Good news if you’re using Microsoft Advertising: the platform is introducing three new targeting options!
Let’s take a look at each of them in detail.
Expanded LinkedIn Profile Targeting
You might have read this subheading and thought to yourself: “Wait. What does LinkedIn have to do with Microsoft Advertising?”
If that’s the case, then you’re probably a little new to digital marketing and unfamiliar with the acquisition stories that occurred over the years.
Microsoft now owns LinkedIn.
So, naturally, Microsoft uses its advertising platform to target people on its “Facebook for Adults” social media channel. That’s great news if you’re in the B2B space.
Microsoft first rolled out LinkedIn profile targeting back in 2018. But that was just a beta for U.S. marketers.
Fast-forward to today, and marketers can target LinkedIn users by job function, company, and industry. The targeting options are available for both Search and Audience campaigns.
Even better: the new goodies are no longer limited to U.S. users. Now, strategists in Canada, the UK, Germany, France, and Australia can expand their targeting efforts to LinkedIn account holders.
It gets better. You can now use industry-specific or job-specific campaign bid modifiers.
That means you can raise your bid when advertising to people in a specific industry or handle specific job functions. You’d want to do that if your analytics show that those are the folks most likely to convert.
Image Courtesy: Microsoft
In-Market Audiences
Now, you can use in-market audiences when targeting ads in France and Germany.
Hey, it’s a global economy. You might find quite a few people willing to buy what you’re selling in either of those countries.
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of in-market audiences, they consist of people that Microsoft has determined to be “in the market” for a certain product or service.
How does Microsoft know that? With the aid of its search engine: Bing.
Undoubtedly, though, there are other technologies that Microsoft uses to determine what folks are shopping for right now.
The bottom line is you can use Microsoft’s snooping to your advantage. When you run ads to people who are part of an in-market audience, you’re more likely to get solid leads.
And thanks to the recent advances in Microsoft Advertising, you can now target your marketing efforts to more than 100 French audiences and more than 200 German audiences.
You’ll also find plenty of verticals to choose from, such as financial services, auto, home, travel, and garden.
Microsoft also added 47 new U.S. in-market audiences in July. That brings the total number of audiences in the United States to more than 700.
Dynamic Remarketing for Shopping Emerges From Beta
“Emerges from beta” are the three most beautiful words to a digital marketer’s ear.
Microsoft Advertising just moved dynamic remarketing for Shopping out of its testing phase and into general release. Now it’s up to you to generate some revenue with it.
But, as the name implies, dynamic remarketing for Shopping is designed for marketers in the e-commerce space. If that’s not you, feel free to take a closer look at the other two new features I already covered.
Image Courtesy: Microsoft
Also as the name implies, dynamic remarketing for Shopping enables you to target people who’ve visited your website. That’s a great marketing strategy because those folks already showed an interest in your brand.
It’s possible they might just need a little extra nudge before they convert.
Also: Microsoft removes people from its dynamic remarketing lists “within minutes” of making a purchase. You won’t have to worry about wasting ad spend on shoppers who’ve already converted.
Wrapping It Up
With these new features, Microsoft Advertising makes it easier for you to target people (and to target more people) who are in your market.
If you advertise with the Microsoft platform take a look at the new features and determine which ones are best for your business.
