A few months back I decided to evaluate Amazon Ads. I was told that if someone is searching for Indian Short Stories then if an ad appears for one of my books, then maybe someone will click on it, and then, perhaps, download a sample, and possibly, over time end up buying the book. ‘A long-drawn process’ – that was my first reaction.
But I still evaluated it.
It was then that I realized that I have to bid for the words and there is some complex algorithm that decides when my ad will appear. Much like Google ad words for the search engine, Amazon is a search engine for products. Be that as it may, I thought, and kept that plan to put up ads on the back of my mind.
But the thing that put me off (and pushed the idea of ‘Sponsored’ ads to the backburner) was when I myself went and searched for a couple of things over the past few weeks.
The first was on Amazon. I was looking for a good set of clothes for the gym – the athleisure type which I can wear at home and perhaps on a walk or a workout. And when I searched using those keywords in Amazon, the first three rows were filled with products marked with a small ‘Sponsored’ mark. Brands I had never heard of. No fault of theirs, but I found myself neglecting them and searching for products that I was already looking for or familiar with.
The second was on Google. I was planning to go on a trek and wanted some information on it. A bunch of search results came up with the similar ‘Sponsored’ above them (but more pronounced than Amazon). I found myself again moving ahead to the real results. Again, no fault of the advertisers, but it was just how I behaved on seeing the ‘Sponsored’ results.
And that’s when I reached the conclusion that ‘Sponsored’ results may not work for unknown or non-mass market names like those I chanced upon. They may work for names that you already know or have heard of. The reason was simple – trust and familiarity.
I had no idea who they were. I had no trust on them to buy from them. I had never heard about them. On top of it, they were ‘Sponsored’ – which meant they paid something to get there to disrupt my search which further reduced the credibility or trust factor.
I found that being ‘Sponsored’ worked counter to their objective. Maybe I will not consider them even if they deserve it.
That’s when I reached the conclusion that this ‘Sponsored’ thing is a waste of time (and considerable money). Unless you are already a well-known or familiar name. If it doesn’t work for them, it is unlikely to work for me. That was my gut feel. Trust is the difference.
The only real alternative is to go through the hard slog of finding readers who are already interested, and produce something that will create credibility and trust, and word of mouth.
No other way.
I decided to shelve all plans for Amazon ads for my books. They will never turn up in any search as ‘Sponsored’. Ever.
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