Reigning in the Competition: A Marketing Case Study
for Amazon #1 Bestselling Author Max Hawthorne
Problem
Max Hawthorne, an acclaimed American author, and screenwriter faced a daunting challenge when his latest books were struggling to gain enough traction in the market due to a lack of effective marketing. Additionally, he was up against black hat tactics used by his competitors in their PPC campaigns, resulting in excessive clicks and the budget was being drained by click farms without even selling to genuine customers. This was one of the biggest challenges our team has faced since Amazon does not allow geotargeting, IP exclusion, or fraud activity detection tools for PPC campaign management. As a result, the book marketing strategy was not generating the desired results in KDP industry.
Solution
To address the issues the author was facing, our team of marketing experts came up with a three-pronged approach. Firstly, we conducted extensive research to identify potential readers and understand the genre to know what holds the interest of the audience. Secondly, we shortlisted a set of relevant keywords for organic rank improvement and dayparted our PPC budget to keep excessive clicks and window shoppers at bay. Thirdly, we implemented display ads and brand ads, focusing on ASIN targeting and external traffic to improve conversions.
Outcome
The results of our efforts were remarkable. Our restructuring and defense wall from competitors’ tricks improved the overall TACOS from 61% to 28% in just 60 days, resulting in higher profitability for all books. Furthermore, the conversion rate on super-relevant keywords skyrocketed from 4.3% to a whopping 13.9%, which meant one sale after every seven clicks. We also channeled our ad spend to other platforms to achieve better results with the least ad spend, ensuring a well-rounded marketing strategy that delivered great results. With this comprehensive approach, book sales increased they received the recognition they deserved. Today he is best known for his Kronos Rising series of sci-fi action/suspense thrillers, which have earned both Book of the Year and People’s Choice awards. He is the Amazon #1 bestselling author of Monsters & Marine Mysteries.
