The Prosper Show Series: Optimizing Influencers to Increase Traffic to Their Amazon Platform

Previously we shared how we went to the Prosper Show and highlighted some of the key learnings. Now we’ll dive a bit deeper into those insights.

The bottom line is that advertising on Amazon using stereotypical advertising strategies is getting expensive - however, the most successful Amazon sellers are finding creative ways to drive traffic to their sites. One such way is to partner with influencers, who earn income by recommending products on Amazon.

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What is an Amazon Influencer?

When you think of “influencer”, what may come to mind is a Kim Kardashian look-alike promoting a skincare regime or swimsuit line. But you don’t necessarily need to work with celebrities or other “macro” influencers (those with more than 100,000 followers). “Micro influencers” (such as someone with 10,000 followers) can be just as effective in driving traffic to your site. Partner with an influencer to provide reviews, lifestyle images, testimonials, provide product feedback, or to A/B test images/titles. 

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How to Find the Right Amazon Influencer

Amazon has an Amazon Influencer Program that many of these influencers may already take part of. You can even find these influencers on Amazon directly. However, Amazon Influencers can be found on numerous platforms, such as Youtube, blogs, Twitter, podcasts, and so much more. 

Put yourself in the customer’s shoes when it comes to looking on a specific social media platform for an influencer, and think about what your customer might search for that could lead them to finding your product. 

On Instagram, for example, you can simply search hashtags to find the right influencer, and directly message them to establish an agreement. An influencer with 1K+ followers can help you drive content, while influencers that have more than 10K will help you drive meaningful traffic to your Amazon site. 

Feel free to be open-minded and creative when it comes to selecting your influencer. One piece of advice from Mayan employee Andrew Laird, who was also previously CEO of the Amazon Store ProShot, is:

"The best influencers might not be who you think. For example, we took a chance on a young girl in Australia who was a self-proclaimed gymnast/tumbler and she turned out to be getting us some great content and a lot of new followers. She didn’t fit our initial customer profile (snorkel-er or scuba diver) but she worked hard to share our products with her network.”

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How to Partner with an Influencer

After identifying the right influencer, simply provide them your product(s) for free in order to have them generate videos/images around it. A common agreement is “pay for performance”, where they will make X% of sales as opposed to paying upfront. Simply put, if you win, then they win.

One additional tip is to take the time to go the extra step and set up a video call or (if possible) organize an in-person meeting with your selected influencer. This extra touch can go a long way, since influencers often get messages and free products sent to them without knowing much else about the company. In doing so, you can establish a long-lasting relationship.

Harnessing the creativity and energy of influencers can help you tap into another pool of customers while allowing people to know and trust your brand. Do your research and experiment with different approaches and you might be surprised at what fruitful partnerships you will find.