How can I get started with Bing PPC

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To get started with Bing PPC (now known as Microsoft Advertising), follow these steps:

1. Create a Microsoft Advertising Account:

• Go to the Microsoft Advertising sign-up page.
• You can sign in with an existing Microsoft account (like Outlook, Hotmail, or Xbox).  If you don’t have one, you can create one during the sign-up process.
• Provide your email address, create a password and fill in your basic information (name, etc.).
• You may need to verify your email address and complete a security check.

2. Set Up Your Account:

• After signing in, you’ll be asked for business information such as your business name, phone number, country, address, time zone and preferred currency.
• You’ll also need to agree to the Microsoft Advertising Terms and Conditions.

3. Choose Your Setup Experience:

• Microsoft Advertising will ask how you want to set up your account:
  • Create account and campaign: This is for beginners who want to start advertising immediately.
  • Create account only: This is recommended for advertisers who want more control and prefer to set up campaigns manually.

4. Set Up Billing Information:

• You’ll need to provide your billing country/region and choose a payment setting:
  • Postpay: You’ll be charged after your ads run.
  • Prepay: You deposit funds upfront.
• Choose a payment method (credit/debit card or PayPal, if available in your region) and enter your payment details and billing address.
• Microsoft may place a temporary authorization hold to verify your card.

5. (Optional) Import Campaigns from Google Ads:

• If you already have successful campaigns running on Google Ads, you can import them into Microsoft Advertising to save time.
• Select the “Import from Google Ads” option, log in to your Google Ads account and choose the campaigns you want to transfer.
• Review and adjust settings as needed to optimize for the Bing network.

6. Create Your First Campaign (if you didn’t import):

• Define Your Campaign Goal: Choose a goal that aligns with your business objectives such as website visits, phone calls or in-store visits.
• Choose Your Audience and Targeting Options:
  • Where do you want your ads to appear? Select the Bing search network, partner networks, or both.
  • Location Targeting: Target specific countries, regions, cities or even radii around a location.
  • Demographic Targeting: Target by age, gender and interests (availability varies by location).
  • Device Targeting: Target specific types of devices (desktops, tablets, smartphones).
  • LinkedIn Profile Targeting: A unique feature allowing you to target based on industry, job function and company (requires linking your LinkedIn account).
• Define Your Keywords:
  • Select relevant keywords that people are likely to search for when looking for your products or services.
  • Use Microsoft Advertising’s Keyword Planner tool (found under “Tools” in your account) to research keywords, analyze search volume and get suggestions.
  • Consider using different keyword match types (broad, phrase, exact) to control how closely a user’s search query needs to match your keywords for your ad to appear.
• Write Your Ad Copy:
  • Create compelling and concise ad text that includes:
    • Headlines: Attention-grabbing phrases (limited characters).  Use relevant keywords and highlight your unique selling points.
    • Description: Briefly describe your offer and encourage users to click (limited characters). Include a clear call to action.
    • Display URL: The URL that users will see (can be different from your actual landing page URL).
    • Final URL: The actual landing page URL where users will be directed after clicking your ad.  Ensure it’s relevant to your ad copy and keywords.
• Set Your Budget:
  • Decide on a daily or monthly budget for your campaign.  This is the maximum amount you’re willing to spend on ads within that period.
  • You can adjust your budget at any time.
• Choose Your Bid Strategy:
  • Select how you want Microsoft Advertising to bid for your ads.  Common options include:
    • Maximize Clicks: Tries to get you as many clicks as possible within your budget.
    • Maximize Conversions: Aims to get you the most conversions (e.g., sales, leads) within your budget (requires conversion tracking to be set up).
    • Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition): You set a target cost for each conversion and Microsoft Advertising adjusts your bids to try and achieve this goal.
    • Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend): You set a target return on ad spend as a percentage and Microsoft Advertising adjusts bids to try and achieve this goal.
    • Manual CPC: You manually set the maximum amount you’re willing to pay for each click.
• Set Ad Extensions: Enhance your ads with additional information like sitelink extensions (links to specific pages on your website), callout extensions (highlighting key benefits) and call extensions (displaying your phone number).

7. Review and Launch Your Campaign:

• Double-check all your campaign settings, targeting, keywords ad copy, and budget.
• Once you’re satisfied, click “Save” or “Launch Campaign” to activate your ads.

8. Monitor and Optimize Your Campaigns:

• After your campaigns are live, regularly monitor their performance using the Microsoft Advertising reporting tools.
• Key metrics to track include:
  • Impressions: How many times your ads were shown.
  • Clicks: How many times users clicked on your ads.
  • Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of impressions that resulted in a click (Clicks / Impressions * 100%).  A higher CTR generally indicates more relevant ads.
  • Cost Per Click (CPC): The average amount you paid for each click (Total Spend / Clicks).
  • Conversions: The number of desired actions taken by users after clicking your ad (e.g., purchases, sign-ups).  This requires setting up conversion tracking.
  • Conversion Rate: The percentage of clicks that resulted in a conversion (Conversions / Clicks * 100%).
  • Cost Per Acquisition (CPA): The average cost to acquire one conversion (Total Spend / Conversions).
  • Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): The revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising (Revenue from Conversions / Total Ad Spend * 100%).
• Based on your performance data, make adjustments to your campaigns to improve results.  This might involve:
  • Refining your keyword list (adding negative keywords to exclude irrelevant searches, adjusting bids on high-performing keywords).
  • Optimizing your ad copy (testing different headlines and descriptions).
  • Adjusting your targeting options.
  • Modifying your budget and bid strategies.
  • Improving your landing page experience.

Microsoft Advertising provides various resources and support to help you get started and manage your campaigns effectively.  Don’t hesitate to explore their help documentation and reach out to their support team if you have any questions.  Remember that continuous learning and optimization are key to success with PPC advertising.

Click here to get started.