Better Advertising with BTR Media
By Destaney Wishon and Justin Nuckols
Better Advertising with BTR MediaOct 25, 2022
PickFu: An Easier Way To Do Market Research and Obtain Consumer Data
#034 - In this episode of "Better Advertising with BTR Media", host Justin Nuckols interviews Justin Chen, co-founder of Pickfu, a market research tool that helps sellers and brands gather consumer feedback before investing heavily in product development and advertising. They discuss the importance of testing and iterating on creatives, such as packaging, main images, and videos, to improve click-through rates and overall sales. Chen also shares case studies of brands that have seen significant improvements in revenue by using Pickfu. Tune in to learn how market research can help optimize your advertising strategies.
Key Takeaways:
- PickFu provides quick and private market research through targeted polls, which can significantly influence e-commerce success on platforms like Amazon and Walmart.
- Market research should be iterative and conducted before committing to product investments to avoid costly mistakes and ensure consumer resonance.
- PickFu stands out from other research tools by being user-friendly, making market research accessible to all types of users.
- Video and AI content is increasingly important in e-commerce and advertising, and PickFu is adapting to allow testing of these mediums for better ad performance.
- Testing creatives and making data-driven decisions with tools like PickFu can lead to immediate ROI and sustainable business growth.
From Reflection to Vision: Better AMS's 2023 Wrap-Up & 2024 Forecast
#033 - In this episode, Justin and Destaney reflect on the past year of BetterAMS and discuss the challenges, growth, and opportunities they encountered. They highlight the significant milestones they achieved, such as team growth and the development of a strong company culture. They also discuss the challenges they faced, including defining their ideal client and saying no to certain brands. The conversation then shifts to client topics, with a focus on the prominent trends and topics that emerged in client conversations throughout the year. They discuss the importance of understanding the changing landscape of Amazon advertising and the need to focus on upper-funnel strategies. The episode concludes with a discussion of personal growth and goals for the future, as well as a teaser for the exciting plans and surprises in store for 2024.
Key Takeaways:
- Building a strong team and company culture is essential for scaling and providing excellent service to clients.
- The Amazon advertising landscape is evolving, with a greater emphasis on upper-funnel strategies and creative development.
- It is important to define your ideal client and focus on working with brands that align with your expertise and long-term goals.
- Personal growth and networking are crucial for success as an entrepreneur, and surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals can provide support and inspiration.
- Embracing change and facing fears can lead to personal and professional growth.
Measuring Marketing Incrementality and Budget Optimization: Michael Kaminsky, Founder of Recast
#032 - In this episode, Justin Nuckols interviews Michael Kaminsky, a data scientist and founder of Recast. They discuss the importance of measuring the incremental return on marketing spend and how marketing mix modeling can help brands optimize their budget allocation. Michael shares his insights on running experiments to determine the true incrementality of different marketing channels, as well as the challenges of measuring the impact of advertising on platforms like Amazon. They also touch on Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) and the need for more experimentation tools in retail media.
Key Takeaways:
- Marketing mix modeling helps brands measure the incremental return of their marketing spend and optimize their budget allocation.
- Running experiments can provide valuable insights into the true incrementality of different marketing channels.
- It is important to isolate variables and measure the impact of specific changes in marketing strategies.
- Different marketing channels have different dynamics, and the frequency of remeasuring their impact depends on various factors.
- Retail media platforms like Amazon could benefit from providing more experimentation tools to help brands determine the true ROI of their advertising spend.
Future of Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) With Jack Lindberg & Destaney Wishon
#031 - In this episode of the Better Advertising with BetterAMS, host Destaney interviews Jack Lindberg, a LinkedIn influencer and technical expert in the Amazon space who serves as the Director of Analytics at The Mars Agency. Jack shares his journey from being an opera singer to becoming an expert in AMC. (no we are not kidding!) He emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and staying up to date in the ever-changing world of e-commerce. Jack also discusses the challenges and opportunities of using AMC for data analysis and decision-making. He highlights the need for better integration between data producers and data users to ensure that insights lead to actionable strategies. Jack also introduces a new SaaS tool called Noctis that aims to make AMC more accessible and help users generate novel use cases.
Key Takeaways:
- AMC is a powerful tool for data analysis and decision-making in the Amazon advertising space.
- The biggest challenge with AMC is the disconnect between data producers and data users.
- AMC can provide valuable insights for measurement, attribution, and audience targeting.
- Jack is working on a new SaaS tool called Noctis (https://analyticindex.com/noctis/) to help users generate novel use cases for AMC.
- The future of AMC lies in user identity resolution, off-Amazon behavior analysis, and shopper profiling.
Ryno Sports and BetterAMS Discuss Growing Online Brands and Tapping into New Marketplaces
#030 - Shaun Rachau, founder of Ryno Sports, and Adam Mellot, Senior Ad Strategist at Better AMS, discuss their first year working together to grow Ryno Sports as an online marketplace brand for MLB Players, Inc. merchandise. They highlight the challenges and opportunities of marketing player-specific gear, navigating licensing agreements, and expanding into new marketplaces like Walmart and TikTok Shop. They also discuss the importance of seasonality and collaborations with artists to drive brand awareness and capture niche markets. Looking ahead, they plan to leverage their learnings to further optimize their advertising strategies and explore new licensing opportunities in the sports industry.
Key Takeaways:
- Ryno Sports focuses on player-specific MLB Players, Inc. merchandise, leveraging the licensing rights from MLB Players Association.
- The company's print-on-demand model allows for quick turnaround and the ability to capitalize on trending players and events.
- Seasonality plays a significant role in sales, with spikes during the baseball season and major holidays.
- Collaborations with artists and social media influencers help expand brand awareness and reach new audiences.
- Expanding into new marketplaces like Walmart and TikTok Shop presents growth opportunities for Ryno Sports.
Special Edition Episode: unBoxed 2023 Keynote Speaker Interviews
#029 - In this special episode of Better Advertising with Better AMS things are about to get really exciting! Your hosts, Destaney Wishon and Justin Nuckols, will be chatting with the awesome Amazonians who brought us the latest cool tools from Amazon’s 2023 unBoxed keynotes. We’ve got Teresa, Ruslana, Kelly, and Jeff here to spill the beans and give us the inside scoop. We’re going to dive deep, ask the burning questions, and get to know all the amazing stuff these experts have been working on. So grab a seat, tune in, and get ready for a fun, friendly conversation filled with fresh insights and fascinating stories from the heart of Amazon’s advertising innovations!
Key Takeaways:
- Sponsored TV: Amazon's new offering aims to democratize TV buying and make it accessible to brands of all sizes.
- Leveraging Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC): Brands can use AMC to gain insights and measure the success of their advertising campaigns.
- Customization and Measurement: Brands should use the right mix of advertising tools and strategies to reach their target audience and achieve their business goals.
Brand Building on Amazon: The Simple Modern Journey with Bryan Porter
#028 - In this episode of the Better Advertising with Better AMS podcast, host Destaney Wishon interviews Bryan Porter, co-founder of Simple Modern. They discuss the importance of building a brand on Amazon, the evolution of Simple Modern's brand strategy, and the role of advertising in their growth. Bryan shares insights on how they have honed in on their brand angle, the value of high-quality content in product listings, and the impact of packaging on the customer experience. He also discusses the transition from a tactical approach to advertising to a more long-term, strategic mindset. Brian highlights the importance of balancing short-term profitability with long-term brand building and the role of advertising in achieving organic rankings. He shares his experiences with different types of Amazon advertising, including branded, competitor, and generic keywords, and the value of influencer marketing. Bryan also discusses their plans to expand into higher-end retail channels and the challenges of balancing leadership and industry expertise.
Key Takeaways:
- Building a brand on Amazon is essential for long-term success and differentiation from competitors.
- High-quality content, including imagery and packaging, helps to create a positive customer experience and build trust in the brand.
- Balancing short-term profitability with long-term brand building is crucial for sustainable growth.
- Different types of Amazon advertising, such as branded, competitor, and generic keywords, have varying levels of impact and value.
- Influencer marketing can be a powerful tool for driving sales and increasing brand awareness.
- Expanding into higher-end retail channels requires a focus on product differentiation and pricing strategies.
- Balancing leadership and industry expertise is a challenge that requires building a strong team and leveraging individual strengths.
Check out Simple Modern's newest product (Voyager Tumbler with 360° Lid)
Navigating Kickstarter with Panther Vision: Josh Leon’s Insights on Crowdfunding and Launching Unique Products
#027 - Josh Leon is an advertising specialist and partner at Panther Vision, an outdoor gear and lighting brand. He has extensive experience in marketing and has successfully launched products on both Amazon and Kickstarter. In this episode, Justin Nuckols interviews Josh Leon from Panther Vision about their experience with crowdfunding on Kickstarter. Josh shares how they started on Amazon before venturing into Kickstarter and how the platform has helped them develop their brand identity and unique products. He discusses the importance of storytelling and connecting with the target audience on Kickstarter, as well as the benefits of receiving feedback and refining products before launching on Amazon. Josh also highlights the growing popularity of Kickstarter and the opportunities it offers for brands to test new ideas and expand their reach.
Key Takeaways:
- Kickstarter allows brands to connect with their target audience and develop a unique brand identity.
- The platform provides an opportunity to receive feedback and refine products before launching on Amazon.
- Kickstarter is a growing space with a lively community and offers untapped opportunities for entrepreneurs.
- Crowdfunding on Kickstarter can help brands test new ideas and push the boundaries of their products.
Learn More About Panther Vision
Navigating International Amazon Advertising: Insights from Gabriel Cáceros at BetterAMS
#026 - Gabriel Cáceros joins host Justin Nuckols to discuss the international side of ad management on Amazon. They focus on the differences between advertising on Amazon in the US and in countries like Mexico. Gabriel explains that Amazon Mexico is one of the fastest-growing marketplaces and highlights the unique advertising strategies and opportunities available in these international markets. He emphasizes that while the conversion rates may be lower in international marketplaces, the CPCs (cost per click) are significantly cheaper, making it a favorable environment for advertisers. Gabriel also discusses the importance of brand awareness campaigns and the effectiveness of ad types like sponsored display and sponsored brands video in driving brand recognition and sales.
Key Takeaways:
- International marketplaces like Amazon Mexico offer cheaper CPCs compared to the US, making it a cost-effective advertising opportunity.
- Conversion rates may be lower in international marketplaces, but the lower CPCs can still result in a good return on ad spend (ROAS).
- Brand loyalty is strong in international marketplaces, with consumers often searching for specific brands rather than generic product keywords.
- Sponsored display and sponsored brands video are effective ad types for generating brand awareness and capturing customer attention in international markets.
Lessons from Alicia Long on TikTok UGC Content & Launching New Ecomm Era
#025 - In this insightful conversation with Justin Nuckols and Alicia Long, we delve into Alicia's appearance on Shark Tank, her experience of launching her brand Nutr, and her new venture, New Ecomm Era - a community and course launched to teach organic ranking & top of funnel targeting - basically TikTok, UGC content, & influencer marketing.
Alicia also details the impact of Shark Tank as a catalyst, the importance of being omnichannel in advertising, the rise of TikTok as a powerful marketing platform, Alicia's unique approach to training the TikTok algorithm for targeted content, and the potential implications and impact of these themes on the advertising landscape.
Amazon Advertising Tech Genius Dustin Wassner Discusses New Rollouts
#024 - BetterAMS' own Destaney & Dustin discuss the latest Amazon Advertising developments, including Amazon Marketing Cloud & Amazon Marketing Stream. Dustin shares his insights on the value of these tools and how brands can leverage them to improve their advertising campaigns. The conversation also covers the downsides of Amazon Marketing Stream and the importance of staying up-to-date on the latest developments in Amazon Advertising. Additionally, they discuss the impact of day parting on CPCs and the potential for Marketing Stream and Day-Parting solutions for smaller brands.
Exploring Amazon Bulk Ops: Tips From Tech Pros Elizabeth Greene and Dustin Wassner
#023 - Join Elizabeth Greene, co-founder of Junglr, and BetterAMS' Dustin Wassner - the leading experts in Amazon advertising & bulk operations - as they delve into the intricacies of managing ads at scale. Discover the power of Amazon Bulk Operations with Elizabeth and Dustin as they explore the two-dimensional spreadsheet, offering an all-in-one view of your ad account, including campaigns, ads, & targets. Uncover how this tool can streamline account analysis and facilitate efficient modifications. Elizabeth has turned her experiences into valuable guides, providing the information she wished she had when starting. Listen in as they demystify the world of bulk operations and give you the tools you need to conquer your own Amazon advertising journey.
Entrepreneur Erica Rankin Shares How To Grow A Successful Business With Community And Vulnerability
#022 - Erica Rankin is the founder and chief everything officer of Bro Dough: a better-for-you snack company that sells edible protein cookie dough which is plant-based, lower in sugar, and with added protein. Erica reflects on impulsiveness and willingness to take risks, which ultimately gave her the courage to take the plunge into entrepreneurship. Also hear Destaney and Erica share their advice about having the confidence to just do it, rather than waiting for the perfect time - whatever "it" may be for you. They also emphasize the importance of taking steps, no matter how small, and not getting caught up in making everything perfect.
Building Big Future Bets into your Team's KPIs with Hasbro's David Khoshpasand
#021 - David Khoshpasand comes from both the agency perspective having been at Tinuiti and more recently on the brand side at Hasbro. His expertise described as "developing business strategies for growth" is where we'll dive in today. We cover principles from Alchemy of Growth and Measure What Matters, and specifically how David uses these frameworks internally at Hasbro to drive group focus and measurement on today's and tomorrow's goals to keep growing the business - everything from today's revenue & profit to the big bets & investments for the future.
Unlocking Walmart's Potential with Guardian Baseball's CEO Matt Kubancik
#020 - Matt Kubancik has been selling on Walmart for over a decade, ever since it merged with Jet.com, and has personally witnessed the evolution of Walmart's e-commerce marketplace. Having seen Walmart's emphasis on bringing name-brands into the retailer and offering an alternative to Amazon Prime, Matt believes Walmart is best-positioned to rival Amazon with current macroeconomics trends. Learn how his team at Guardian Baseball has found success with Walmart through developing relationships with their account managers & trial and error.
Follow Matt on Linkedin or Instagram
Get Face-to-Face with Your Online Customers with Kyle Peters of Nestle
#019 - Kyle Peters is the one developing your next favorite product from Nestle. Learn about how his teams research, test, and iterate on product concepts before they reach a national rollout. One of private label sellers biggest headaches, Kyle details what metrics are most important when deciding if products in your catalog should be discontinued to free up investments for other projects. And when it is time to bring the product to market, we cover how face-to-face product demos and sampling can build a passionate base of customers who will help you cut through the noise on marketplaces today.
Sell in Smaller Arenas & Raise 'Visitor Value' with Matt Gallant
#018 - Matt Gallant's approach to product research, customer avatars, and harmonizing across your marketing has helped him & BiOptimizers dominate in their niche. Building a competitive brand takes winning smaller niches to build up to a bigger fight - to put it in Matt's boxing terms. Matt and Destaney dive into their favorite personality tests with recommendations for those looking to explore personal development in 2023.
Master the Creative Ad Types with Brenton Baderdeen
#017 - From our talk in late 2022, Brenton Baderdeen from P&P Imports joins us to reflect on Black Friday/Cyber Monday performance, how their brands structure & advertise across a seasonal catalog, and how they use CommerceIQ to efficiently scale their advertising and reporting. We get very specific on Amazon creative ad type recommendations, from how long your Sponsored Brand video should be, to the type of audio to play over it, and the best copy for conversions and attracting New-to-Brand customers. If you've wanted to explore more of Sponsored Brand and Sponsored Display, Brenton has tons of wisdom to jumpstart your efforts.
Find Your Brand New Products & the Easiest Way to Sell on New Marketplaces with Aaron Cordovez of Zulay Kitchen
#016 - Zulay Kitchen has been a dominant brand in the Home & Kitchen category for years, and largely due to the genius & branding insights of Aaron Cordovez. Hear how to find the next product to launch by using Amazon's most obvious data, as well as how to use pricing across your products to build a moat competitors cannot defeat - look at Zulay's milk frothers as a case example. Aaron talks on his offering to help sellers expand to new marketplaces like Walmart at no-risk with Aaron's expertise. We'll cover Samurai Seller, an affordable ad management software, for sellers looking for a solution to take advertising off your plate. Links are below for all resources in this episode.
Reach out to Aaron about listing on other marketplaces with Big Brand Products.
Samurai Seller: Semi-Automated Ad Management for Amazon Sellers
Building a Viral Tik Tok Product with Michael Malinsky
#015 - Wonderskin is a great case study for their viral Tik Tok success, and Founder & CEO Michael Malinsky joins us to talk about how they built a brand with key advantages in the marketplace - it was fun to share & talk about with friends, and made you want to return to the brand to shop additional products. These edges helped their advertising efficiency in such a competitive category as makeup by building a relationship with their customers in a experiential, visual way.
Building a Marketing Team of Experts & Amazon Unboxed Takeaways with Kyle Lembke of PetIQ
#014 - PetIQ is a brand that has put focus on building a digitally native brand with incredible insights behind their customer acquisition strategies. Kyle Lembke of the PetIQ team joins to discuss how to build an e-commerce team with various marketing experts like TikTok, calculating your customer acquisition costs compared to lifetime value, and exploring how many Prime Days and promotional days is too much for a brand. Stick to the end to hear Kyle & Destaney's thoughts on Amazon Unboxed event from late October.
Earn More Than Impressions from Amazon's Social Media Tools with Emery Steinweg from Lovepop
#013 - We've all seen Amazon release features that look similar to social media & Instagram specifically. All things from running Amazon Lives to the incremental exposure from Amazon Posts, Emery Steinweg talks about how Lovepop uses new social features to engage with their shoppers in ways most sellers currently are not. Learn how strengthening this area of advertising can open a form of email marketing directly to your Amazon customers, potentially help you avoid negative reviews, and boost impressions when running deals & promotions.
Visualizing Ad Spend with External Tools with Michael Schwartz of Sports Research
#012 - If you haven't brought a data scientist onto your team but want to understand your marketing spend in ways Amazon can't show, Michael tells us about his experience with external tools. For a brand that is sharing space between a one-time purchase vertical & another in a CPG, repeat-purchase vertical, Michael must set & measure KPIs accordingly. We also discuss the new DSP beta targeting features that are allowing Michael to cross-sell his products to existing subscribers in the brand.
How to Capture Lost Shoppers with Amazon DSP with Naio Olsen-Stahl
#011 - Understand how DSP can be used for your brand to target buyers at any stage of the buyer journey! What's covered:
🔶 What is Amazon DSP
🔶 How it differs from Sponsored Display
🔶 How to piggyback off of PPC traffic
🔶 Our top 4 DSP remarketing strategies
🔶 How to get started!
Keith Hamann on Why Your Amazon Listing Optimization Doesn't Matter
#010 - Keith Hamann is our guest today and joins with a wealth of knowledge in e-commerce marketplaces built over the past several years, even as an FBA owner himself at one time. Listen in for various Amazon marketing topics such as:
- How to optimize based on price point
- Segmenting your PPC budget & KPI's for Offensive & Defensive strategies
- How we use DSP after big traffic days, like Black Friday & Cyber Monday
- Plus Keith's life hacks for the home office - check out his set up!
Protect Tomorrow's Revenue & Stay in Stock with David Glick of Flexe
#009 - Supply chain has been a top concern for all sellers at some point in the last two years. David Glick, the Chief Technology Officer of Flexe, joins to talk about the omnichannel distribution & fulfillment offerings at Flexe, as well as his thoughts on the progress of the Walmart marketplace, and stories of his time developing logistics at Amazon in the early 2000's.
Growing Mature Brands at Aggregators with Sumit Garhwal of Marketplace Powerbrands
#008 - Ever wonder what happens to the marketing efforts after brands are sold to Amazon aggregators? Today we talk with the Head of Marketplace Advertising, Sumit Garhwal, from Marketplace Powerbrands to learn about:
- How to continue growing mature brands
- How to prevent your own brands from competing with themselves
- Importance of clean structures & nomenclature in your advertising
- Scaling with a team & processes as your catalog grows
- What a dream brand to acquire looks like
Get Your Brand In Front of People's Faces So You Can Get Your Product On Their Asses with Sean Riley of DUDE Wipes
#007 - Dude, this episode you can't miss! We're joined by the legendary entrepreneur behind DUDE Wipes, Sean Riley, whom you may recognize from Shark Tank when Sean & his co-founders partnered with Mark Cuban! Today we are looking back at how Sean & friends built a top-category brand off of Amazon using top of funnel marketing, such as putting "DUDE Wipes" on UFC fighter Tyron Woodley's shorts. Sean details how they utilize DUDE Products' omnichannel presence to attract customers on Amazon & see repeat sales on other channels, balancing risks to differentiate your brand to your target market, and how they double down on winners to grow the product catalog.
Track the Right KPIs for PPC Campaigns with Josh Justice from The LEGO Group
#006 - One of the ecommerce community's most active LinkedIn members, Josh Justice joins the show to chat topics from educating corporate boardrooms on full funnel Amazon advertising, to setting the right KPIs according to different campaign strategies, and more. As the Search Marketing Manager at the LEGO Group, one of the greatest toy companies in the world, Josh tells of the lessons he's learned along the way working at an agency, private label supplement brand, and even living in China where many Amazon sellers source their products from.
Scaling Your Brand with API & Amazon Marketing Stream with Dustin Wassner
#005 - Talking with our BetterAMS technical genius, Dustin Wassner, on the Amazon API and its ability to scale advertising tasks such budget adjustments, rules-based bidding, keyword recommendations, & more. Dustin shares thoughts on where Amazon PPC could be headed as Amazon Marketing Stream now offers real-time data that provides insights on conversion rates and CPC's that we never had previously. If you're looking to bring tech to your brand and business, Dustin is the man to talk to!
Dustin Wassner - LinkedIn
Amazon API Toolkit
Amazon Marketing Stream
Launching New ASINs & Ranking Your Product
#004 - We're sharing the fundamental advertising campaigns we recommend setting up when you are launching new products & ASINs on Amazon. Improving your click-through rate when you don't have reviews can be tricky and hurt your organic and paid performance. We'll offer simple tips to use at launch that are shown to improve click-through rate and competitiveness in the search results on launch day.
Amazon Sponsored Ad Policies & Custom Headline Copy Guidelines
Amazon DSP with Adam Mellott - Targeting Differences From Sponsored Display
#003 - Listen in as Adam Mellott of the BetterAMS team joins to share his expertise in Amazon DSP. We'll cover the similarities that Sponsored Display and DSP have in common, but more importantly, the more-precise targeting capabilities that make the DSP platform so much more powerful. We show how utilizing DSP with small differences can save tons of wasted spend both for brands that have one-time customers or customers that repeat purchases.
Follow Adam on LinkedIn here
2022 Prime Day - Lost Clicks Are Not Lost Customers
#002 - Today we dive into Prime Day performances and the tactics we saw sellers use to maximize sales on one of the biggest traffic days of the year . Highlighting the ad types we as an agency saw dominate in gaining new-to-brand customers, how drastically CPC's increased, & even how sellers are continuing to maximize the traffic they earned on Prime Day late into Fall. We also offer recommendations on PPC strategies you can build out today that are critical in earning all the ad placements you need to have on days like Prime Day.
Download our free Prime Day Checklist here
Welcome to Better Advertising with BetterAMS
#001 - Better Advertising with BetterAMS is a podcast for Amazon sellers & the e-commerce community to share strategies to optimize & scale online brands with Amazon PPC and Amazon DSP. Your hosts, Justin Nuckols & Destaney Wishon, talk with other advertisers, online sellers, & brands dominating their categories on Amazon. On the show, we chat topics from organically ranking products with PPC, to using Sponsored Display for more than just remarketing, to maximizing ROAS on Prime Day. We bring you along in our conversations to give sellers new strategies to test out for a variety of business goals, updates on Amazon Advertising features & betas, as well as case studies of creative and innovative tactics. Get firsthand advertising advice from experts & learn how to reach your online business goals through Amazon PPC on Better Advertising with BetterAMS.
https://betterams.com/