POV: You’ve got a few bucks trickling in on Amazon, but can’t seem to crack the code to owning Bezos’ empire. 🤨

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If the dream is to own the empire, there comes a time when enlisting help is key. But, finding the right help can be tough.

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Here are some red 🚩 flags 🚩 to look out for when choosing the right partner for your brand:

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⏩ Velocity

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If there’s one thing we advertisers know, it’s that things move fast. And the key to scaling with speed, is data. If your partner dynamic doesn’t involve bucket loads of information being dumped on you, be weary. You shouldn’t have to be clicking around to find the info you need – you shouldn’t be pulling the team, they should be pushing you.

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🛠 Optimizations and changes

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It’s never to early to optimize. It’s easy for partners to hide behind the curtain of “we need more data,” and to a point you could always use more data. However, optimizing and changes to your campaign should always be on the table even if you’re just getting started.

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💰 Spread of spend

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Is 90% of your campaign budget dumped into auto campaigns? If so, run. Having such a large portion of your campaigns on auto means your agency partner doesn’t want to spend the time to do keyword research.

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Auto-campaigns can be great with small budgets for prospecting, but it definitely shouldn’t be a large percentage of your campaign suite.

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Tip: although there is no golden rule, we suggest spending less than 10% on auto campaigns (and ideally less than 5%). Anything higher than that means there is likely room to graduate winning keywords to manual.

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📊 Data transparency

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You should know what campaigns and spend are working for your brand. Your Amazon data should’t be bundled into one overall view – you should be able to see branded vs non-branded ad spend on a granular level.

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The team should be fully invested in providing a bespoke set of tools to accelerate your growth as a brand and stand out amongst your competitors. Here’s what the Pilothouse Amazon team suggests for your  30-60-90 plan that sets the foundation for increased sales and optimization.

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🍽️ Month 1: Digest the product and the market

📈 Month 2: Gather data, test ads, test new creative

🤑 Month 3: Double down on successes

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This is just the beginning! For more details on what you can expect from the Amazon squad at Pilothouse, check out the full podcast here.