ACOS Down from 85% to 13.84% in Just 15 Days — Management

We began by auditing the account and immediately pausing all active campaigns. The structure was messy — mostly automated, with high bids, scattered match types, and no keyword exclusions. We rebuilt the entire ad system with a lean, manual campaign model focused on exact-match and phrase-match keywords tied to the book’s niche and reader intent.

 

Our team launched separate campaigns for branded, generic, and competitor-focused keywords. This allowed us to control budget and monitor performance channel by channel. We carefully researched buying-intent keywords using tools like Publisher Rocket and Helium 10, selecting only those that aligned with the book’s theme and had a history of driving sales.

 

We implemented a daily monitoring cycle, especially in the first seven days. We closely tracked ACOS, CTR, and CPC on each keyword. Keywords showing signs of poor conversion were paused or bid down within 48 hours. Simultaneously, any keyword with strong ROAS was bid up slowly to scale without losing efficiency.

 

A critical piece of the turnaround was our negative keyword strategy. We immediately blocked irrelevant terms that were costing money without delivering value. This narrowed the funnel to only serious buyers and helped drastically reduce the client’s cost-per-click while increasing conversions.

 

We also launched a competitor ASIN-targeting campaign. By placing the author’s book on similar (but lower-rated or higher-priced) book listings, we were able to capture ready-to-buy customers who were actively browsing. This led to a surprising spike in conversions by day 5 of the new campaign rollout.

 

Next, we worked on improving the listing conversion rate. We helped the client revise their book description, title subtitle, and backend keywords to ensure relevance and alignment with the ads. Stronger visuals and sharper copy increased trust and pushed more customers from click to purchase.

 

We layered in promotional timing to build momentum. A small 5-day price drop, promoted through ads and supported by organic ranking improvements, created urgency that boosted CTR and purchase intent during the second week of the campaign.

 

We set strict budget limits for each campaign but remained flexible based on keyword performance. By focusing 80% of the daily budget on only the top-performing keywords and pausing the rest, we were able to stretch the small budget while still scaling daily sales.

 

We also used AI-enhanced analytics tools to detect performance patterns. This real-time feedback allowed us to adapt rapidly to what was working — and avoid unnecessary testing that burns budget. This hybrid approach of automation plus expert oversight made every dollar count.

 

After just 15 days, we had reduced the ACOS from 85% down to 13.84%, and generated $4,225 in sales from just $584 in ad spend. The client, who was previously losing hope, is now a firm believer in smart, strategic Amazon advertising — and has already signed on for long-term scaling.