Amazon Influencer Program and Influencer Marketing: Unlocking New Opportunities

Building your brand with Amazon's Influencer Program

The program is near-essential for Amazon sellers.

Let's dive into why Amazon's Influencer Program is so effective.

Unlock the power of social proof

Authentic influencer reviews are incredibly persuasive because shoppers see their products being used by someone like them.

One of Amazon's biggest downsides is that it’s less reputable than other sites, so adding social proof has a massive impact.

Yes, you have customer reviews, but let's be honest: they're often unclear and very short.

Extra content for shoppers

Influencers create additional content for your page. This is especially valuable if your product page lacks video content.

Tap into influencer marketing on social media platforms

Start using influencer marketing to draw people to your product page. Influencers share videos or photos reviewing your products with their audiences. This grabs attention a has a number of extra benefits.

Here's why influencer marketing is so powerful:

• precisely speak to your target audience
• influencers are experts at connecting with their followers
• populate social media and dominate conversations in your niche
• stay ahead of competitors
• strengthen brand messaging

To enjoy these benefits, you must find the right influencers who align with your brand values and target audience.

Don't overfocus on follower counts. Deeper metrics, like engagement rates and niche positioning, provide better insights into how connected an influencer is with their audience.

An influencer marketing platform like Kolsquare can give you all the influencer data you need. It's especially useful if you want to tap into niche markets through multiple micro or nano-influencers. That's because you'll need to analyse many different influencers to find those with real potential.

On Kolsquare's platform, you can quickly search through large numbers of influencers, filtering by:

• Engagement rates
• Social media platform
• Audience demographics, including age, gender, and location
• Follower counts
• Niche and interests

You can also run hashtag and semantic searches. This simplifies campaigns and ensures your content engages your target audience.

There's no need to commit right away, simply book in for a free demo and learn how Kolsquare can benefit you.

Benefit from influencer content

Once your campaign is launched, you can develop genuine partnerships with influencers. Give them some creative freedom. After all, these professionals know how to connect with your target market. Their authenticity will ensure that your content resonates with followers and Amazon shoppers.

In addition, you can reuse social media content on other channels. Include influencer videos in email marketing or post them on brand profiles.

Leveraging Amazon's tools for influencer growth - Storefront and Live

It's not just brands that benefit from Live and the Storefront. Amazon also helps influencers grow follower counts and strengthen relationships through great product recommendations.

Amazon Storefront makes it easy for followers to explore and purchase recommended items. A well-organised storefront with high-quality images, compelling product descriptions, and a clear narrative reinforces an influencer's brand and builds a loyal customer base.

Influencers should optimise their Storefront and content by:

• Featuring both best-sellers and new arrivals to maintain interest and engagement
• Ensuring all promoted products are high-quality to build trust and encourage repeat purchases
• Updating product selections to keep it relevant and appealing
• Creating engaging thumbnails for videos

Amazon Live also lets influencers host real-time product demonstrations, Q&A sessions, and interactive content. These live sessions engage viewers and drive sales, providing a dynamic way to connect with the audience.

The benefit for influencers is clear: Amazon or the brand pays influencers a commission, opening up a useful revenue stream. Reviewing your favorite products on channels like YouTube and then sharing the link in the description can create a solid revenue stream.

How to measure success: Analytics and performance tracking

It's difficult to understand or improve campaign performance without data.

The essential metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs) for the Amazon Program are:

• Viewer engagement during Live Sessions: This measures interactions and interest during live broadcasts.
• Conversion rates from Storefront: Tracks the percentage of visitors who make a purchase after visiting an influencer's Storefront.
• Overall sales from influencer links and videos: Calculates total revenue generated from clicks on influencers’ links.

This data starts a continuous improvement cycle. It allows them to continue recommending brands they sell well and that enhance their brand. This builds more respect with followers. It also ensures that both the influencer and brand make the most of the collaboration.

Staying compliant: Adhering to Amazon's policies and regulations

As an established business launching a new platform, Amazon has prepared a wealth of regulations for the Influencer Program.

Failure to comply may result in immediate content removal and the suspension or termination of the influencer's account.

Amazon underlines the seriousness, stating that it is willing to take legal action against rule-breakers.

Anti-counterfeiting and dupes

Amazon affiliates must follow Amazon's strict anti-counterfeiting policy, which states that promoting counterfeit or inauthentic products is not allowed.

An influencer should not say that a product is a "dupe," "fake," or "faux" of another product. Instead, affiliates can use terms like "shop the look," "inspired by," or "similar to."

Honest content

Paid adverts must be labelled with #ad or #sponsored. These rules are similar to the recommendations by the UK governing bodies over influencer marketing.

In addition, Federal Trade Requirements should be followed. Amazon won't accept content with unauthorized images of children, political content, computer viruses, links to external websites, or offensive content.

Amazon-only content (no YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram content)

On other social media platforms, you can cross-post without any problems. However, Amazon is taking a different approach, stating that content posted on Amazon should not be posted on other platforms.

However, when influencers post content on social media and link to Amazon, content can be repurposed.

Keeping children safe

Children under the age of three must not be shown in any content, and those under 13 should not be featured unless approved by Amazon.

Content for the Amazon Teens experience must target older teens and use age-appropriate products. Avoid featuring adult items like graffiti tools, tobacco, weapons, alcohol, and dietary supplements.

Amazon creator and brand FAQ

Here is a FAQ for both brands and influencers.

Get approved: How many followers do you need to become an Amazon influencer?

There's no set number of followers stated by Amazon. However, generally, you need around 1,000 followers on a single platform to be considered an influencer. Sometimes the number is 5,000.

Amazon values engagement. So, focus on creating good content on your social media platform to build an engaged following. Try to be reasonably consistent. You don't need to post every day. A few videos a week would do.

Is it hard to get accepted as an Amazon influencer?

Influencers need a meaningful social media presence to be accepted by Amazon.

• Social media presence: You need a strong and engaged following on one or more major social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
• Content quality: Consistently producing high-quality, engaging content that resonates with your audience makes it more likely Amazon will accept your application.
• Relevance: Your content should be relevant to the types of products sold on Amazon. For example, DIY content is a better fit than B2B content.

Sign up for onsite commissions: How to create an Amazon storefront?

Influencers can upload videos worldwide, here's how to get started:

1. Apply online: You can apply through the Amazon Influencer Program website by linking your social media accounts.
2. Review: Amazon will review your application, looking at your follower count, engagement rates, and content quality.
3. Approval: If you meet their criteria, you will be approved and can start creating your own storefront.

How much do Amazon influencers get paid?

While becoming an Amazon influencer can be rewarding, earning significant amounts requires time and effort. Influencers must consistently create high-quality content, which can be a slow process that requires considerable patience and dedication.

At the start, influencers typically earn modest amounts, often under £100 per month. This is the time to build an audience and refine content strategy. As commissions increase, earnings can reach over £5,000 per month.

Is the Amazon Influencer Program worth it?

Yes, the Amazon Influencer Program is worth it, but it requires considerable effort and dedication.

For influencers, it’s another avenue for increasing revenue. Developing high-quality content may take time, but once it’s live, it will stay on the product page.

Once your content is live, it's evergreen. Create an engaging video about a popular product, and it could pay out for years. ]

For example, a fitness influencer could review a workout bench on YouTube. With an engaging title like "Don't buy the [bench] until you watch this!"

For brands, it is an excellent opportunity for increasing visibility and sales. Influencers' authentic recommendations can resonate well with their followers, driving more traffic and conversions for brands on Amazon.

Can I make $1000 a month on Amazon?

Yes, influencers can make $1000 per month on Amazon. However, it’s not as easy as recording and posting a few videos.

Follow these steps for creating effective content for Amazon:

• Show the product clearly
• Explain its benefits
• Demonstrate it working
• Provide a before and after

Who gets invited to be an Amazon influencer?

Amazon accepts influencers with engaged audiences, good content, and a decent number of followers.