Google might dominate the search engine industry, but you don’t want the 63 million unreached searches to slide past you. Adding Microsoft Bing ads to your search engine marketing can boost your marketing efforts and reach a better and more aligned demographic. So, why would anyone stop at Google Ads when they can reach more people at an even lower cost?
Bing has a significantly lower market share in the search engine industry and a lower reach than Google. However, the Microsoft advertising platform has a few advantages, like a relatively lower cost, better targeting at the ad group level, etc. You also have better business-to-business (B2B) targeting with Microsoft Ads than with Google Ads.
We’ll run down several benefits of opting for a Microsoft advertising account for your digital marketing strategy. Your e-commerce business might hit the return on investment (ROI) you need to go to the next level. Then, we’ll leave you with some tips to optimize your Microsoft advertising campaign and enjoy the benefits to the fullest.
7 Benefits That Will Make You Add Microsoft Ads to Your Next Advertising Campaign
Are you running an e-commerce business or wish to start one in 2023? Do you wonder if Microsoft Ads is worth it? Google is undoubtedly the king of search engines, but Microsoft manages to edge past it in some aspects.
Microsoft Ads favors B2B e-commerce businesses more, but we’ll get to that soon. In the meantime, here are seven benefits of Microsoft Ads that will make you consider them in your next advertising campaign:
Platform Reach
Microsoft Ads, formerly Bing Ads, provides marketing reach across three search engines: Bing, Yahoo, and AOL. Reach is an important metric when targeting people on any search network. However, diversity and the number of platforms also matter.
You can create a campaign and allow Microsoft’s native placement, Microsoft’s Audience Network, to give you industry-specific targeting. Then, your image or feed promotions will appear on MSN, Edge, Outlook, Yahoo, AOL, etc. The better the ad placement, the better your chances of getting user clicks.
You can push in-market, product audience, and custom advertising campaigns across these channels.
Easier Demographic Ad Targeting
Microsoft Ads makes it incredibly easy to control which demographic to showcase products to in advertising campaigns. Furthermore, you can do this at the campaign level or be more specific at the ad group level.
Microsoft Ads allows user bid adjustments based on the gender and age of Microsoft Network (MSN) users. You can go from -90% to 900%, maximizing or minimizing your Microsoft advertising campaigns reach.
Another benefit in this aspect is increasing or decreasing your bids. Bing Ads can increase your ad bids when seen by your target audience. That increases your chances of winning online shoppers over to your business.
Targeting options include in-market, LinkedIn profile, custom audiences, keywords, location, gender, device, remarketing, etc.
Better Desktop Reach
We are in a mobile age, with mobile users growing steadily from 7.1 billion in 2021. However, the desktop still leads in conversion rates with 4.91% compared to 3.07% on mobile. The question is how well Microsoft Bing Ads is positioned in these conversions.
Desktop searches are far from declining, with MSN recording 13.2 billion monthly PC searches. That is quite a chunk of the PC search market share. Hence, advertising your e-commerce business on desktops using Bing ads places you in front of these searches.
You can quickly fill the gaps left by Google Ads and reach more customers.
Easy Importation of Google Ads
Let’s assume you have existing campaigns with Google Ads but want to add Bing Ads. You’ve set up your ad groups, and everything is running. MSN makes it easy to import campaigns from Google Ads.
You can also import from Facebook, creating a smooth blend with your social media marketing efforts. The MSN platform removes the need to recreate a new advertising campaign.
This import tool allows advertisers to save time and focus on other areas to boost their campaign performance.
Once imported, you can customize your marketing strategy, create new targets, and adjust bids and budgets. You can reach a new audience through search results or native advertising.
Relatively Lower Cost
Let’s address competition before going over the cost of running Microsoft Ads. That way, you will appreciate its affordability and realize its potential for your e-commerce business.
The Microsoft advertising platform has less competition. One could say that is due to its trailing market share behind Google. However, less competition gives your business an advantage to benefit from the 13 billion user searches on the network.
With fewer businesses struggling for keywords in their advertising campaigns, you have a better chance of getting clicks. Moreover, Microsoft Bing shopping ads have a 45% higher click-through rate (CTR) than Google. That is a stunning revelation worth considering to generate more leads in your next advertising campaign.
It is more affordable to advertise on Microsoft Ads than on Google Ads, thanks to less competition. The former has a significantly lower cost-per-click rate, making it ideal for small businesses with a smaller advertising budget.
Less competition or more leads do not necessarily equal more conversions. However, using Microsoft Ads makes your e-commerce business more advantageous to convert. Attract people first with your advertising campaigns.
Access to More Educated and Affluent Audiences
Targeting the right audience is essential for e-commerce businesses looking to boost website conversions.
Microsoft Ads can be a valuable tool in this regard as it allows access to a more mature demographic with the financial means to make online purchases. This is particularly advantageous for those selling luxury goods that require buyers with above-average incomes.
According to statistics, 73% of Microsoft search network users are below 45 years of age, and 41% fall in the top 25% of household income, making them more likely to purchase from e-commerce businesses. This targeted approach to advertising is more effective than a broader and less affluent reach.
For B2B campaigns, the number of users in the top 25% of household income increases to 46%, making it a crucial demographic to reach through advertising. Overall, targeted advertising on Microsoft Ads can help e-commerce businesses reach the right audience and increase their website conversions.
Split Ad Campaigns Based on Time Zones
We are familiar with optimizing and creating campaigns for specific locations. However, Bing Ads allows you to split a campaign into different time zones.
While creating campaigns, you can select the time based on the searcher’s local time zone. That means your campaign will appear to the searchers based on the time you set for their location. You don’t have to create different campaigns, as you would with Google Ads.
The B2B Advantage
Microsoft is undoubtedly the leading advertising platform for B2B e-commerce businesses. You can use “LinkedIn profile” in the targeting options to target a more refined audience based on industry or company.
Average search queries do not provide these insights about users. Hence, MSN is more efficient than Google Ads in this regard.
Microsoft is the right fit if you want customers for B2B products like spare parts and manufacturing materials.
Optimize Your Microsoft Advertising Campaign to Get the Most of It
Microsoft Ads has a few things going for it, even though it’s playing against Google Ads. To enjoy its benefits, you must get your advertising right, whether it is your first campaign or not.
We have a few suggestions to help you optimize your promotions and crush your advertising goal. They include the following:
Use the Right Keywords
Keyword targeting is crucial in online marketing, especially for e-commerce businesses. Hence, getting your keyword research right from the start is essential.
Ensure you thoroughly research the keywords in your niche and products before launching a campaign. You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Long Tail Pro, etc.
Boost Product Listings with Extensions
Like other PPC platforms, MSN allows extra ad space via ad extensions, such as flyers, reviews, call-to-actions, and more.
Taking up that extra space can increase the visibility of your promotions. The more visible you are, the better your prospects of converting to sales.
Optimize Product Listings on Landing Pages for Better Engagement
Whether you run your online retail website or use one of the top e-commerce platforms, optimizing your landing pages is necessary. Microsoft Ads may do their job of bringing shoppers to you, but the ultimate conversion lies in their page experience.
Conclusion
Microsoft advertising has a simple implementation that does not require a steep learning curve. A new advertiser can quickly catch up to the tools and launch campaigns easily. Conversely, professional advertisers will be able to switch to the platform easily.
Remember to optimize your campaigns. You can import your top-performing campaigns from Google Ads and run them immediately on MSN. That spares you the hassles of starting from scratch, especially when you manage multiple promotions.
Overall, Bing Ads is robust enough to run winning promotions. It even boasts higher click-through rates for online shopping than Google. However, we do not recommend you use it alone.
You can add Bing advertising to your overall strategy. It is a reliable way to cover the lapses in Google promotions.
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