Those looking to enhance their digital marketing game – but perhaps aren’t keen on going down the Google PPC route – can benefit from Bing/Microsoft ads. Regardless of the focus of your campaign, there are several different ad types designed for a particular campaign end goal. What’s more, Bing Ads are much less competitive than Google Ads. Let’s delve deeper….
But first – make sure you have created a Bing Ads account.
What is Microsoft Advertising?
Microsoft Advertising is formally known as Bing Ads – ergo, if you’re familiar with the latter, the former is the same.
For those unfamiliar, Microsoft Advertising is PPC (pay-per-click) digital advertising available through Microsoft and for the search engine, Bing. How it works is an internet user will search for a product, service, news article, and so on, using certain keywords and phrases in conjunction with the subject and advertisers will create content using specific keywords and phrases so that their brand pops up in the search results. Bing Ads campaigns are designed for lead generation and conversion – much like Google Ads.
As with Google Ads, in order to set up a successful Bing Ads campaign, you will need to bid for the best keywords for your campaign topic per an auction system. Bing Ads aren’t as expensive or competitive as Google Ads, so this can be a great strategy for SMEs or start-ups on a budget.
If well executed, well optimised, and well monitored (in terms of KPIs), you can expect a pleasant ROI with your Bing Ads campaign, and this article shows you just how.
Familiarising Yourself With the Bing Ads Types
There is more than one Bing Ad type – in fact, there’s 8. They are:
- Multimedia Ads
- Microsoft Audience Ads
- Microsoft Advertising in Bing Smart Search
- Dynamic Search Ads
- App Install Ads
- Expanded Text Ads
- Responsive Search Ads
- Product Ads
Multimedia Ads
The purpose of this ad type is to display your campaign on publisher websites, and because they’re multimedia-focussed, they typically rely on eye-catching visuals to grab the reader’s attention. A multimedia ad is made up of the following:
- Title
- Image
- Copy (the description)
- Redirect link/URL (such as your website)
- Your CTA (call-to-action)
With multimedia ads on Bing, Microsoft Advertising recommends you use four descriptions, fifteen headlines, and sixteen images. This is because the platform mixes and matches these to create optimal combinations. Here you have more info about theses Bing ads display.
Microsoft Audience Ads
Please note: this ad type is only available in the following countries:
- Germany
- Australia
- New Zealand
- France
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Canada
These are native ads the Microsoft displays on online articles that Microsoft Audience Network has published. These ads will include the following components:
- Image
- Title
- Text
- Redirect link
These aren’t pop-up ads. They are more ‘organic’ (and less irritating!) and won’t interrupt the user with whatever they’re doing on that MS page. These ads (unlike MS Audience Ads) directly target your ideal audience using data drawn from current browsing session info, target demographic, search history, etc.
Microsoft Advertising in Bing Smart Search
The countries able to use this are:
- France
- Germany
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- United States
These ads are designed to appear in a user’s Windows search bar. The four components of this ad type are:
- Title
- Text
- Your landing page’s snapshot
- Redirect link
Dynamic Search Ads
These are similar to expanded text ads (which we’ll cover in a minute), but aren’t keyword-focussed. Instead they rely on the content of your web pages. Dynamic search ads generally only require three components:
- Title
- Text
- Redirect link
These ads are ideal if a campaign needs to be quickly whipped up, without having to rely on keyword research, monitoring, and tracking – all of which takes time.
App Install Ads
As the name suggests, the sole focus of this ad type is to encourage readers to download an app, with the end goal of redirecting them to an app store or play store, as opposed to your website. The only three components you’ll need are:
- Title
- Text
- ‘Download App’ CTA
Expanded Text Ads
Generally considered the simplest or ‘basic’ form of Microsoft advertising, Expanded Text Ads are text-based Bing search ads that comprise of the following components:
- Title
- Ad text/copy
- Display URL
- Final URL
These ads can be ideal for advertising any product or service that doesn’t rely on visuals to grab the reader’s attention, or that require a bit of written information to explain what’s going on.
Responsive Search Ads
Ideal for conversion-focussed campaigns, responsive search ads are highly effective – but only if plenty of testing and optimisation is performed. As with multimedia ads, Microsoft will allow you to implement multiple headlines and descriptions to mix and match them during the campaign testing period to enhance success. It will then decipher which combinations are the best performing.
Product Ads
Great for eComm brands, product ads are often the eye-catching banner ads you see at the top of your screen while product-browsing. These Bing shopping ads require little information, save:
- Product/s image
- Headline
- Price
- Seller details
The details will be automatically drawn from product catalogues and Microsoft Advertising will use these details to discern the right audience. Because these ads rely on very little written information, the visual appeal is important, so make sure images are crystal clear, high-quality, and professional-looking. The image will need to make a good impression immediately!
How to Thrive With Bing Ads
Setting up and publishing your campaign isn’t enough to guarantee success with Bing Ads advertising, so with that in mind, here are a few steps to follow to help you see the best ROI with your ad campaign.
Implement Tracking
Once your Bing Ads campaign is live, it is important to regularly track its performance. This can help you see if your budget is being well spent, as well as seeing how well your campaign is raking in the conversions, impressions, and so on.
Target Via Location
This helps with more pinpointed audience targeting, and ultimately – increased conversions. This serves well if you’re on a smaller budget, and you can include/exclude areas as you please.
Cost-Per-Click
Despite the fact you get charged per click on your ad, CPC/PPC advertising is actually a cost-effective and budget-friendly way to advertise. You’re also in control of your budget spend. However, Bing implements a budget management option strategy to ensure you get the most out of your money.
Conversion Rate (CR)
Because Bing is less competitive than Google Ads, conversion rate tends to be higher. Just be sure to regularly analyse your KPIs (e.g.: ad spend, cost-per-conversion, etc) and use the results to optimise your ads.
Keywords & Phrases
As we mentioned earlier, keywords are often crucial for success with PPC advertising, as well as SEO. In order to succeed here, you will need to conduct keyword research. There is no other way about it. Aim for ‘high-traffic’ keywords. Bing will help you here. You can also use ‘negative keywords’ which will prevent your ad from appearing in irrelevant search queries.
Conclusion
You are now ready to not only set up your first Bing Ads campaign, but to choose the right one for your particular advertising focus. Regardless of which ad type you work with, always remember to regularly check your KPIs to monitor the success of your campaign to tweak and optimise as needed.
If you’d like to learn more about how we help B2B SaaS and Tech companies grow their MRR through Bing ads, contact us online or send us an email today at info@getuplead.com to speak with someone on our team.
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