Great news for authors. Amazon has launched a new feature for authors called Attribution Tags.
However, you might see that phrase and wonder, what the heck is an “Attribution Tag,” and why would I ever need one?
Put simply, Attribution Tags are specific tracking links provided by Amazon that you can place online and view the book sales that result.
For instance, have you ever put an Amazon link for your book on your…?
- Author website
- Blog post
- Email newsletter
- Facebook ad
If so, did you wonder how many book sales on Amazon actually occurred from people clicking on those links?
Of course, you had to wonder and guess. That’s because Amazon held all of the sales data and never let authors see it. That is, until now.
Attribution Tags represent a new feature where you can view the amount of book sales that come from the links where you send people to Amazon.
Even better, they’re FREE. That’s why every author needs to know about Attribution Tags.
Amazon defines an Attribution Tag as “a measurement tool that helps authors track Amazon book sales from non-Amazon advertising channels.”
Examples of “non-Amazon advertising channels” would include marketing activities you’re already doing, such as the emails you send, your social media posts, your author website, blog posts, and almost every kind of online advertising, including Facebook ads, Instagram ads, Google ads, and links on YouTube.
To be clear, Attribution Tags are not affiliate links or part of the Amazon Associates program. There is no commission given. Instead, you just get access to the tracking data. But, that data is valuable.
Below is an example of an Amazon Attribution Tag in action:
In the image above, you can see part of a newsletter that I sent out to my email list. Within the newsletter, I put a promotion for my books. The blue hyperlink that you see on my email which says, “Click here to purchase,” is an Amazon Attribution Tag that tracked how many people clicked on the link, went to Amazon’s website, and then how many books were sold as a result.
As you can see on the next image, the results were positive. From this one email, the data from the Amazon tracking link showed there were 36 clicks, which led to 13 books sold, and yielded sales of $62. In addition, I got this data within two days after sending the email.
Before Amazon Attribution Tags, I had to guess if my emails were helping to sell books or not. Now, I can know for sure.
Attribution Tags can also be used on most online advertising platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Google, YouTube, etc. For instance, if you insert an attribution tag into a Facebook ad, Amazon will tell you how many book sales come from that ad.
Attribution Tags even apply to websites, such as your author website. You can place tags on your site that link to Amazon, then track how many book sales come from people who visit your site.
Do you see why Attribution Tags can be so helpful?
No more guessing. Now you can measure the effectiveness of your book marketing efforts for free.
However, there is a catch.
You must have an Amazon advertising account in order to access Amazon Attribution Tags. At this time, that’s the only way for authors to get into the system and set up tags for books.
What if you don’t have an Amazon advertising account?
Or, what if you have an advertising account but still feel intimidated about creating Amazon ads?
As luck would have it, my popular course, Mastering Amazon for Authors, reopens for enrollment on Thursday, April 18th.
Inside the course, there are three modules that explain how to market, self-publish, and advertise books on Amazon. Module #3 is dedicated to Amazon ads and contains eight instructional videos that show how to set up an advertising account and create successful Amazon ads.
In addition, I added a brand-new tutorial that shows step-by-step how to create Attribution Tags and review the data.
The new tutorial about Attribution Tags makes the course registration price worth it by itself.
Imagine no longer having to guess if book sales are happening on Amazon.
Imagine being able to track your Amazon sales from all of the places that you promote your books, including emails, Facebook ads, social media posts, and your website.
No more praying or hoping. Starting today, you can make smarter decisions about marketing your books by relying on real-time data from Amazon Attribution Tags.
Learn everything you need to know when Mastering Amazon for Authors re-opens for enrollment.
