Google Ads remains the dominant advertising platform, but increasing competition and high CPC costs are prompting many marketers to look for alternatives for their clients. One promising option is Microsoft Advertising.
Microsoft Advertising – what is it?
Microsoft Advertising (formerly known as Bing Ads) is a comprehensive service from Microsoft that allows you to create and display advertising campaigns. System-generated creatives are displayed to users across the Microsoft Advertising Network, including Microsoft sites and partner destinations.
Microsoft Search Ads may appear in search results on sites such as Bing, AOL, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, and search partner sites.
Microsoft Audience Ads can appear on sites such as MSN, Microsoft Start, Microsoft Edge, Outlook, and publisher partners based on Microsoft’s unique knowledge of potential customers.
By default, all new campaigns are configured to show ads across the entire Microsoft Advertising Network to ensure advertisers get the most exposure for their creatives.
7 reasons why advertising at Microsoft Advertising is a good choice for your client
Discover the most important benefits why you should start offering advertising to your clients with Microsoft Advertising. Thanks to these arguments, you will encourage many companies to cooperate.
#1 Audiences that are difficult to reach through other channels
Microsoft Advertising allows you to reach specific target groups and cover the entire customer purchase path – from start to finalization of the transaction. Here are the three most interesting types of ad audiences in the Microsoft ecosystem:
- Senior staff and businessmen: A characteristic feature of users of Bing and other Microsoft tools is that they often represent a group of corporate employees and business owners, who have more money than the average user of Google solutions. Additionally, Microsoft Advertising is the only advertising platform (besides, of course, LinkedIn itself) that includes LinkedIn. This allows you to precisely target ads to professionals and business decision-makers. B2B companies and luxury brands can successfully reach their potential customers thanks to Microsoft Advertising.
- Beginner internet users: the second characteristic group of users of Bing and the entire Microsoft ecosystem are people who are just starting their adventure with using the network. When they buy a computer, they have Microsoft Edge installed and use it exclusively, not knowing about other possibilities or not having enough skills to install another one. Such people typically buy what they see first because they are not adept enough to explore additional offers available on the digital market. The chance that they will make a purchase based solely on advertising increases significantly.
- Bing on your computer, Chrome on your phone: The last noteworthy group that can be reached using Microsoft Advertising are people browsing the Internet via Bing on desktop devices and Chrome on mobile devices. They often use company laptops for private purposes, where the employer installs full software from the Microsoft ecosystem. At the same time, they use smartphones based on Google solutions. Presenting ads to these users on Bing allows companies to create another brand touchpoint and build brand awareness among potential customers. In turn, the fact that they typically shop during working hours makes them make purchasing decisions faster because they have limited time, so advertisements can be more effective on them.
#2 Lower CPC costs than in Google Ads
One of the main reasons to consider Microsoft Advertising is financial. Due to the still low competition among advertisers, advertising costs on this platform are lower than in Google Ads, especially in the context of CPC (cost per click). This makes it possible to achieve a high return on investment (ROI) with a relatively low budget.
At Bidnamic, one of our clients experienced a 75% boost to revenue year-on-year and also saw impressions rise by 66% with Microsoft Ads. We find that Microsoft Ads’ powerful audience targeting abilities help ads reach highly relevant customers, and its AI-driven optimisation helps adjust campaigns for maximum performance and revenue – comments Dr Ingvar Kraatz, Co-Founder/COO at Bidnamic, a partner company of Sembot.
#3 Advanced analytical tools
Microsoft Advertising offers advertisers a rich set of analytical tools that enable them to track and analyze the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and optimize them in real time. Detailed reports and statistics are available regarding, among others: ad impressions, clicks, conversions, spend and return on investment.
Thanks to these advanced tools, advertisers can constantly monitor the progress of their campaigns and make decisions based on hard data. This allows you to optimize advertising strategies, adjust budgets and maximize spending efficiency.
#4 Integration with other tools and platforms
Microsoft Advertising is tightly integrated with the entire ecosystem of Microsoft products and services. This means that ads can be displayed not only on the Bing search engine, but also on partner sites, in mobile applications, games and other places where users use Microsoft solutions.
This broad presence increases the reach of advertising campaigns and gives access to diverse audiences, regardless of the devices and platforms they use. This is a huge advantage for companies that want to maximize their brand visibility and reach as many potential customers as possible.
Microsoft Advertising is also distinguished by the ability to easily integrate with other marketing and analytical tools, such as Google Analytics, CRM systems and marketing automation platforms. This integration allows for a better understanding of the customer’s purchasing path and more effective data management, which translates into better results of advertising campaigns.
#5 Advertising campaigns supported by AI
Microsoft Advertising is constantly evolving, implementing new features and innovations. In recent years, the platform has introduced, among others: product ads, expanded text ads and smart campaigns.
Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is used to optimize campaigns managed in the Microsoft ecosystem, which allows ads to be automatically adapted to the user’s context and increase their effectiveness.
#6 A wealth of advertising formats
Microsoft Advertising offers a wide range of advertising formats that can be tailored to various campaign goals and audience preferences. Multimedia ads, responsive search ads, dynamic search ads, product ads, vertical ads, and app install ads are just some of them.
The variety of formats allows you to create attractive and engaging campaigns that will attract users’ attention and encourage them to interact with your brand or product. Additionally, advertisers can test different formats and choose those that bring the best results.
#7 Technical support and educational resources
Advertisers using Microsoft Advertising can count on high-level technical support. The platform offers dedicated account managers, support forums and live chat.
Additionally, Microsoft provides a wide range of educational resources, such as an official blog, Microsoft Learn courses, and regular webinars, to help advertisers take full advantage of the ecosystem.
Microsoft provides a highly targeted advertising experience that is both broad in reach and specific in its ability to connect with consumers at the most opportune moments. This is why advertising with Microsoft can be a game-changer for any business – comments Lucas Gordon, Sr. Audience Ads Specialist, Channel Partner at Microsoft.
Free Microsoft Channel Partner Program for agencies that are looking for expert knowledge of Microsoft Advertising
Lower CPC costs, new targeting options, comprehensive support for advertisers and many other aspects make Microsoft Advertising an attractive advertising platform for market who are looking for an alternative to Google Ads for their clients or want to help them expand their target groups with completely new Internet users.
If you represent a marketing agency and want to take full advantage of Microsoft Advertising, join our free Microsoft Channel Partner Program, officially implemented in cooperation with Microsoft. It’s space, which aims to educate, create best practices and exchange knowledge in the field of the Microsoft advertising ecosystem.
As a member of the Microsoft Channel Partner Program, you will have access to:
- Microsoft expert knowledge not available anywhere else
- dedicated support
- exclusive affiliate programs
- opportunities to obtain financial and material benefits for achievements in the Microsoft Advertising promotion and special achievements in advertising campaigns
We will also award you a prestigious badge that highlights your membership in our community. We are the longest-standing and largest Microsoft partner in Central Europe – you can trust our knowledge. Join us today!
