Microsoft Advertising’s distinctive technology empowers you to conduct transactions according to your preferences and launch campaigns tailored to your business requirements. Launch your video and CTV ads seamlessly across Microsoft’s extensive network with just a few clicks on the Microsoft Advertising platform without onboarding or setup fees. Alternatively, Microsoft Invest (fueled by Xandr) is a high-tier DSP that empowers you to execute personalized media buying strategies across various channels and formats at the enterprise level. This blog post will explore the complete guide to Microsoft video advertising.

Microsoft Video Advertising 

Video advertisements on the Microsoft Audience Network are now widely accessible to enhance ongoing search and image advertising initiatives. In September 2021, Microsoft initiated a trial of video ads in specific countries. A year later, video ads are accessible to all Microsoft advertisers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, New Zealand, Germany, and Australia. These video ads are distributed throughout the Microsoft Advertising Network within the mentioned countries. By leveraging intent data sourced from Bing search, the Microsoft Edge Browser, LinkedIn, and users’ web activity, Microsoft tailors its video ads to specific audiences. During testing, Microsoft observed a 50% increase in conversions when incorporating video into search campaigns instead of running search campaigns alone.

Optimizing Microsoft Video Advertisement 

Optimizing a Microsoft video advertisement involves combining creative, targeting, and analytical strategies. Here are some tips to help you optimize your Microsoft video advertisement:

Don’t Compromise on Keyword Research 

If your advertising initiatives need phrases and words that resonate with your audience, aligning your ads with their preferences becomes challenging. Therefore, engaging in comprehensive keyword research is a highly effective strategy to enhance your campaign’s effectiveness. The good news is that finding suitable keywords can be a simple search. Microsoft provides a complimentary tool called Keyword Planner, making it effortless for you to pinpoint the most impactful words for your campaign.

Keep Up With Your Audience 

Every marketer understands the significance of identifying their audience’s pain points, motivations, and tendencies. This insight is crucial for crafting effective campaigns. Stay abreast of changes that might impact your audience. Since your audience consists of humans, various factors like trends and economic conditions will likely shape their behavior. Stay well-informed about these factors to enhance the performance of your campaigns.

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Import Campaigns from Other Advertising Networks

If you are currently running campaigns on other advertising platforms, such as Facebook Ads or Google Ads, you can seamlessly import successful campaigns into Bing Ads. This expedites the campaign launch process significantly. All you need to do is make slight adjustments to your ads to cater to the Microsoft audience, and you’re ready to roll. Leveraging your existing user data lets you optimize your Bing Ads from the start.

Engage Universal Event Tracking (UET) Tag

This tag provides valuable information about user actions following the click on your advertisements and their subsequent visit to your landing page. The UET tag supplies data on the duration users spend on your site and insights into whether they finalize a purchase or simply explore the content. To configure this tag:

• Navigate to the Campaigns.
• Tab and choose Conversion Tracking. 
• Select UET tags. 
• Customize the tag name for easy identification, and input your URL to complete the setup.

Keep an Eye on Quality Score

The competitiveness of your ads is reflected in your quality score, which is calculated based on your CTR, ad relevance, and landing page experience. A lower score suggests your ads might not be displayed as frequently as desired. Conversely, a higher score indicates that your ads effectively target essential keywords and achieve a substantial CTR. To assess your quality score:

• Navigate to the Keywords.
• Tab on the Campaigns page.
• Click on the Qual.score column.

Microsoft Video Ad Specifications

Microsoft video advertisements vary in duration, from six seconds to two minutes. However, Microsoft recommends videos shorter than 30 seconds for optimal engagement. The video aspect ratio can range from 16:9 (widescreen) to 9:16 (vertical). Microsoft provides the following bidding choices for video ads:

Optimize for Impressions

Bid based on 1000 viewable impressions. An impression is recorded when a viewer engages in two seconds of continuous play.

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Optimize for Views

Bid for a single video view. A view is registered when an individual watches at least 15 seconds of the video or clicks on the ad.

Optimize for Clicks

Bid for each click on the video. A click is tallied when the viewer lands on your website.

How To Create A Microsoft Video Campaign

Generate a Microsoft video advertising initiative using the following guidelines:

• Navigate to the menu on the left and opt for Campaigns.
• Click on Create campaign.
• Pick a goal focused on video content.
• Input the Campaign name and Daily budget, click Save & proceed to the next step.
• Specify an Ad group name and define your audience targeting preferences.
• Click Save & move to the next step.
• Incorporate your video content.
• Click Save & proceed to the next step.
• Set your Budget & bid preferences.
• Click Save.

Final Verdicts

This comprehensive guide illuminates the dynamic landscape of Microsoft Video Advertising, underscoring its pivotal role in contemporary digital marketing. Microsoft Advertising’s innovative technology stack, extensive network, and integration with platforms like LinkedIn empower advertisers to engage audiences with precision and impact. Explore the landscape of Microsoft video advertising with this comprehensive guide, covering everything from key performance metrics to the details of ad formats and specifications. By grasping the platform’s intricacies, advertisers can unlock the complete potential of video ads. This enables them to craft campaigns that deeply connect with their intended audience, leading to measurable success in the dynamic digital landscape.