Getting to Know the Expanded Targeting Options for Amazon Sponsored Brands

Amazon has continually enhanced its Sponsored Brands advertising programme to help brands better reach interested customers. In this in-depth guide, we’ll explore Amazon’s recent additions of broad match modifiers, variation matches, negative keywords, and search term reports.

By understanding how to leverage these expanded targeting tools, you can optimise your campaigns to drive more qualified traffic to your product listings. Let’s dive into the details.

Broad Match Modifiers for Increased Control

Previously, with broad match campaigns, Amazon treated all targeted keywords equally. But now you can add modifiers to adjust relevance. For example, a campaign targeting “+men hats” ensures the term “men” always appears in results.

This gives you more control over where your ads appear. A search for “wool hat” may not include “men,” so the modifier prevents that irrelevant impression. Modifiers are a subtle but powerful way to focus.

“Broad match modifiers represent a big step forward for Amazon advertisers. They provide the scalability of broad matches while allowing brands to maintain more control over relevancy and scope.”

Variation Matches for Expanded Opportunities

Variation matches take broad matching a step further by encompassing synonyms, plurals, and related terms. For example, targeting “heels” may also show for “sandals.”

This can increase potential conversions but requires diligence to avoid wasted expenditures. Pairing variation matches with negative keywords gives needed control over where ads appear.

The key benefit is that advertisers spend less time brainstorming minutiae and more time analysing results to continuously optimise. As with any new feature, it’s best initially using this setting selectively as you monitor impact.

Prevent Unwanted Displays with Negative Keywords

Negative keywords allow you to exclude terms that you don’t want triggering your ads. For example, if marketing men’s suits, adding “women’s” as a negative prevents irrelevant searches.

Previously only available for manual campaigns, negatives can now be applied to auto-targeted campaigns as well. This is a major step, as auto campaigns manage billions of queries annually for Amazon brands.

Using negatives thoughtfully ensures budgets aren’t spent on the wrong customers while still achieving necessary scale. They represent a best practice all serious Amazon sellers should employ.

Search-Term Reports Offer Insights

One of the most requested features, search term reports, provide transparency into campaign performance. You see the actual search phrases generating impressions and clicks, along with metrics like click-through rate and cost-per-click.

This level of detection was previously impossible on Amazon, forcing decisions based on limited data. Reports empower fine-tuning by identifying under-performing queries to exclude or define new campaigns from top searches.

When optimising, it’s important to examine not just final conversions but also the earlier consideration stages that search terms represent. Reports are invaluable for this task.

Key Takeaways

• Utilise broad match modifiers to focus relevancy while maintaining scale
• Experiment with variation matches but pair with negatives for needed control
• Exclude unrelated searches from wasting budgets using negative keywords
• Leverage search term reports for actionable optimisations at all stages of the funnel

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I add modifiers or negatives?
A: Log into the Sponsored Brands dashboard and modify your campaign settings under “Targets” or “Negative Keywords.”

Q: Can modifiers be used with auto-targeted campaigns?
A: Yes, modifiers can be utilised with both manual and auto-targeted campaigns for expanded flexibility.

Q: How often are search-term reports updated?
A: Search term reports are refreshed on a monthly basis, containing data for the previous calendar month.

Q: Can search volume data be obtained?
Unfortunately, search volume figures themselves are not viewable, but reports note click and impression counts, which provide useful comparative insights.

Q: What is the best structure for negative keywords?
A: It’s generally best to start with broader exclusionary terms and progressively refine as needed versus overly specific keywords, which may over-filter results.

Q: How many negatives can be added?
No explicit limit exists, but it’s best practice to maintain a focused list of the top 50–100 most relevant negative keywords to avoid potential issues.

Q: Can Auto-Targeting handle complex match types?
While auto-targeting can still leverage expanded features, complex match types or large keyword lists are best managed through manual targeting for increased control.

External Resources

These articles provide additional context:

• How to Use Negative Keywords for Amazon PPC: WordStream’s guide to negatives best practices.
• Amazon Search Term Reports: The Complete Guide is a BigCommerce overview of report functionality and optimisation strategies.
• 10 Amazon Advertising Best Practices: Scentbird shares proven tactics like bid adjustments and campaign structuring to maximise performance.

I hope you found this in-depth overview of Amazon’s expanded targeting options helpful! Let me know if you have any other questions.