It’s hard to ignore Amazon. It captures roughly 40% of U.S. e-commerce spending, according to eMarketer
If you aren't selling your products on Amazon, it’s easy for a counterfeit producer to sell something similar — and they might not treat customers as ethically as you would.
Skip Amazon, and you risk hindering sales and hurting your brand. It’s safer to join the 6 million+ retailers on the e-commerce platform.
But that’s not easy, either. Amazon isn't a set-it-and-forget-it channel — it has its own algorithm and its own rules.
It takes its rules very seriously. After all, Amazon is "customer-centric," as founder Jeff Bezos puts it, and and failing to please its customers or abide by its seller policies can get you banned from selling on Amazon forever.
It’s worth hiring an Amazon consultant to make sure that you’re making the most of the channel — instead of cruising for a suspension.
But how do you go about hiring an Amazon seller consultant? And more importantly, how do you even know you need one?
If you don't know the signs to watch out for, don't worry, we've got you covered. We asked a panel of experts why and how you should hire an expert Amazon seller consultant.
The experts:
- Jimmy Zona, director of e-commerce and digital marketing at Turbie Twist
- Brittany McCormick, an Amazon consultant at Story Box Management
- Rob Schad, an experienced Amazon consultant
What is an Amazon Consultant?
An Amazon consultant is a professional with expertise in navigating and optimizing the Amazon marketplace. Their primary role is to help businesses and sellers grow their presence on Amazon by providing strategic advice, optimizing listings, and managing various aspects of Amazon’s ecosystem.
Amazon consultants typically have deep knowledge of the platform’s algorithms, advertising tools, and seller policies, and they use this expertise to improve your store’s visibility, drive traffic, and ultimately increase sales. Here’s a closer look at the core responsibilities of an Amazon consultant:
- Product Listing Optimization: An Amazon consultant can help you create compelling product listings with well-written titles, bullet points, descriptions, and high-quality images that are designed to boost conversion rates. They ensure that your products are easily discoverable by optimizing keywords and structuring listings to appeal to both Amazon’s algorithm and your target audience.
- Amazon SEO: Similar to traditional SEO, Amazon SEO focuses on optimizing your content so it ranks higher in Amazon search results. Consultants stay up-to-date on the latest trends and Amazon’s ever-changing algorithm to make sure your products appear in relevant searches.
- Advertising and Campaign Management: Amazon’s advertising platform offers various tools, including Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and display ads. A consultant can help you develop and manage effective PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns to increase visibility, drive traffic to your listings, and optimize your ad spend for better ROI.
- Account Health and Compliance: Navigating Amazon’s policies and ensuring that your account remains in good standing is critical. A consultant can guide you on compliance, avoiding suspension risks, and managing customer feedback to keep your account healthy.
- Data Analysis and Reporting: Consultants often use data analytics tools to track performance, identify trends, and provide insights into sales performance. They can help you adjust strategies based on this data to continually improve your Amazon business.
- Amazon FBA and Logistics: Many Amazon consultants are also familiar with Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program. They can advise on logistics, inventory management, and optimizing fulfillment strategies to ensure smooth operations and minimize costs.
An Amazon consultant can be a game-changer for businesses looking to scale on Amazon, offering expert guidance and strategic support that drives long-term success on the platform.
Why invest in an expert Amazon consultant?
While investing in a growth marketer can help your Amazon campaign, someone with deep channel expertise can often make a bigger impact.
“The biggest upside [of hiring an expert] is the understanding of Amazon as a platform and how different it is compared to DTC channels,” Schad told MarketerHire. “A lot of stuff that works in DTC does not work for Amazon.”
"A lot of stuff that works in DTC does not work for Amazon."
For example, DTC brands often rely on search engine optimization (SEO) to rank on Google SERPs — but ranking on Amazon SERPs doesn’t work the same way. Instead of amassing backlinks, Amazon sellers need to focus on sales volume, and click-through rates.
When you’re trying to make an impression on Amazon and boost conversion rates, these differences between Google SEO and Amazon optimization can have a considerable impact. Going in underprepared is not an option.
“I think it is important that you’re fully aware of what you’re up against when you’re launching these new products,” said McCormick. “[Amazon is] a lot more competitive than it used to be.”
5 signs you need an Amazon consultant
There are a few clear signs that your business needs help with its Amazon listings and content. Our experts said to watch out for these signs that you need the help of an Amazon consultant as soon as possible.
1. You haven’t really considered selling on Amazon.
Welcome to the 21st century! Amazon is a key channel for B2C sellers, especially small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). In 2020, SMBs sold over 6,500 items per minute on Amazon.
If you’re holding back because you don’t understand how to get started or need advice on funding, an Amazon consultant can help you understand what you’re in for.
“They can give you some realistic expectations that you might not know about going into Amazon — how much it’s going to cost, and things of that nature,” McCormick told MarketerHire.
For most brands, $3,000-$4,000 is enough to cover startup costs, including product creation and Amazon fees.
2. You want to sell on Amazon, but you’re not sure how to start.
If you’ve realized how valuable Amazon is and want to start selling on the platform, it’s crucial to get off to the right start with an Amazon consultant.
“Those individuals are gonna set you up for success,” said McCormick. “They’ll get you ramped up faster than what you could potentially do on your own.”
“They’ll get you ramped up faster than what you could potentially do on your own.”
Zona echoed the sentiment, warning that the time you take to set up campaigns on your own could cost you.
“The sooner you start working with the marketer for Amazon, the better… by the time you’ve learned it, mastered it, and scaled it, you might be too late,” he said. "Every day you wait to hire an Amazon marketer you are giving your competitors a leg up."
3. You started an Amazon store, but you’re struggling to break even.
If you’re struggling to earn back the costs involved in setting up shop on Amazon — think the price of joining the Amazon Brand Registry, or the monthly fee for Fulfillment by Amazon — you might be running into some basic problems:
- Listings that don’t match Amazon product guidelines
- Too few reviews (or too few good reviews)
- Product descriptions created without Amazon SEO in mind
That last bullet is big. There are two things Amazon stores struggling to achieve profitability often have in common, according to Schad.
“They’re not writing content that’s maximized for SEO, and they’re not creating images that maximize conversions,” he said. “They’re just following brand guidelines and basically copying and pasting what they have on direct-to-consumer sites.”
Don’t assume you can repurpose content from other marketing channels — or your own website — for your Amazon store.
Amazon is like TikTok: You have to create new assets for the channel.
4. Your Amazon sales have flatlined.
“I would say if you’re at a point where your sales just aren’t moving in the right direction, you’re going to need to hire someone to help you move that along,” McCormick said.
Amazon is such a competitive sales channel competitive that searching for “sneakers” produces over 50,000 results.
Growing a business alongside nearly every other brand in the world is tough. Product sales can flatline due to:
- Niche encroachment
- Supply chain issues
- A rash of less-than-stellar review
An Amazon sales consultant can help your brand find its growth trajectory again.
“If there’s a market fit for [your] brand on Amazon… having an expert there will help you address it and get closer to gaining that market share,” Schad said.
5. You’re killing it on Amazon, but that’s kind of an accident.
If your Amazon store is doing well, but it’s been an ad hoc effort so far, an expert consultant could guide your growth.
An Amazon seller consultant can come in, audit your existing strategy, and create a comprehensive plan that accounts for paid Amazon ads, keyword research, SEO, content, product listing optimization, logistics and more — and fits your budget.
“Typically, SEO content and advertising are going to be your two biggest assets on Amazon,” McCormick said. “Then, generating reviews is important, but that’s going to come organically if you’ve got the correct copy, SEO, and advertising in place.”
“Typically, SEO content and advertising are going to be your two biggest assets on Amazon. ”
How to hire an Amazon consultant
Any old Amazon Prime member can claim to be an Amazon expert, but they can’t accomplish what a channel specialist with years of experience can.
Here are six tips to help you find a high-impact Amazon consulting services.
1. Utilize Marketing Hiring Services like MarketerHire
Hiring the right Amazon consultant can be a time-consuming and challenging task, especially if you're not familiar with the intricacies of Amazon's marketplace or the specific expertise required for success. One effective way to streamline your search is by partnering with a trusted marketing hiring service like MarketerHire.
MarketerHire connects businesses with top-tier, pre-vetted marketing professionals, including Amazon consultants with proven track records. This service takes the guesswork out of hiring by offering access to experts who specialize in Amazon sales strategies, product listings, advertising, and more. Whether you're looking for help with optimizing your listings, running PPC campaigns, or scaling your Amazon store, MarketerHire can match you with a consultant who fits your needs, saving you time and ensuring you get the expertise required to succeed on the platform.
Here's how you get started:
- Fill out a quick form and hop on a 20-minute intro call with your dedicated growth manager to describe all your requirements
- Get matched with a pre-vetted Amazon consultant within 48 hours
- Have them start working with your team within three days
2. Hammer out your brand identity
Brand marketers can help you establish your position and style guides, but an Amazon consultant translates your brand’s core themes to Amazon’s platform, where you have few customization options.
During onboarding, Zona explains that it’s essential to align with your Amazon consultant on brand identity and set clear expectations.
“If someone’s going to do your entire Amazon page, you want it to be consistent with your website, with the rest of your messaging.”
Even though you can’t change much about how product listings look on Amazon, you can telegraph some aspects of your brand identity in A+ content or your brand store.
3. Set a budget for the role.
Like most hiring decisions, compensation considerations play a big role in the Amazon consultant or marketing agency you choose — especially because there are several different compensation models.
“Some people want a cut of all sales,” Zona said of his own experience hiring Amazon consultants. “Some people want a cut of ad sales. Other options want flat fees. So, I would advise people to really weigh those carefully.”
Make sure Amazon consultant fees won’t cut into your general operations budget.
If you’re just starting and can’t afford the best Amazon consultant’s retainers, consider hiring someone on an hourly basis instead.
4. Look for marketing and operations know-how
An Amazon seller consultant’s skill set goes beyond that of a growth marketer or content marketer.
In fact, Schad says your consultant can’t just craft marketing strategies — they need to be “50% marketer and 50% operational manager.”
Proficiency in areas like inventory management and account management lets your Amazon seller consultant make real-time decisions about items to keep in stock, changes to an ongoing pay-per-click (PPC) campaign, and more.
Overall, your Amazon seller consultant must be proficient in:
- Amazon SEO
- Amazon advertising, especially Amazon PPC campaigns
- Marketing
- Online sales
- In-depth platform knowledge
- Operations and logistics (including Amazon FBA)
Read more about the essential Amazon marketer skills here.
5. Look at their track record
“A lot of companies... don’t have the history that you would want,” said Zona. “I suggest working with people who work for companies you respect.”
“I suggest working with people who work for companies you respect.”
It’s best to hire someone who has a proven track record of producing results on Amazon — and has avoided clients that rely on unethical tactics, like fake reviews.
So during the interview process, get a clear idea of the consultant’s previous experience. Ask what sort of traffic, revenue and conversion rate lift their work has driven, and what tactics they used to achieve those numbers.
6. Ask about keyword research
Amazon consultants aren’t cheap, so to get the most bang for your buck, look for one who knows your niche well — or is willing to do a deep dive into the data.
“There are a lot of people who do outstanding research and can find those little niches that are easy wins… instead of just going after the more expensive, general keywords,” Zona said.
“There are a lot of people who do outstanding research and can find those little niches that are easy wins.”
If you’re a new sneaker company, you’re probably not going to rise to the top of Amazon’s “sneaker” SERP, but you might be able to rise to the top of the “retro shoes” one — which has about 10% the competition.
So before you hire an Amazon consultant, ask them about their keyword research process, and any past experience growing revenue in a competitive Amazon niche.
How to take your Amazon revenues from zero to hero
Investing the time and effort to find an excellent Amazon FBA consultant can pay off big time.
For example, Amazon marketer Kyle Goguen helped a clothing manufacturer to launch their business and generate $85,000 in monthly revenue in less than a year.
But finding the wrong consultant can result in myriad issues, and at worst, a lifetime Amazon ban.
If you don’t have time to handle the recruiting yourself, find pre-vetted Amazon consultants on MarketerHire’s freelance talent platform. We only accepts the top 5% of marketing talent — try us today.