Branding: Use A+ Content to Build Your Brand on Amazon

Amazon.com, Inc. ("Amazon") announced to their vendors at the beginning of 2018 that all basic level A+ content, also known as enhanced media content, would be free. This is a wonderful thing. It appears that Amazon recognizes the value of this content not only for driving sales within their platform, but also for drawing traffic from Google and other external sources. If you haven’t made use of A+ content for your product listings yet, it’s worth diving into.

During the recent Amazon vendor training sessions I've attended, I've heared that product pages with A+ content see on average an 11% lift in their first 90 days. A continued lift of 6% remains active for the subsequent year. Considering that every dollar counts, these percentages are difficult to ignore.

Optimized Content is King

If you’ve spent time in any sort of web-based business, you know content is top priority, with user experience in a close second place. More so, search engine optimized content is supreme. As I noted above, A+ content can help draw traffic from search engines outside of Amazon’s domain. This is crucial in how you compose your A+ content – you want the most basic web browser capable of reading every single word you place on the page. It must make logical sense to the consumer searching for your type of product when he or she reads it.

Succinct, easy-to-read descriptions and "romance copy" are key. Sell the lifestyle, features, functions and everything contained within the product. Do this in as few words as necessary without superfluous embellishments and flourishes. Instead, provide a holistic picture by talking straight to the consumer. Give consumers every reason in the world to trust what you are saying.

Images Matter, Too

Images should complement the text and sell the product. Use beauty and lifestyle photography of the product that is clear, strong and eye-catching, but also shows how the product is used. Appeal to the consumer’s senses and emotions. Educate your prospective customer by including diagrams of functionality and features when it makes sense.

Tag Your Images Well

In Amazon’s A+ content builder tool, you have the ability to add alternate text tags to images – always use this feature. Because search engines cannot read words embedded in images, or discern the subject matter that is depicted, these alt tags enable you tell the searching consumer and the search engine what is contained in the image. Without them, these images are just as useful as a blank sheet of paper during the search process.

Use your brand’s naming conventions in every alt tag. Don’t just state, “woman holding coffee cup”; list the names of the brand and collection of the coffee cup, its defining feature, and its SKU, such as, “Brand X Morning Collection 16oz Coffee Mug XBC789.” This enables a consumer to find this image and its detail page when he or she searches for the brand, the type of mug, or the specific SKU. Other more reader-friendly versions of this text should appear as the caption or accompanying text in the A+ content area.

Recommended Framework

Combining my own hands-on experience with what I have learned from the experts at Amazon, there is a basic, logical framework A+ content should follow to educate consumers and drive sales.

1. Header row – branded image or introductory content speaking to the collection or product family.
2. Body content rows (1-3) – your enhanced content that elaborates on product details, lifestyle, features, and functions. This can include comparison charts and should always include imagery.
3. Brand story or boilerplate row – use this footer module as an opportunity to close out the product page’s content by telling consumers about your brand. Keep it simple, useful, and memorable.

Use a consistent format for your A+ content across all of your product pages. Treat it as part of your overall corporate or product branding. After all, it’s no different than the printed packaging and the advertisements used to promote your products. Always provide a familiar experience that is recognizable to your brand.

Get to Work

Considering A+ content is now free, you have no excuse not to use it to build your brand while driving informed sales. Take advantage of this great feature!