Are you struggling to plan which is better Automatic targeting or manual targeting on Amazon campaigns? Is it better to run both campaigns in parallel?
If you are planning to start PPC campaigns on your own then it is important to understand and plan Amazon’s campaign strategy before launching the product.
If you have already launched your products on Amazon and still planning to understand the strategy of whether to start with automatic targeting or manual targeting then continue reading this post.
Short Answer:
The main difference between them is Auto campaigns uses Amazon’s keyword database to promote the product whereas in Manual campaign you target potential keywords with research.
Both campaigns contain different benefits and both types have their discreet importance which no one can deny.
Comparison Between Amazon Manual and Automatic Campaigns
There are several differences between Automatic and Manual campaigns however the major difference is Automatic campaign utilizes Amazon’s keyword database to promote your product and the Manual campaign utilizes your targeted keywords to promote products.
Other differences are listed below,
Ease of Setup:
Automatic campaigns are easy to set up as Amazon will target relevant search terms and products on its own whereas manual campaigns are difficult to set up as you need expertise in understanding which keyword has more potential with respect to the budget, conversion, competition, etc.
Remember automatic campaigns are only as good as your selection of product category, listing content, and backend search terms, if you have not listed your product in the right category or used irrelevant keywords in listing content then the automatic campaign result will not be good.
Manual campaigns will only provide you with a good result if you understand the dynamics of competition, budget requirements for the most relevant potential keywords, and bid optimization.
Ideal Use:
Automatic campaigns are better for harvesting keywords and relevant product ASINs on which you can receive better conversion whereas Manual campaigns are good when you know the right keywords where you can receive good conversion at low advertising cost.
We recommend sellers to start automatic campaigns with low bids and increase gradually to reap the benefits of automatic targeting and remember to exclude unwanted keywords and ASINs.
For manual targeting, you can choose Phrase, Exact and Broad campaigns with which it becomes slightly complex however we recommend sellers to add a maximum of 5 keywords per ad group.
Benefits & Drawbacks:
Automatic campaigns harvest new keywords whereas manual campaigns are limited to targeted keywords.
Automatic campaigns use the Amazon algorithm to promote products that are unbiased from human intervention and may provide several potential keywords, unlike manual targeting.
Automatic campaigns try experimenting with several search terms in a limited time whereas manual campaigns stick to your selected keywords.
Manual campaigns are less costly in comparison to an automatic campaigns.
In manual campaigns, sellers have better control over ad spending, ACOS, and sales, unlike automatic campaigns.
In manual campaigns, sellers have better control over keywords and placements, unlike in automatic campaigns.
When to use Automatic Targeting and Manual Targeting
Every Amazon ad campaign type is beneficial and has its peculiar advantages depending on the product. Timeline, budget, and various other factors however automatic targeting should be used at the start when you are unaware of the potential keywords.
Manual campaigns should be targeted after auto campaigns harvested the potential keywords and from there, onwards sellers can choose to try manual phrases and manual broad if their budget permits them.
Amazon PPC campaigns are not limited to only sponsored products auto and manual campaigns there are other types of campaigns as well which we will discuss in another blog.
Conclusion:
Amazon’s automatic campaign and manual campaigns are both important however these are optimized differently and their working mechanism is different. It is important to learn to manage PPC campaigns before you start losing money on an advertisement without getting any return on investment.
If you are struggling with your Amazon PPC management then you can contact us and get a free consultation call with us so that we can check your existing campaign.
