want to achieve. They should also ask about the wider business, not just about Amazon, in order to understand where their work would fit into the big picture, and what support you require.
#2 – Realistic Expectations
The world of digital marketing is competitive, and unfortunately many agencies resort to simply telling prospects what they want to hear in order to win their business.
If, after receiving your brief, an agency tells you that what you want is not achievable, or may take much longer than you expected, this is actually a sign they are sound practitioners. They should however be able to give you an idea of what is achievable and timeframes for different performance milestones.
#3 – Strong Case Studies
An experienced agency should be able to provide you with case studies demonstrating the quality of their work. They may not divulge all the details to protect the privacy of the clients, but they should clearly show how their methodology drives success and what results were achieved.
Look for case studies where the client is in your vertical or has a similar challenge that you have.
#4 – Sponsored Ads Certification
While being certified in Amazon Advertising Sponsored Ads isn’t a guarantee of excellence, it demonstrates two key aspects of an agency. One, they know enough about Amazon Advertising to know that there is a certification for Sponsored Ads. Two, they are sufficiently invested in the platform to take the time to achieve the certification and display it on their site, in proposals and on marketing collateral.
#5 – Amazon Expert Team
This may seem like a no-brainer, but with the rise of Amazon Advertising (Amazon’s PPC advertising platform) many Google Ads focused agencies are offering to run campaigns on Amazon as well and just applying the same strategies as they would on Google.
Amazon is a very different platform to Google, and whilst they may not be an Amazon exclusive agency, they have specific Amazon experts on their team dedicated to the service.
If you see generic titles like “Paid Search Manager” there’s a strong chance they aren’t specialists and may have a very limited understanding of the Amazon marketplace. Look for ‘Amazon Strategists’ or similar titles.
#6 – Thought Leadership
A good agency will be producing informative content about the Amazon marketplace to demonstrate their expertise and help others learn from their insights, whether as articles, videos, podcasts or live talks. While doing this alone doesn’t mean they’re experts, it raises questions if an ‘expert’ agency never attempts to showcase their knowledge.
#7 – Flexible Contracts
If an agency wants to lock you in for six months to a year, it’s a potential warning sign. A good agency will be happy to rely on the quality of their work to keep your business from month to month.
The Right Amazon Agency
Amazon marketing services are fairly new and many agencies are adopting new services with new offerings for retailers. However, it’s important to look at which of these agencies are truly committed to the platform or not and meet the above criteria.
If you’re interested in speaking to us about your Amazon strategy, get in touch with our expert team.