Mastering Video Ads: How to Advertise on Amazon

If you own an eCommerce business, chances are you've considered (or already have) a presence on Amazon to sell your products. But did you know that Amazon video ads can help you reach more potential customers and land more conversions? When you don’t include video ads in your Amazon marketing strategy, you're missing out on a powerful tool to engage with and convert shoppers—ultimately limiting your brand's visibility and competitiveness on the platform.

A fact you have to keep in mind is that shoppers primarily go to Amazon for convenience and to make final purchase decisions. Whether shoppers are browsing for everyday essentials, gifts, or the occasional splurge, they explore a wide range of options and brands before making a purchase. This buyer behavior makes incorporating video ads into your Amazon marketing strategy a smart move.

When you can show a shopper why your product stands out from the competition, it makes a bigger impact. Implementing video ads into your Amazon strategy can help nudge customers toward the decision stage of the buyer’s journey. In this blog post, we’ll discuss available ad placements on the platform, some best practices when creating Amazon video ads, and key tips so you can effectively learn how to advertise on Amazon and increase profitability for your brand.

• Available ad placements for Amazon video ads
• How to advertise on Amazon: Tips for effective video ads
• Best practices for placing Amazon video ads
• The Omnitail Difference
• Elevate your ads with our creative services company

Available Ad Placements for Amazon Video Ads

Before we talk tips on how to advertise on Amazon, we’ll discuss where you can place your targeted Amazon video ads, including on Amazon devices, Amazon affiliate sites, and third-party publishers.

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Pro Tip:

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While your brand’s Amazon video ads can appear in the placements listed below, the availability of ad placement for Amazon streaming ads can vary depending on your location or geographic area.

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On Amazon’s website and app: These ads, which shoppers see the most when browsing the platform, appear in search results, product detail pages, and other areas of Amazon's website. Video ads autoplay and are great for communicating a brand’s competitive edge, especially because shoppers are already browsing the platform to make a purchase decision. 

On Fire TV: Advertisers can reach viewers through video ads on Amazon's Fire TV platform. Placements include in-app and on the Fire TV home screen. When you catch viewers leisurely streaming content, this is a great opportunity to showcase your brand's offerings and influence purchase decisions.

On IMDb: The International Movie Database (IMDb) is an Amazon-owned platform that serves as an online hub of information related to films, television programs, and video games. IMDb offers placements for video advertising, including pre-roll and mid-roll on desktop and the mobile app. When engaging with IMDb, people are generally researching and comparing information, so attention-grabbing video ads that fit with this user behavior can be enticing enough to drive purchases. 

On Twitch: Twitch is an Amazon-owned streaming platform that caters to people watching (and engaging with) other people play video games. Twitch enables advertisers to reach its unique audience through video ads that can be played before, after, and during streams. Because Twitch ads can effectively showcase products or services, provide demos, and highlight real customer testimonials, placing ads on this platform helps consumers make informed purchase decisions. Ads for gaming products, technology, and lifestyle brands are often well-received on the platform.

But, Amazon isn’t the only place you can learn how to run video ads. Discover how to reach consumers through video ads on YouTube and Meta.

How to Advertise on Amazon: Tips for Effective Video Ads

Since Amazon Ads first launched in 2012, it has significantly evolved into the advertising platform we know today. Despite the vast amount of changes Amazon has made over the years, the platform has solidified its position as one of the largest online marketplaces—meaning your Amazon Ads strategy needs to be effective and done well to leverage its huge audience. Here are a few of our top tips your brand can implement when using Amazon video ads:

• Focus on product visibility. When advertising on Amazon, it's vital to let your products take the spotlight. Make sure your video ads prominently display your product offerings; for example, a fashion brand may showcase a variety of trendy clothing items on people of various sizes and walks of life. We’ll go into a little more detail on this tip later.
  
  
• Keep it concise. The attention span of viewers keeps getting shorter and shorter as time goes on. To combat this, you should create short and engaging video content that quickly captures viewers' interest, and delivers your message effectively within the first two seconds of your video. You’re probably thinking—wow, that’s not a lot of time—which is why we’ll address more on this later in the post.
  
  
• Design for sound-off viewing and ADA Compliance. Because Amazon video ads autoplay with the sound muted, use visual elements and captions to convey your message when spoken words are present in your video ad. Strategizing your video ad design like this ensures you’ll still get your message across even when viewers have their sound off or are hearing impaired.
  
  
• Continuously test and iterate. Monitor the performance of your video ads on Amazon and experiment with different creatives, targeting strategies, and placements to optimize your campaigns for maximum efficiency.
  
  
• Highlight unique selling points. Make sure to clearly communicate what sets your products apart from competitors—why shoppers should choose your brand over others. For example, if you sell skincare products, highlight benefits that make your products stand out, such as natural ingredients sourced sustainably.
  
  
• Leverage targeting options. Utilize Amazon's targeting features to efficiently reach your desired audience. You can target based on shopping behavior, keywords, or interests to ensure your video ads reach the right consumers.
  

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Pro Tip:

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Amazon video ads automatically play when the video is at least 50% visible on screen. These autoplay ads are always muted and pause once the video is scrolled out of view.

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Best Practices for Placing Amazon Video Ads 

Amazon has become a trusted eCommerce platform where shoppers can browse a variety of products, read detailed descriptions, and check customer reviews. All of this information fosters a sense of trust and transparency for consumers. When you’re looking to take advantage of running Amazon video ads, here are a few best practices to implement.

1. Make the first two seconds of your video ad as interesting as possible. Remember: Attention span continues to decrease with each passing year. Consumers are scrolling through various products within minutes of being in-platform, so catching their attention from the very beginning of your ad makes them more likely to want to learn more about your product. For example, if you're advertising a new kitchen gadget, start with a close-up shot of it in action to showcase its unique features right away.
   
   
2. Place the product at the beginning of the video and include on-screen text. This helps combat muted autoplay video ads. Let’s say you’re advertising a lawn mower. You can start with a shot of the mower in action while overlaying text that highlights its key features, such as "Effortless Lawn Care" or "Powerful Performance from the Start.”
   
   
3. People make purchases based on their feelings, which means you should create an emotional connection. Give consumers a reason to feel that your product is their ideal solution. Using a skincare product again as an example, your video ad could show someone applying the product and radiating confidence, accompanied by text and complementary music or voiceover (with captions) emphasizing how the product boosts self-esteem and enhances natural beauty.
   
   
4. Include your brand’s logo at both the start and end, or throughout the entire video ad. This strategy allows consumers to easily recall your brand after they watch your video ad. For example, your clothing brand is creating a series of Amazon video ads to promote your newest line of jeans. At the beginning of each ad, showcase your logo prominently as the product appears, and then display it again in the video’s last five seconds as a subtle reminder of who these hot new jeans are from. Or feel free to include your logo in every frame of the ad to really enforce brand recognition.
   
   
5. Prioritize mobile optimization. With an increasing number of shoppers browsing and shopping on mobile devices, ensure your video ads are optimized for mobile viewing—this means having clear visuals and text that are easily readable on smaller screens. Since many Amazon customers use their smartphones to browse products on-the-go or during quick breaks, having mobile-optimized video ads ensures your message is effectively conveyed to these users.
   
   
6. Include a clear call-to-action (CTA). Prompt shoppers to take a clear next action using words like "Shop Now", "Get Yours," or “Exclusive Discount for You.” A clear CTA can help push consumers toward making a final purchase decision because it creates a sense of urgency and directs their attention to the next step in their buying process.

The Omnitail Difference

It’s easy to pour money into advertisements without fully understanding the impact their performance has on your business. That’s where The Omnitail Difference comes in: A transparent, full-service digital marketing agency that focuses on boosting your paid performance on Amazon, YouTube, Meta, Google, and more with our innovative approach to campaign strategy, development, and management. Not only will we create thumb-stopping Amazon video ads for your brand, we’ll also teach you how to advertise on Amazon using the latest strategies and technology.

We’re committed to making your eCommerce marketing work for you and your bottom line through data-driven and creative strategies, continuous testing and optimization, and transparent reporting that measures success through overall profitability instead of vanity metrics like ROAS. Reach out to our experienced creative services company and Amazon Ads team today to discover how we effectively apply these principles to your Amazon video ads.

Elevate Your Ads with Our Creative Services Company

Mastering how to create video ads can significantly boost your brand’s profitability. Since potential customers are already engaging with Amazon, integrating video ads seamlessly on this platform can capture attention and drive your ideal audience to your Amazon store.

With the right strategy, you can guide shoppers to make purchase decisions and recall your brand for future purchases. Reach out to a member of our team to discover how our creative services company and Amazon Ads team can effectively utilize video advertising to maximize your success and profitability on Amazon.