What are the 3 Amazon PPC campaigns?

Are you looking to increase visibility and sales for your Amazon products? You need to understand the three types of Amazon PPC campaigns available to sellers. Amazon PPC is an exceptionally powerful tool, but with multiple campaign options to choose from, it can be overwhelming to know which campaign to use and when.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the three types of Amazon PPC campaigns to help you understand how each one works and which one is best suited for your business goals.

Understanding Amazon PPC

Amazon PPC is a powerful advertising tool that allows you to promote your products by placing ads in front of shoppers who are already searching for similar items. With PPC targeting, you can reach your target audience and increase your chances of converting them into paying customers.

When it comes to Amazon PPC, ad placement and bidding strategies are crucial to your success. Ad placement refers to where your ads will appear on Amazon’s search results page, while bidding strategies determine how much you’re willing to pay for each click on your ad.

The Three Types of Amazon PPC Campaigns

Amazon offers three main types of advertising campaigns, each serving different purposes in your marketing strategy:

1. Sponsored Products - Ads for individual products that show up in search results and on product detail pages
2. Sponsored Brands - Promote your brand and multiple products in one ad that appears at the top of search results
3. Sponsored Display - Target relevant audiences both on and off Amazon to boost brand awareness and drive sales

Sponsored Products

What are Sponsored Products?

Sponsored Products are the most common and straightforward type of Amazon PPC campaign. These ads promote individual products and appear within search results and on product detail pages, making them highly visible to potential customers.

Key Features:

• Flexible Targeting Options: Choose from keyword targeting, product targeting, or automatic targeting
• Strategic Ad Placement: Ads appear in highly visible locations within search results and product pages
• Cost-Effective: You only pay when someone clicks on your ad
• Easy Setup: Simple campaign creation process, perfect for beginners

When to Use Sponsored Products:

• Promoting individual products
• Driving immediate sales
• Testing new keywords and markets
• Building initial momentum for new products

Best Practices:

• Choose relevant and specific keywords that align with your product
• Monitor your bids regularly and adjust based on performance
• Use Amazon’s keyword research tools to find high-traffic keywords
• Track performance metrics to identify areas for improvement

Sponsored Brands

What are Sponsored Brands?

Sponsored Brands campaigns allow you to showcase your brand logo, a custom headline, and multiple products in a single ad unit. These ads appear at the top of search results, providing maximum visibility for your brand.

Key Features:

• Brand Visibility: Prominently display your brand logo and custom headline
• Multiple Product Showcase: Feature up to three products in one ad
• Top Placement: Ads appear at the top of search results pages
• Brand Store Integration: Drive traffic to your Amazon Brand Store

When to Use Sponsored Brands:

• Building brand awareness and recognition
• Promoting multiple related products
• Driving traffic to your Brand Store
• Establishing market presence in competitive categories

Requirements:

• Must be enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry
• Professional selling account required
• Minimum brand requirements must be met

Best Practices:

• Create compelling headlines that highlight your unique value proposition
• Use high-quality images that represent your brand consistently
• Target relevant keywords that align with your brand and products
• Test different ad formats to find what works best for your audience

Sponsored Display

What are Sponsored Display?

Sponsored Display campaigns help you reach shoppers both on and off Amazon using advanced targeting options. These ads can appear on product detail pages, customer review pages, and even external websites.

Key Features:

• Advanced Targeting: Target based on interests, behaviours, and product categories
• Multiple Ad Formats: Choose from display ads, video ads, and custom creatives
• Broad Reach: Advertise both on Amazon and external websites
• Re-marketing Capabilities: Re-engage customers who have viewed your products

Targeting Options:

1. Product Targeting: Show ads on specific product detail pages
2. Interest Targeting: Reach customers based on their shopping interests
3. Views Re-marketing: Target customers who have viewed your products

When to Use Sponsored Display:

• Expanding reach beyond Amazon search results
• Re-marketing to previous visitors
• Building brand awareness among broader audiences
• Targeting customers browsing competitor products

Best Practices:

• Use eye-catching visuals that stand out
• Target specific audiences most likely to be interested in your products
• Monitor performance metrics and adjust targeting as needed
• Test different ad formats to optimize performance

Campaign Structure and Strategy

Automatic vs Manual Campaigns

Automatic Campaigns:

• Amazon’s algorithm targets relevant keywords automatically
• Good starting point for new sellers
• Helps discover new keyword opportunities
• Less control over targeting

Manual Campaigns:

• You choose specific keywords and products to target
• More control over advertising strategy
• Requires more experience and knowledge
• Can be more cost-effective with proper management

Combining Campaign Types

For maximum effectiveness, consider using all three campaign types together:

1. Start with Sponsored Products to drive immediate sales and gather data
2. Add Sponsored Brands to build brand awareness and showcase multiple products
3. Implement Sponsored Display to expand reach and re-engage potential customers

Budget Allocation Strategy

• Sponsored Products: 60-70% of budget (highest conversion rates)
• Sponsored Brands: 20-30% of budget (brand building)
• Sponsored Display: 10-20% of budget (reach and re-marketing)

Optimization Tips

Performance Monitoring

• Track key metrics: ACoS, CTR, conversion rate, and RoAS
• Review campaign performance weekly
• Adjust bids based on keyword performance
• Use negative keywords to exclude irrelevant searches

Keyword Strategy

• Start with automatic campaigns to discover high-performing keywords
• Move successful keywords to manual campaigns for better control
• Use a mix of broad, phrase, and exact match types
• Regularly harvest new keywords from search term reports

Budget Management

• Set realistic daily budgets based on your goals
• Monitor spend throughout the day to avoid budget depletion
• Allocate more budget to high-performing campaigns
• Adjust bids based on time of day and day of week performance

Conclusion

Understanding and effectively utilizing all three Amazon PPC campaign types is crucial for maximizing your advertising success on the platform. Each campaign type serves a specific purpose:

• Sponsored Products drive immediate sales and product visibility
• Sponsored Brands build brand awareness and showcase your product portfolio
• Sponsored Display expands your reach and enables sophisticated targeting

By strategically combining these campaign types and following best practices for setup and optimisation, you can create a comprehensive advertising strategy that drives both immediate sales and long-term brand growth on Amazon.

Start with Sponsored Products to build a foundation, then gradually incorporate Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display as your advertising sophistication and budget allow. Remember to continuously monitor performance, test new strategies, and optimize based on data to achieve the best possible results from your Amazon PPC campaigns.