Ad targeting is an essential marketing tool that enables advertisers to focus campaigns on a specific audience. Bing ads have been the most common form of targeted advertising offered by Microsoft as they are designed to maximise exposure to customers who show interest in a company’s products or services. The premise is to display the ads to customers on specific sites at convenient times. For example, a marketer may use mobile ad targeting to target customers within a one-mile radius of a restaurant at midday when most people are looking for a place to eat.
How Ad Targeting Has Evolved
Google has always been supportive regarding targeted advertising. Online marketers are free to choose the most effective search terms that match their target audience. However, advertisers struggle to match the user’s intent with the ad searches. For example, an 18-year-old and a 60-year-old looking for hair extensions may have different products in mind. Also, a man and a woman searching for leather coats online may be looking for different items. Despite conducting a thorough keyword search and building long keyword lists, the ability to integrate the user’s intent makes all the difference between effective and ineffective ad targeting. Advertising platforms like Bing and Facebook have provided demographic targeting for campaigns but, there is a need for online advertisers to analyse data into more detailed results that can help them create valuable ads that lead to conversions.
What is Microsoft Advertising?
Microsoft advertising has been developed as a result. This form of advertising provides more detailed search results about where ads are appearing. The platform powers sponsored ads for search engine results on the Microsoft Search Network. The network enables businesses to connect with customers within their service area when searching online for topics related to their trade on devices using Windows 10, Bing, Office and Cortana. It extends to exclusive publisher partnerships, including readers who visit The Wall Street Journal, AOL, InfoSpace, Gumtree among others. The premise is to reach as many searchers on Bing Network, which boasts 407 million monthly desktop searches. Small companies are required to bid for ad placements on search engine results that appear when users browse on the Microsoft Search Network. The ads appear when users search on topics related to your trade and led to your website, physical location or phone line. The beauty of Microsoft Advertising is that businesses don’t have to pay maintenance fees; instead, they pay when someone clicks on the ad.
Microsoft Advertising Metrics
The platform has introduced useful metrics to help advertisers improve their ad targeting campaigns:
- Top impression percentage
- Top impression percentage lost to budget and rank
- Absolute top impression percentage
- Absolute top impression percentage lost to rank and budget
The term top impression means any position in the first search results while absolute top impression refers to ads that were the first to be displayed on the search results. The premise for this form of advertising is to provide useful insight regarding where the user’s ads appear on the search result page. It also enables advertisers to identify declining ad performance and determine ways to improve it.
