With more than 75 million unique visitors just in March 2011, you can’t ignore the impact Amazon.com can have on your online visibility. Therefore I ask, “are you using Amazon to boost visibility for your business?” If not, here are a few ways to consider…
7 ways you can harness the world’s largest ecommerce site to generate visibility for your business, even if you’re not a published author…
1. Create a public profile. If you’ve ever bought anything on Amazon, then you have the opportunity to create a profile page. This is the bare minimum I recommend you do since your profile page gets linked every other place you participate on Amazon. Add your picture, a bio, a link to your blog, and select the information you want visible to the public: wish list, birthday, reviews, etc. Tip: For business visibility purposes, use your REAL NAME, not a pseudonym.
2. Post reviews. This is probably the most obvious way to get seen on Amazon. When you post a review, you can link it to your profile page so others can learn more about you.
3. Create lists. If you have reading lists you recommend to your clients and customers, post it on Amazon. When someone lands on the page for a book or product you recommend, your list shows up, again, an opportunity for folks to learn more about you. And, they may be your ideal client if they’re looking for a book you recommend.
4. Create tags. Every product/book page includes a feature for you to add your own tags. If you have your own books (Kindle included), add tags that reflect the key words you want to be found for, including YOUR NAME. Tags show up on your public profile. (Click on the image to see it full size.)
5. Publish your reports and ebooks on Kindle. This is easier than you may think and instantly gives you “author status.” Rather than extolling the benefits of publishing your content on Kindle, here’s a post with a link to a free, no opt in webinar showing you step by step how to publish on Kindle.
6. Set up your profile on AuthorCentral. If you have books – hardcover, softcover and/or Kindle – then this is a MUST. This is not the same as the profile you created in #1, as an Amazon customer. This is your Author Profile which gives you much greater visibility and reach. You’ll see on my Author page a bio, head shot, my Twitter feed, links to recent blog posts (yes, another place to syndicate your blog content!), a list with images and links to all my books, and a discussion area where you can create connection and assist your readers. You can also add photos and videos, as well as events.
7. Loan your Kindle books. This may not seem like a visibility play, but look at it this way… you have an opportunity to create a connection and selflessly serve your clients – don’t worry about “lost” sales. if you own a Kindle, you’ll see that some (not all) Kindle books are available for lending. Periodically offer your community the opportunity to “borrow” one of your Kindle books. They can only be loaned one time, so it’s first come, first served. Bonus tip – when you set up your own Kindle books, make sure to allow lending as well. Why not share the good stuff you teach in your books?
I see a lot of lost opportunity on Amazon. While writing this post I cruised around looking for author profile pages and sadly, didn’t find them for a lot of prominent authors nor for colleagues I know who have books and Kindle ebooks.
No doubt there are more ways to leverage Amazon to boost your online visibility. What tips would you add to this list? Post them in the comments, please!
(P.S. My latest report in now available on Kindle for only $.99 (99 cents!): How to Use Images to Grab Your Reader’s Attention and Enhance Your Business Blog)
Thank you for these tips Denise. I have just gone and added Amazon profiles for both Amazon UK and USA. Just need to work on my wishlists.
Thanks again.
Hi Denise,
I was looking for something new for web exposure and never thought that Amazon can actually serve to improve online visibility. And the list of possibilities which you’ve mentioned is amazing. I can’t believe that all these while I’ve been using Amazon to make regular purchases without realizing its potential 🙂
-May-
Thanks for stopping by, May. Would love to hear how you use Amazon for your web exposure.
Denise, thank you for the 7-day mini Visibility Boost you sent me. The information offered each day, is invaluable – all things one has to make a point of incorporating into ones daily routine.
I will keep working at it! I have learned so much from all your webinars and articles.
Thank you!
Aileen
You are most welcome, Aileen. I appreciate your kind words and am glad the information is useful for you. Blog on!
Hi! I just wanted to thank you for posting this great information. Very helpful!! I’ll hop over to Amazon and get it done. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
You’re welcome, Joy…glad to be of service.
Amazon is one of giants and receives high volumes of steady daily traffic and by using it to increase your online visibility it also helps other aspects of your website promotion.
Thanks. I swear i will try.
Nice Article Denise. I am going to start it right now. Hope i will be successful with your tips. Thanks. Have a nice weekend.
This is a brilliant article! Thank you so much.
Is the Author Connect Profile the same as the author Central Profile?
My bad, Karen, it’s Author CENTRAL not Connect. You’re the first person to point out the discrepancy. I’ll be fixing it now, thank you!
Thank you, Denise for your generosity in sharing great tips.
As always Denise, THANK YOU from Mexico!
~Juracy. Life and Business Coach
Awesome tips – I think point number 3 has been the most effective for my site. It seems that good lists get bookmarked frequently and spread quickly. Most of us have lists in our head of top resources for our industry so creating a public list on Amazon is relatively easy.
Awesome tips – I think point number 3 has been the most effective for my site. It seems that good lists get bookmarked frequently and spread quickly. Most of us have lists in our head of top resources for our industry so creating a public list on Amazon is relatively easy.
Excellent article and list Denise. Reviews are easy to do for those who read even one book every so often. For those of us who have 5 or 6 books going at once, we likely tell others about them on FB and Twitter, so why not post a review and get some traction out of it?
Denise this is a brilliant article. Love the idea of the the author connect profile – I have one of my own books on Amazon and a coauthor in others there so really should consolidate it all into a profile. And publishing reports on Kindle. Bloody brilliant as a lead generator. Thanks for the ideas.
I would have never thought of publishing a report on Kindle. I was just thinking ebooks!
Hey Denise. Thought you’d like to see how your article inspired action. I have now set up my profile and also my Author Central profile on Amazon. Here it is: http://www.amazon.com/Janet-Beckers/e/B005CYKW4S/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_9?qid=1310793097&sr=1-9
. I just have to wait 24 hours to start some lists (I had to make a purchase with this profile before) and then I’ll implement your list suggestion. Thanks for the excellent info.
Wow, Janet! You are an action taker…love it. I’m thrilled that you got value from the post…blog on!
thanks for the info never knew could make a profile on amazon
WOW Denise… You have a report on Amazon! I only thought it was ebooks and books.
EVERYone knows something and can write a report or an eBook. We just have to sit ourselves down and DO IT!
Thanks for the reminder. I’m almost at the end of an a class on writing articles. This was a bit different from any other class I took as it also helped me break the stronghold of thinking “ONE way,” as it covered a lot more than just the initial writing of the article itself.
Your comment at the end of the article about the report made my mind perk up with MY NEW way of thinking!
THANK YOU Denise… YOU ALWAYS have such good things to share. I fell off your list for awhile.
Roz Fruchtman
Thanks for stopping by, Roz, and glad you found value in the post. Blog on!
Thanks for stopping by, Roz, so glad you got value from the post…blog on!
WOW Denise… You have a report on Amazon! I only thought it was ebooks and books.
EVERYone knows something and can write a report or an eBook. We just have to sit ourselves down and DO IT!
Thanks for the reminder. I’m almost at the end of an a class on writing articles. This was a bit different from any other class I took as it also helped me break the stronghold of thinking “ONE way,” as it covered a lot more than just the initial writing of the article itself.
Your comment at the end of the article about the report made my mind perk up with MY NEW way of thinking!
THANK YOU Denise… YOU ALWAYS have such good things to share. I fell off your list for awhile.
Roz Fruchtman
Thanks, Denise, for these succinct points of focus to boost visibility.
Thanks for these tips, Denise. You always have the tastiest morsels for our benefit.
Congratulations! Sounds like you’ve got a solid plan for your book launch. Good luck!
Good Tips Danie! and i want to thanks for you. because your every post are very informative and helpful.
Once Thanks again Danie..
Thank You Denise! You always have great tips. I am doing a virtual book blog tour for my Amazon softcover book for all of May. I will than post about 15 articles on various article directories with a link to the Amazon book. Then I will focus on how to best use Amazon to promote my book. I have created a profile and I have 3 kindle books.
This is one thing I wouldn’t have considered before reading this. I have a profile, but haven’t done much with it. I’ll get moving on this now. I’ll be sure to check out Shelfari and Goodreads too Elizabeth!
Thanks Denise.
Great reminders, Denise! I’ve done the profile and write lots of book reviews but I need to get going on some of the others. FYI if you are using Goodreads and/or Shelfari, you can set up profiles and post your same book reviews there too. As a Goodreads author, you have certain status too…proactive authors look for people who review their books and develop relationships…I’ve even had an author send me a message when I reviewed a book in the same genre as theirs with a message like “If you liked this I think you’ll love my book too.” …smart.
Elizabeth, thanks for the info about Shelfari and Goodreads. I’ll have to check them out.
Denise: I had never thought nor known of this option on Amazon. Thank you for sharing the simple, clear, easy-to-follow steps to ramp up my visibility. Great post!
You’re welcome, Kymberly. The more paths you create, the more people find your site.
Denise
That’s a really cool post. Some great info – I found it via Kristi’s Tweet out…so kudos to her for finding it.
Quick question: have you tried/tested creating video reviews for greater visibility?
Paul
Paul, great point. No, I haven’t personally done video reviews, but using video would definitely make your Amazon reviews stand out, especially since so few people do them. Thanks for pointing that out.
Great tips, especially for any authors out there! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Kristi. With Kindle publishing, anyone with a short report can be a author and create a presence on Amazon. How about you? Is your blog promotion ebook on Kindle yet?
It’s not. I really like it in the format it’s in, where people can click on the links, see the color in the photos, etc. I might do something more text based in the future for that platform though. 🙂
Links can be an issue. I always include a resource page with the full links – no anchor text – so readers can easily find the info. Kindle does have web access, but it’s not ideal.
Great tip on creating a resource page with links, as the Kindle is a bit on the rough side of linking. For now!
I hear they’re working on a Kindle tablet which will be sweeter than Maria Shriver, pre-divorce.