Microsoft Ads, sometimes referred to as Bing Ads, is an established paid marketing platform used by businesses of all sizes, from Fortune 500s to local retailers and service businesses. Microsoft Bing holds approximately 3.93% of the global search engine market share across all devices, with a more substantial presence in desktop searches at around 10.5%.
Within their ad network, advertisers gain visibility on both Bing and Microsoft Search Partners. They offer a diverse array of campaign types including search, display, video, retail, and pmax.
Microsoft Ads are great for B2B advertisers due to their ownership of LinkedIn. Advertisers take advantage of “Linkedin profile targeting” to target people based on the company they work for, their job title, job function, company size, and more.
What are the best Microsoft Ads campaigns for local businesses?
So, which are the best Microsoft campaigns for your local business? Well, the answer will depend on the industry you’re in and your marketing goals. Luckily, Microsoft has a lot of opinions when it comes to campaigns, and at least one will be the right fit for you. Let’s take a look at each campaign type and the benefits they provide.
Search
We recommend all businesses start with Search. With traditional keyword based search campaigns, advertisers are able to capture on demand interest from potential buyers searching on Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, and all other search engines within Microsoft’s ad network.
If you’re looking into Microsoft Ads, you’re most likely already running ads on Google. This will make getting started with Microsoft a walk in the park. Bing Import makes it simple and easy to import your existing Google Ads Search campaigns to Microsoft Ads, allowing you to quickly get ads running on Microsoft. This can be a real time saver when first starting out with Microsoft Ads.
Advertisers on Microsoft appreciate the noticeable decrease in competition when compared to Google. Less competition in auctions means cheaper CPC’s and likely cheaper cost per lead. This can save you thousands of dollars overtime, especially if you are in an extremely competitive industry.
In addition to more affordable CPC’s, advertisers often have stronger targeting options than Google Ads due to Linkedin profile targeting feature. This allows you to set up bid adjustments (bid more aggressively) for people based on their work industries, job function, the company they work for, and more. While Google has some demographic targeting options they don’t have targeting options related to job/employment. This makes Microsoft Ads exceptionally useful for those in the B2B sector.
PMax
Ready to expand from Search? Microsoft Ads has rolled out their own version of Performance Max. This is very similar to Google PMax, with the added benefit of better targeting options through the linkedin network. Performance Max works by utilizing AI to automate and optimize ad delivery across the Microsoft network. You simply upload your creative assets, and Microsoft will do the rest. The AI will test various ad combinations across different platforms, all the while learning what works best. The AI continuously learns and optimizes ad delivery, finding the most effective combinations to achieve your campaign goals.
Display
Next, let’s talk about display ads. These are visual ads, consisting of images, interactive banners, or videos. These ads can be displayed on any website or app within the Microsoft network, which is extremely large and far-reaching. The ads can appear in various locations on a page, including the top, bottom, or side. Additionally, they can be targeted to specific audiences based on criteria such as demographic, interests, browsing behaviors, age, device, gender, and location. Display ads are great for familiarizing people with your brand, capturing the viewer’s attention, and driving traffic to your landing page.
Retail
Retail is Microsoft’s equivalent of Google shopping and works in much the same way. When you make a search for a product on Bing, Microsoft will display a number of products matching your search at the top of the search engine results page. For example if you were to search for “winter jackets for men” you would see a variety of winter jackets for men from a number of different brands. Using Microsoft Retail consists of uploading your product feed. When doing this, be sure to use high-quality images and use the appropriate keywords. This will give your products the best chance of being displayed when a user makes a relevant search. Microsoft Retail can be a great way to drive sales.
Is Microsoft Ads Right for You?
Microsoft Ads is a tried and true platform for business owners who are looking for diversification in their marketing efforts. Advertisers who choose to promote on Microsoft Ads will enjoy reduced competition, lower CPCs, and an increase in desktop users. They can also take advantage of accurate, business-related targeting. Regardless of the type of business you run, if you’re interested in expanding your marketing efforts beyond Google, Microsoft Ads is a worthwhile investment.
Ready to expand into Microsoft Ads but not sure where to start? Contact Rise Marketing Group today! Our experts can help make your Microsoft campaign a success!
