New Targeting Options Are Available on Amazon Sponsored Brands: A Complete Guide
Amazon Sponsored Brands offers advertising opportunities for brands to promote and market their products on Amazon. In September 2022, Amazon announced some exciting new targeting features within Sponsored Brands to help advertisers reach more relevant customers.
This guide will provide an in-depth look at the new targeting options for Sponsored Brands and how brands can leverage them. I’ll explain how each feature works and give examples of when they may be useful. I’ll also include examples, frequently asked questions, and key takeaways to help you get the most out of Amazon’s advertising program.
The New Targeting Features
Amazon has added three new targeting filters within Sponsored Brands:
Interest Targeting
With interest targeting, advertisers can choose specific interests or topics that customers have indicated they are interested in on their Amazon profiles. For example, a children’s toy brand may target customers interested in “Toys & Games” or “Childhood & Education.” Targeting interests allows you to reach customers already interested in your product category.
Keyword Targeting
Keyword targeting allows advertisers to bid on specific keywords and phrases related to their products. For example, a clothing brand may target keywords like “men’s shirts” or “casual button downs.” This can help surface your ads for customers actively searching for products you offer.
Category Exclusion
With category exclusion, advertisers have more control over where their ads do not show up. For example, a toy brand may want to exclude the “Home & Kitchen” category to avoid showing ads to customers not in their target audience. This focusing feature helps improve relevance for customers.
How to Use the New Targeting Options
To set up interest, keyword, or category exclusions for your Sponsored Brands campaign:
- Sign in to your Amazon Seller Central account and go to “Advertising” > “Sponsored Brands.”
- Select an existing campaign or create a new one.
- Under “Audience,” click “Edit” next to “Targeting Filters.”
- Toggle on the filters you want to use like Interests, Keywords, or Category Exclusions.
- Enter the specific interests, keywords, or categories and save your changes.
Amazon will then only show your ads to customers that match your defined targeting criteria, helping improve campaign performance. It’s a good idea to experiment with different combinations of filters.
When Are These Targeting Options Useful?
Some examples of when the new targeting options may provide value include:
- Niche products – Interest and keyword targeting allow niche brands to precisely reach customers already interested in their specific product type.
- Seasonal products – Category exclusions prevent ads for seasonal items like costumes or holiday gifts from showing during off-seasons when customers aren’t looking.
- Testing new audiences – Advertisers can try new interests or keywords on a small budget to test engaging new types of customers before expanding a campaign.
- Refinement – Analyzing performance can reveal ways to refine targeting, like excluding low-converting interests or categories to improve ROI.
With experimentation, these filters provide more knobs to turn to optimize campaigns for maximum effectiveness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions people have about the new Amazon Sponsored Brands targeting options:
Q: How many filters can I use at once?
A: There is no predefined limit, but using too many filters at once could overly narrow your potential reach and budget. Start with 1-3 key filters and test from there.
Q: Do I have to use all the new filters?
A: No, you can choose to implement interest targeting without also using keywords or exclusions if those don’t apply. Experiment to see which combinations work best for your campaigns.
Q: How often can I change my filters?
A: You have full control to modify your targeting filters as often as needed. Most advertisers adjust filters about once per month or if noticing shifts in performance.
Q: What volume of data is needed for the filters?
A: Amazon recommends having at least a couple hundred customers in your target audiences for the filters to work effectively. Newer campaigns may need to gather more data first before optimally using interest or keyword targeting.
Q: Can I target multiple interests at once?
A: Yes, when setting interest filters you can select multiple relevant interests to cast a wider net for your ads without needing separate campaigns for each one.
Key Takeaways
To summarize, the key things to remember about Amazon Sponsored Brands’ new targeting options include:
- Interest, keyword, and category targeting allow precision to reach your most relevant potential customers
- Start with 1-3 focused filters and test different combinations to optimize over time
- Use exclusions to avoid irrelevant audiences that could lower performance
- Niche products greatly benefit from precise interest and keyword targeting
- Analyze results regularly to refine filters based on what’s working best
With some experimentation, these new targeting tools provide valuable ways for brands to engage customers already interested in their products on Amazon. Leveraging these filters strategically can help improve ROI and campaign success.
Additional Resources
For more in-depth guidance on setting up and optimizing Amazon Sponsored Brands campaigns, check out:
- The Definitive Guide to Amazon Advertising (BigCommerce) – A comprehensive overview of both Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands advertising.
- Keyword Research for Amazon (WordStream) – Best practices and tools for finding high-converting keywords to target within Sponsored Brands campaigns.
- 10 Amazon Ad Strategies to Drive Sales (Shopify) – Actionable tips for crafting effective campaigns, including segmentation strategies similar to the new targeting filters.
I hope this in-depth look provided valuable insights into leveraging Amazon’s new Sponsored Brands targeting options to engage your most relevant customers. Let me know if you have any other questions!