It is no secret that social media has become well integrated into every portion of our lives. We have channels for our personal lives, professional lives, and now we have another channel for our lives as consumers: Amazon Posts.
What are Amazon Posts?
Amazon Posts are a social-media style outlet that brings the type of content we are accustomed to seeing on social channels to the Amazon marketplace. Amazon launched the beta version of Amazon Posts in October 2019, and the feature is still in its beta trial. Brands can create posts that have an Instagram-style feel to them but are posted directly to the Amazon platform. This feature is available to U.S. brands enrolled in Brand Registry and their designated agents, such as a third-party seller or Amazon agency.
Where do Amazon Posts Appear?
Your Amazon Brand Store
For most product categories, Amazon Posts are available to view on the company’s Amazon Brand Store. This addition is located at the far right of the Brand Store menu. Here, shoppers can also choose to “Follow” the brand, staying up-to-date every time the brand shares a new Post.
Once you publish an Amazon Post, it appears on your brand’s “Posts” feed as well as four other locations, which is determined by the Amazon algorithm. The places that the posts can appear include:
Your product’s brand listing
Within your listing, Amazon Posts lie between “Customers who bought this item also bought” and “Customer Questions.” This location allows consumers who are interested in your listing to learn more about the specific product, other products in your lines, and your brand as a whole.
Competitor listings
Similar to the post placement on your product listing, your Amazon Post can land on related brand’s listings. This is a benefit to you, as your products are showcased against theirs, but it also works vice-versa, as competitor posts can land on your listings.
Related post feed
Your post can also land on the related post feed, which highlights various products related to your own. Products in this feed get placed on the specific page through a tagging process where the A9 Algorithm links similar products to each other. The related post feed can be found by clicking on the three dots in the upper right corner of the post then clicking on “See more like this.”
The Related Posts Feed benefits shoppers and brands, as shoppers can view various items they may be interested in while the brands enjoy increased exposure.
Category-based feed
The final place where your post can be featured is on the category-based feed. When you publish your post, Amazon places category tags at the bottom of the post that are custom to your product. The specific tag determines the category-based feed your post can end up on. This feed is like the Related Post feed, but it includes a broader array of products. To view this feed, click on one of the category tags at the bottom of a post. The link will then take you to the feed featuring products within the specified category.
How Amazon Posts Compare to Other Social Media Platforms
While Amazon Posts are similar in fashion to other social media platforms, they are also quite different. Most notably, on traditional sites, the main goal of the network is to create connections between users. This connection fuels engagement, which is one of the primary performance indicators that both brands and individuals measure when determining success.
Amazon Posts, rather than being used to drive engagement, are used to help with consumer conversions. Posts allow brands to showcase more of who they are and what their products are with the hope of increasing revenue.
If you’re curious about blending social media marketing and Amazon, check out our blog post about leveraging social media marketing to drive traffic to Amazon.
Why Brands Should Utilize Amazon Posts
Brands should take advantage of Amazon Posts for a variety of reasons, including:
Amazon Posts are a new way to market your products
Because Amazon Posts are a relatively new addition to the Amazon marketplace, they are a great way to stay competitive. Being an early adopter of this service can allow you to stand out among your competition. Also, because Amazon Posts is new and not yet competitive, it provides the opportunity for your posts to be more easily accessible to Amazon users. The market saturation is low, which means that you have a great chance of being highlighted.
Opportunity to cross-sell products
Because Amazon Posts can appear in numerous locations on Amazon, using Amazon Posts also helps you cross-sell your products. While this can also happen on other places within the listing, Amazon Posts is yet another advantageous space for you to highlight your various products.
Increased brand and product awareness
As Amazon Posts are displayed in a variety of places, they increase your likelihood to be discovered by new consumers. These new consumers may not have been looking for your products specifically, but they found them through Posts.
Amazon Posts Best Practices & Recommendations
Repurpose your social media content
Let’s be real; creating content can be time-consuming and difficult. We recommend taking posts that you have already shared on other platforms — e.g., Instagram, Facebook, Twitter — and repurposing them for Amazon Posts. Not only will this save you time and energy, but it will also ensure your brand is consistent across numerous social channels.
Keep your captions short & sweet
When your Amazon Post publishes, only the first two lines are shown by default. Because of this, it is extremely important to say what is necessary and do it quickly. This can be accomplished through short captions or by using the first two lines as a header, then going into greater detail later in the post. You do have 2,200 characters to work with, but brevity is a virtue.
Utilize lifestyle photos
Depending on the product, it may be hard to understand how it’s used. By highlighting various uses or showing the product being used in real life, you help consumers understand what they should expect. Lifestyle photos also allow consumers to place themselves within the context of the post. If the person in the photo seems to be enjoying the product, they’ll probably enjoy the product too.
Share your Story
Humanizing your company is a great way to market your products. Showing consumers your company values and mission while also highlighting stories can grant you the opportunity to connect with them on a deeper level. These deeper connections allow for stronger relationships and bonds, thus creating a more loyal customer base.
Get posting & do it often
As is with all social channels, consistency is key. Consistently utilizing Amazon Posts to share content with your audience allows your content to be found more easily. Because Amazon Posts is in its early stage and is not being widely utilized, there is even more of a reason to start posting.
Post quality content
When you do decide to start posting, only post high-quality content. Lower quality photos or captions can negatively reflect on the quality of your brand and products, which is the last thing you want to happen. If your post is the first way a consumer encounters your brand, you want to make a good first impression.
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