Microsoft Rolls Out New Updates For August: New Automated Extensions, Bidding Strategy, Etc

Microsoft declared a list of new product updates as well as releases for Advertisers including a new bid strategy, new automated extensions, manager-account labelling, extended brand safety protections and updates to Unified Campaigns. Here is all, what you need to know! 

Microsoft Ads Announces Target Impression Share 

Microsoft Ads reported the release of Target Impression Share strategy, mirroring that of Google Ads. Microsoft Ads will consequently set your bids based upon where you need your advertisements to appear and your Target Impression Share. 

Advertisers can choose that they’d prefer to show anywhere on the page, implying that they don’t mind which position they are in on the first page, “Top of page”, which means they want to show in the first set of advertisements that show up on the first SERP, or “Absolute top of the page” implying that they want to be the very first advertisement in the SERP. 

Advertisers can set a Max CPC limit yet it may restrict volume, depending on other settings that have been chosen. 

Target Impression Share is a decent bid strategy for people who prioritise visibility and perceivability, however it may cost more. 

For search campaigns, you can utilize the experiments feature to run A/B bidding strategy tests to get a clear read on which bidding strategy performs best for your objectives. 

New automated extensions

Beginning in August, Microsoft is all set to launch new automated extensions, which will be available to all advertisers. 

• Dynamic Location extensions will pull in location information from advertiser location extensions and Bing Maps

• Dynamic Multimedia extensions will append multimedia assets, such as images and videos (begins flighting in early 2022) 

• Syndication Decorations are automated buttons or enhancements that partners use to entice clicks

All advertisers will have the ability to opt-in or out of any of these extensions. 

Account Labelling

For advertisers utilizing a MCC, Microsoft Ads is rolling out manager account-level labels. These permit advertisers tag accounts, advertisements, keywords and campaigns in your management scope with labels and furthermore permit you pivot your reports and insights with those labels. 

Track product-specific conversions with product conversion goals

Advertisers utilizing Shopping Campaigns or other feed-based campaigns can now create product conversion goals and objectives. 

What is product-specific goal and objective and when is it utilized? As per Microsoft, it can work in two different ways: 

A customer clicks an ad for Product A, navigates away without purchasing, subsequently clicks an ad for Product B, but ends up purchasing Product A. Normally, this conversion would be attributed to the ad for Product B because that was the ad last clicked. However, with the product conversion goal, you can track this as a conversion for the ad for Product A.

Then again, for retailers participating in item specific objectives, they can likewise attribute conversions at the brand level. As per Microsoft: 

A customer clicks an ad for Product A (Brand X), but ends up purchasing Product B (Brand X). Normally, no conversion would be reported. However, with the product conversion goal for brands, you can track this as a conversion for Brand X. You must have Microsoft Shopping Campaigns for Brands set up for this scenario.

Integral Ad Science platform-wide brand safety protection now available globally

Microsoft announced a partnership with Integral Ad Science (IAS) last September. The objective of this organization was to add more brand protection options on the Microsoft Audience Network. This is now available globally in the business sectors where the Microsoft Audience Network is available: United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. 

Changes to Unified Campaigns

Finally, Microsoft Advertising reported a host of updates for unified campaigns, based upon feedback from early adopters.

• Instagram posting: Users would now be able to post to their Instagram accounts from the web-based media/social media segment of unified campaigns
• Updates to access management and user invitation: unified campaigns users would now be able to invite other Microsoft Advertising users to have access to manage their accounts. 
• A new billing experience: unified campaigns users can now use the same billing pages as Expert mode users.
• Updates to the campaign management experience: Microsoft takes note of that they have received user feedback and input and made a few changes to work on the convenience and usability of unified campaigns, for example, always visible overview information during campaign creation.
• Last, but not the least, users of unified campaigns are now capable to manage multiple sub-accounts underneath a single parent account. Manager accounts are able to: 
• Create multiple unified campaigns accounts under the same manager account. 
• Create a blend of unified campaigns and expert mode accounts under the same manager account. 
• Link to and from manager accounts that contain a combination of unified campaigns and expert mode account.