Don't Rely on Ads (PART 1)

I'll cut to the chase here...

If you're relying 100% on Facebook Ads, or any number of Ad platforms to drive sales, you're going to struggle to stay in business for the long term.

Why?

Because you're paying for every single sale.

The acquisition cost of generating every sale from Ads is going to cripple you.

So, what's the alternative, I hear you ask.

Let's break it down into the 2 most popular camps:

– Amazon Sales

– Direct Sales

I'll cover Amazon sales today, and tomorrow, I'll dive into Direct Sales.

Amazon Sales

As I'm sure you know, Amazon has one of the most powerful algorithms on the planet, and if and when you harness it, the results can be incredible.

With Lori's books, for example, we're getting a 7-10X return on our Facebook Ads spend from the traffic we're sending to Amazon.

Our main focus in 2024 is direct sales (join the waitlist for my direct sales course here), so that's where we're focusing the bulk of our budget.

However, we're still putting a small percentage of our budget towards Amazon (and the other retailers) using Genius Links (as I covered in this newsletter).

Most of the sales we're generating on Amazon though are NOT from the Facebook Ads directly.

They are as a result of the Facebook Ads.

If we weren't running the Facebook Ads, and driving a handful of sales with them on Amazon, the algorithm wouldn't have even noticed Lori's books.

But, because our Facebook Ads are generating a few sales each day, our Amazon Bestseller Rank has improved, and the algorithm has taken notice.

It's recommending Lori's books to readers it believes would enjoy them based on their previous browsing and purchasing behavior.

Yes, the algorithm knows who might enjoy your books.

If you can prove to the algorithm that it's worth Amazon's resources to promote your book, they'll take it with both hands and run with it.

Why?

Because it makes them money, it makes you money and it's providing a personalized and relevant shopping experience to their customers. A win-win all round.

The trick with Amazon (if you can call it a trick), is to send enough traffic from Facebook Ads (or your platform of choice) to generate enough sales for the algorithm to take notice of you.

This way, you're not relying on the Facebook Ads to generate every single sale (and borrow, if your books are in KU).

Case in point... Around 20% of Lori's Amazon sales come directly from the Facebook Ads we're running.

80% of the sales are organic, meaning we aren't paying for them with Ads; the algorithm is driving these sales for us.

When you get to the stage where your Facebook Ads become the instigator for organic sales, rather than the direct generator of every single sale, the whole game changes for you.

As I say, tomorrow, I'll be covering how not to rely on Ads when selling direct to readers.

To Your Success
– Matt