Smarter Book Promotion on Amazon with Seasonal Ads

by | Aug 24, 2021 | Amazon Updates & Marketing Tips, Book Marketing Basics

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It’s no secret that I love Amazon ads, but when it comes to book promotion on Amazon, there’s nothing better than seasonal promotion–and seasonal ads.

When marketing professionals talk about seasonal promotion, our minds immediately go to the busy holiday season, and while that’s a very good goal, there are a lot of other seasonal options to consider. But first, let’s get creative with your “seasonal” marketing.

As I said earlier, seasonal book marketing doesn’t have to be holiday-specific. Think: “back to school” or the change in seasons: Hello Autumn! There’s also Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day. You get the idea!

So, your first step is to determine which season (or seasons!) you’re going to align your book with. Next, figure out different ways you can support this pivot. Meaning, will you tie into any local promotion or a national push? Sure, we’re talking about ads here–but it’s never a bad idea to anchor a few strategies into your promotion.

But regardless of whatever else you do, if you’re going to do seasonal Amazon ads, try and update your Amazon book page copy, too. Even changing something small like an intro sentence mentioning the season, holiday, or other tie-in (think movie, historic anniversary, etc.) is worthwhile!

Advertising Dates, Planning for Them Ahead of Time, and Your Budget

First and foremost for book promotion on Amazon, map out your dates and map them out far ahead of time. For example, if you’re targeting the 20th anniversary of 9/11, you should already be running your tie-in ads as you’re reading this. Start your ads early enough so they have time to get traction–meaning it can take Amazon between five and seven days to “see” your ads and start showing them.

So give yourself enough of a window to get your ads created and started. But, also the bigger the holiday (think Christmas,) the sooner your ads should start running, too. Many Christmas-target ads start the day after Thanksgiving on Black Friday, but why not start your ads sooner?

Next, be sure to go with a robust budget; especially if you’re targeting a really big holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas. The bigger the holiday, the bigger the budget. But it doesn’t mean you have to go crazy. You can start with $20 a day (and you won’t hit that every single day) and see where that budget takes you.

What Your Seasonal Ads Should Say for Effective Book Promotion on Amazon

Next is your ad copy and believe me when I say this: be obvious. Mention the seasonal tie-in, find a creative way to tether your ad to whatever holiday, season, or event you’re targeting. There may be copyright limits on using movie titles in your ad–if, let’s say, you’re targeting the next Star Wars release or the upcoming Top Gun 2 movie, but terms like Memorial Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas, etc. are all useable terms.

As I said, be obvious with your ad copy, and if you’ve got the budget, maybe play around with a few different versions of your ads to see what sticks. Most importantly, however, be sure to highlight your book’s connection to the season, anniversary, or holiday.

How to Market a Kindle Book

Explore ideas and Get Creative with Your Seasonal Amazon Ads

So who says that your Amazon ads can only target other books? Let’s say you have a Halloween craft book; what if you advertised your book alongside craft products you mention or recommend using in your book?

Getting creative with products (while still using book titles and keywords) is a great way to gain more exposure for your ads and stretch your budget even further–because non-book product is often less expensive to align with.

Let me give you another example. We worked on an 80’s theme book, full of quizzes, games, and trivia. I positioned the book with 80’s themed party favors, costumes, and even music with great results. So, whenever you can, don’t limit yourself to just books in terms of product selection.

A final note: Consider How Long to Run Your Seasonal Amazon Ads

Be clear about your ad start dates and, whenever you can, plan ahead. Start ads on a particular date as you want to align with a holiday. And if you’re thinking of three or four things you can anchor your book to, why not plan these ads ahead with start dates aligned to those seasonal dates, giving your ad a window of five to seven days to start showing.

But should you do an end date on ads? We know that Amazon lets you set a start and end date, but I don’t recommend you do this. Why? Because if your ads are going well, you may not want to end them!

You’re not limited to how many seasonal ads you can run–not at all. In fact, since Amazon ads aren’t a “set-it and forget-it” strategy, doing these types of seasonal ads can be a really lucrative way to focus your ad budget.

Seasonal book promotion on Amazon works well for specific days and holidays throughout the year, and may prove to be an easier way for you to manage your ads ongoing rather than the typical broader 24/7-365 approach.

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Exciting Updates for How to Sell Self Published Books with Amazon Ads

The 5 Strategies for Good Amazon Book Promotion (Infographic)

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2 Comments

  1. Shirley Bear Fedorak

    Thanks for this info. I’m about to start my first Amazon ad for the first book in my series, Rainbow Warriors. Really nervous.

    Reply
    • Penny Sansevieri

      Hi, Shirley-I can certainly understand you’re apprehension. It’s always nerve-wracking to do something important for the first time. Please feel free to reach out; our book marketing strategies can make sure you’re on the right track!

      Reply

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