At the bottom of this article I share a number of super secret Ninja ways to sell more of your products…
But, before I get to those Ninja Secrets, we MUST talk about Amazon Prime day!
Amazon Prime Day recently ended… and let me tell you, 2020 was one for the record books.
Initial figures are in… $10 BILLION in sales over a 24 hour period.
The statistics are stunning.
But, Prime Day isn’t the only reason small businesses are selling on Amazon.
Consider this: According to DigitalCommerce360.com, 71% of holiday shoppers plan to start shopping on or BEFORE Thanksgiving.
Add to that, this little stunning fact… 48% of shoppers will buy 50% or more of their gifts from Amazon!
Wow… Wow… Wow…
Many businesses are starting to Piggy-back on Amazon events.
Consider this… 50% of the TOP online web stores are offering their own Prime Day specials to compete with Amazon. (From DigitalCommerce360.com)
Yep, Walmart, Target, and hundreds of other companies started their own deals and discounts… selling goods over the same 48 hour period.
Clearly, Amazon is THE GIANT in the field of online sales…
No doubt, this is why many small businesses have made the decision to sell their products on the Amazon Marketplace.
But, every opportunity has its own set of problems…
The Problem With Selling On Amazon
Everyone is on Amazon… as a result, the competition on Amazon can be downright cut-throat.
Consider these facts (From marketplacepulse.com):
- Amazon has over 9 MILLION sellers in the marketplace
- Yet, less than 10% sell more than $100,000 a year…
- AND, less than 1% sell more than $1,000,000 a year.
To make matters worse, Amazon is the Darth Vader of internet sales.
Here’s the issue… not only is there massive competition on Amazon… but Amazon controls the entire platform, customer, and sales cycle.
Don’t believe me?
Check out this link I found with Amazon’s “Sellers Policy”.
Bullet point number 6 – “Not contact customers except through Buyer-Seller Messaging”
That means if you sell a customer something… you are not allowed to contact them directly. You can’t reach out, without Amazon supervision.
You can’t offer them assistance. You can’t offer them Help. You can’t upsell other products, or product extensions. You can’t send them any marketing material what-so-ever.
Even better – this Amazon Prime day, many businesses mentioned that their advertising costs were going sky high.
They aren’t talking about Google or Facebook advertising… but the Amazon advertising platform.
Want to get better exposure for your products on Amazon… well then, PAY Amazon.
Feel like you’re stuck on the Death Star yet?
There are a ton of other problems with Amazon… things like warehousing, fulfillment costs, inventory management…
I could share horror stories… like the time Amazon destroyed $50,000 worth of inventory from a small business, without warning.
Or how Amazon is launching their own branded products, to compete directly with other Marketplace businesses.
But before you get too discouraged, there are ways to carve out a slice of the pie for your business… IF you’re smart about marketing.
How To Sell On Amazon Successfully.
How do you beat the Darth Vader of online sales?
How do you separate your small business from the giant that is Amazon?
This is what many sales pros will suggest:
- Be different
- Curate your offerings
- Focus on value
- Provide amazing service
- Above all else, create an experience
Now, these are all great ideas. Setting your business apart from others is a great thing to do… and it will help you compete with Amazon.
But in all honesty, you should be doing those things already.
What I want to do is give you concrete examples of how to use some Ninja Marketing ideas to sell more!
Ninja Marketing Secrets To Sell More On Amazon.
Ok, here we go.
First a note: I’m hiding the business info in these examples. Why? Because I believe Amazon may try to intimidate, harm, ban, or otherwise ruin the small businesses using these techniques.
So, if you’re going to use these marketing techniques, you use them at your own risk.
Here we go…
This first idea isn’t mine. I saw someone else doing it, but, it’s genius.
Ninja secret #1 – get your customer to contact you.
Since you’re not “allowed” to contact your customer… get them to contact you.
One retailer I saw includes a slip of paper with every product you buy.
All it says is:
WANT TO SEE A SET-UP VIDEO?
Text the word “NEW” to xxx-xxx-xxxx
We’ll send you a how-to video and send you other important product messages and special offers… even discounts.
When you texted the number, you immediately got a link to a YouTube video. The video showed you exactly, step-by-step, how to set up the product.
Great idea right?
The next message you got… was an offer for a FREE extended warranty. All you had to do was fill out an online form. The link took you to their warranty registration page where they captured even more customer data.
Crazy good right?
Better still, I’m almost sure the company sent this same signup slip to all customers… even those who bought from different channels, or directly from their site. Why not, right!?!
What could make it better?
I think they should put their texting number right on the side of the box!
Ninja secret #2 – Send your customers something free…
Building on Idea number 1, I’m not sure why more businesses don’t offer more free stuff to their customers.
Here’s an idea…
Offer your Amazon customers a free “travel size” product for registering for your list.
I can see it now. You open a box of your favorite makeup. A little note on a string says this:
Text “TRAVEL” to xxx-xxx-xxxx
To Get a Free Travel Size Sample
We’ll send a free product sample, links to make-up tips, and even coupons for special offers!
Who wouldn’t sign-up for that?
You of course could ask people to email you, or go really old school and ask people to physically mail you their contact information… but that’s not as easy as texting.
What could make it better?
Make this offer to all of your customers… not just the ones on Amazon.
Ninja secret #3 – Announce new products and updates…
Once you have someone’s phone number and permission to text them… don’t miss out on an opportunity to communicate.
If your product regularly goes “out of stock” use your text messages to let people know when you’re re-supplied!
Launching a new product?
Let customers know there’s something new. One business I saw was texting a link right to their Amazon store!
This was their text message:
Just released! Our new “PRODUCT NAME REMOVED TO PROTECT THE BUSINESS” is now available on AMAZON.
Click this link to order today: Link here
That’s it.
It wasn’t complicated. It wasn’t overly wordy. The message was focused, and I’m sure they got lots of orders at their amazon store.
What could make it better?
I’d include email and other direct marketing efforts along with the text message. It will help overall exposure and results.
Another thing… you can direct these orders back to your own online shopify or bigcommerce store to capture the sale and the higher margins.
Now this brings me to the final marketing secret…
Ninja secret #4 – Use texting for reviews…
I’m not aware of a way to send users to Amazon for reviews. A few years ago, Amazon put the review system in a choke-hold.
So, if you know how to text people for Amazon reviews, please let me know…
But Amazon isn’t the website to leave reviews.
I’ve seen people text out links asking for reviews. The link directed people back to their own site, and even to third party sites too.
Amazon won’t allow you to offer a “Gift” or “Incentive” for leaving a good review… but other review sites don’t have those limitations.
I know one business who offered a free gift to people who emailed them with a screen shot of a positive product review. I like this idea, but don’t abuse it… fake reviews don’t help anyone.
Remember, use your knowledge for good, not evil.
Why Texting Is So Powerful
Many business owners want to know why texting is so powerful… and why it’s so easy to sell stuff on Amazon with a text message.
The answer is simple…
FIRST, The average smartphone user looks at their phone an average of 150 times a day!
Second, As a result, almost 90% of text messages are read within 10 minutes of being received.
Third, Email and phone calls, and direct mail FAIL miserably at results.
Fourth, Texting is cost effective. Sending an SMS message is only a penny!
Fifth, Text messages are short and sweet, so you don’t spend hours crafting a message!
I could go on and on… but we’re out of time for today.
