🤦‍♂️ The Deal That Never Happened

What you’ll find in this week’s newsletter:

• 🤦‍♂️ The Deal That Never Happened [True Story]

• 🚨Stop Wasting Time! Upload 15 Videos at Once [How To]

• 🗞️ Latest Amazon News and Updates

• 💰 E-Commerce Spending Hits Thanksgiving Record

• 🔥 Amazon’s Silent Killer of Organic Sales

• 🤖 3 Expert Tips to Optimize Your Amazon PPC Campaigns

😱 The Deal That Never Happened [True Story] 

This story goes back to my buddy Nathan and our days selling art door to door.

If you want to refresh yourself, here’s the story → here

One of the things we noticed while visiting people’s houses—and even hanging around in English pubs—was the kind of artwork people had on their walls.

Nathan was from England, so we often ended up in pubs, and I couldn’t help but notice the old English prints hanging on the walls.

These prints featured castles, hunting scenes, and that classic English aesthetic.

I thought it was really cool, and Nathan and I started talking about it.

We were already making a living selling what we called “starving art” door to door.

It wasn’t high quality, but it sold.

Then we thought, what if we offered something better?

We figured we could find and sell old English-style prints—art featuring castles and countryside themes.

It was in style at the time, and whenever we went into people’s homes, we’d often see décor that would pair perfectly with this kind of art.

It seemed like the perfect opportunity.

So, we put two and two together and started researching how to source this type of art.

We were excited about the idea and ready to get started.

But then, as I mentioned in our past story (the one I linked above), Nathan went to the wrong house.

He didn’t have his immigration papers sorted, and, unfortunately, he got deported.

I’ll never forget the guy who reported him.

He was just doing his job, but that one moment changed everything.

Nathan was gone, and I never saw or heard from him again.

It was a shame—we got along really well, and our business was just about to take off.

Who would have thought our plans would end like that, just because he knocked on the wrong house.

Enjoy the rest of the newsletter.

— Norm

🗞️ AMAZON NEWS & UPDATES 🗞️

Why Settle For Less When You Can Do More? Level Up Your Uploads 🚀

This breakdown is provided by AMZ RANK

Who has time to upload videos one at a time?

Now you can upload up to 15 videos simultaneously and keep your content flowing effortlessly. 

💡 Take the hassle out of content creation by uploading up to 15 videos in one go. Because more content equals more engagement!

Let’s dive in! 🚀

Make sure to follow these  steps to maximize visibility and ensure your video reaches the right audience. 

1. Keywords: Use relevant and branded keywords in the title to improve search visibility and help Rufus recommend your product effectively. 

2. Video Type: Select the most relevant category or choose "Other" to help train the algorithm and expand future video type options. 

3. ASINs: Brand and Non-Brand:

• Brand ASINs: Add up to 300 ASINs from your brand to display the video under all associated products. 

• Non-brand ASINs: Add one competitor ASIN to have your video appear under their product listing. 

…🤓 Ensure the ASINs are correct for both brand and non-brand products to maintain accurate product listings.

🔥 BONUS!

Here’s a Step-by-Step SOP… 

📝 To use the new bulk upload tool for videos in Seller Central, follow these steps below:

💻 Access the Upload Video Page HERE

• Log into your Seller Central account and then go to the Upload Video page. Then choose the video types as seen below. 

• Product Overview: General product introduction.

• Unboxing: Showcasing the unboxing process.

• How To: Usage instructions or demonstrations.

• Setup: Guidance on product setup.

• Troubleshooting: Solutions for common issues.

• Brand Story: Narrative about the brand.

• Other: For unspecified video types.

NOTE: If "Other" is selected, users must provide additional details with the following requirements: at least one word, a minimum of five characters, and no more than 300 characters. A prompt will request, "Please provide details," to ensure submission completeness..

📝 These guidelines ensure optimal display quality for video thumbnails.

• For best results, a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (16:9 aspect ratio) is suggested. This is a standard size for HD video thumbnails, ensuring a good visual quality.

NOTE: This can typically be found in the Advertising or Inventory section, depending on your Seller Central layout. 

See the thumbnail requirements below.

🎥 Upload Videos

• Drag and Drop Method: Drag up to 15 video files from your computer and drop them into the designated field on the page.

NOTE: Zip File Method: Alternatively, if you have the videos in a zip file, you can upload the zip file containing up to 15 videos. Ensure that the total size of the zip file does not exceed 2GB.

ASINs Header: In the bottom-right corner, below the selection options, there is a text box labeled "Enter product ASIN related to this video (300 maximum)," where users can input ASINs relevant to the video they are submitting.

💡There are two options for categorizing the ASINs:

• Brand: This option is for entering ASINs associated with recognized brands.

• Non-brand: This option is for ASINs that do not have a specific brand affiliation.

📝 Input Field for Brand Option

• The text box labeled "Enter product ASIN related to this video (300 maximum)" allows users to input relevant ASINs for the video they are submitting, with a maximum of 300 ASINs allowed in this field.

NOTE: Brand ASINs refer to products linked to a specific, well-known brand. 

To submit, choose the Brand option and enter the appropriate ASIN(s) for branded items like those from Apple or Nike.

📝 Input Field for Non-Brand Option

• There is a field labeled "Enter a product ASIN related to this video (1 maximum)," indicating that users should input a single ASIN relevant to the video they are submitting.

  

NOTE: Non-brand ASINs apply to generic or unbranded products. Select the Non-brand option and input the ASIN for items that don't have a brand, such as a basic phone case or a generic kitchen tool.

PS. Want fresh strategies for launches and ranking - subscribe to The Ranking Pill! https://azrank.beehiiv.com/subscribe

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE BEARD GUY?

Can you find Norm in the picture below? Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see the answer!

WHAT YOU MISSED LAST WEEK!

ARE AMAZON SPONSORED ADS CANNIBALIZING ORGANIC SALES?!

Here’s 10 Takeaways From This Episode:

1. Pause Sponsored Ads for High Organic Ranks:

   • If your product is consistently ranking in the top 1-3 organic spots, test pausing or reducing ad spend for that keyword. Monitor sales changes to ensure you're not overspending unnecessarily

2. Use Sponsored Brands Strategically for Low-Ranked Products:

   • Focus Sponsored Brands ads on products with lower organic ranks to gain visibility and drive traffic to your listings. These ads are particularly effective for improving BSR (Best Seller Rank) and boosting category visibility​

3. Implement Dayparting:

   • Turn off ads during periods of low activity (e.g., midnight to 4 a.m.) to reduce waste. Use saved budget to increase bids during peak hours when conversions are higher​

4. Invest in Quality Video Content for Ads:

   • Create short, attention-grabbing videos highlighting product benefits within the first 2 seconds. Ensure videos showcase real-world use cases to build trust and encourage clicks​

5. Analyze Keyword-Level Performance:

   • Use a keyword rank tracker to identify terms where you're already ranking high organically. Pull back ad spend on those terms and redirect budget to lower-performing keywords​

6. Optimize Ad Ratios for Profitability:

   • Regularly audit your PPC-to-total sales ratio. If ads are contributing more than 60% of your sales, refine campaigns to improve organic rankings and reduce PPC dependency​

7. Monitor Sponsored Brands Click-Through Rates:

   • Target a click-through rate (CTR) of over 1% for Sponsored Brands Video ads. If CTR is below this benchmark, revise the creative to make it more compelling or retarget a different audience

8. Balance Sponsored Product and Sponsored Brand Spend:

   • For products with steady organic growth, reduce Sponsored Brands budgets while maintaining Sponsored Products campaigns to sustain ranking gains​

9. Utilize Video for Premium Ad Placements:

   • Use videos in Sponsored Brands campaigns to occupy premium ad slots. These ads capture attention more effectively and prevent competitors from taking valuable real estate​

10. Regularly Audit Ad and Organic Contribution:

    • Analyze sales data monthly to identify patterns of cannibalization. Adjust your ad strategy to maintain a healthy balance between paid and organic sales​

      Watch the full episode here

 3 Expert Tips to Optimize Your Amazon PPC Campaigns

Amazon PPC success lies in the details, and small, strategic changes can make a big difference.

Here are 3 actionable tips to help you optimize your campaigns and increase profitability:

✅ Keyword Expansion

Identify keywords with under 100 impressions over the last 7 days and increase their bids by 20-30% to boost exposure. This simple adjustment can help unlock untapped opportunities for impressions and clicks.

✅ Negative Optimization

Spot keywords with at least 20 clicks but no sales over the last 30 days. Add these as negative exact matches in your campaigns to stop wasting ad spend on non-converting terms.

✅ Search Term Expansion

Review customer search terms that generated at least 2 orders in the last 7 days. Create a new campaign targeting these search terms, and separate the match types (broad, phrase, exact) into distinct ad groups for better control and performance.

Want to simplify these strategies?

Meet Kazam, the AI-powered PPC tool that takes the guesswork out of ad management.

Kazam automatically identifies actionable insights like these and optimizes your bids, keywords, and campaigns for maximum profitability. Plus, with its AI assistant, you can get performance reports and make instant changes, just like having your own PPC expert.

Sign up now and email [email protected] with “Lunch with Norm” to get a 14-day free trial!

 🚨Click here to learn more!🚨

5 TIPS YOU CAN START IMPLEMENT TODAY!

Here are 5 TIPS from this episode!

1. Offer Steep Discounts for Subscription: For consumable products, provide an enticing first-time discount of 50% on Subscribe & Save. This hooks customers into your ecosystem, driving repeat sales and maximizing their lifetime value.

2. Partner Directly with Your Manufacturer: Approach your supplier and negotiate a partnership that gives them equity in your brand. This ensures you get priority in production, better pricing, and exclusivity to formulations—keeping competitors at bay.

3. Create a Day-Specific Follow-Up Campaign: Schedule email follow-ups based on your product usage cycle. For example, if your product lasts 60 days, send an email on day 55 reminding customers to reorder, combined with a discount code to boost conversions.

4. Run Multi-Influencer Campaigns in Niche Communities: Instead of hiring a single big influencer, work with 10 smaller ones targeting the same audience (e.g., UFC fighters). This repetition across similar networks builds stronger consumer trust and drives conversions.

5. Use Free Resources to Spy on Competitor Marketing: Leverage tools like Milled.com to analyze email campaigns from top competitors in your industry. Adapt their strategies to your brand without copying, and build an email funnel that’s proven to convert.

🚨 Watch the full episode here

MARK DOWN THESE EVENTS! 

Amazing Days

Apr 28 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Starting at €99

Traffic & Conversions

Mar 11 - 13 - Las Vegas - Starting at $1295

MDS Inspire

Mar 24 - Las Vegas - $1495

Prosper Show

Mar 25 - 27 - Las Vegas - Starting $399

→ FULL CALENDAR ←

And that’s it, Beardos!

P.S. Make sure you don’t miss any updates by joining our community here.

See you next Monday!

- Norm

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