How Microsoft Ads Uses LinkedIn Targeting

TL;DR

Microsoft Advertising lets advertisers refine search campaigns using LinkedIn profile categories such as company, industry, and job function, then increase bids for valuable audiences. Its reach extends beyond Bing.com through Microsoft properties and third-party search partners, while the Microsoft Audience Network provides an additional audience-focused advertising option available beyond its earlier beta stage.

Transcript

okay everybody welcome to another ignite visibility university podcast video edition this is going to be great i am so excited today because we have the microsoft team here with us specifically tess milligan senior account executive microsoft advertising we also have lance wilson senior account executive msan microsoft advertising you can see them ... Read More

Key Insights

• Microsoft Advertising is broader than Bing.com because its network includes Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft-owned properties, and third-party search partners. Searches across Edge, Windows, Skype, MSN, Cortana, Outlook, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, Forbes, WebMD, and CBS Interactive can contribute traffic through the platform.
• Microsoft Advertising reported about 37 percent United States desktop market share in 2020, compared with about 31 percent earlier in the period discussed. The company also described international growth across European, Australian, and Canadian markets following the evolution of its Yahoo partnership.
• Microsoft's search audience over-indexes in several commercial verticals, including business, finance, health, telecommunications, and automotive. This means the network's audience share for searches in those categories can exceed its overall share across all searches, making it relevant to businesses operating in those fields.
• Holiday spending can decline less than consumers expect during an economic crisis. During the 2008 financial crisis, consumers anticipated spending about 29 percent less during the holidays, while actual retail sales fell approximately 4.7 percent, a pattern Microsoft used when considering the 2020 retail season.
• Food and beverage, health and beauty, personal care, and office equipment were identified as areas expected to grow during 2020. Grocery delivery, food pickup, personal needs, and home-office setup helped shape demand as consumers spent more time at home.
• Desktop and tablet search volume grew as people worked from home and used laptops for searches. Microsoft Advertising viewed this shift as favorable because desktop and tablet activity is an area where its network performs strongly, even as the broader market had previously moved toward mobile.
• LinkedIn profile targeting works through company, industry, and job-function categories within Microsoft search campaigns. Advertisers can layer these categories onto existing targeting and use them to prioritize audiences that are more closely associated with the buyers, organizations, or professional roles they want to reach.
• Bid boosting allows advertisers to pay more for searches made by selected LinkedIn audience segments. For example, an advertiser may increase a bid by 20 percent when a searcher belongs to a relevant profile-based audience and is therefore considered more likely to buy the advertised product or service.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does Microsoft Ads use LinkedIn targeting?

Microsoft Advertising uses LinkedIn profile information to create targeting categories for search campaigns. Advertisers can focus on people associated with selected companies, industries, or job functions. These categories can be layered onto existing campaign targeting, allowing a business-to-business advertiser to prioritize users whose professional profiles more closely match the organizations or roles it wants to reach.

Q: Can Microsoft Ads target people who searched on LinkedIn?

Microsoft Advertising does not target users simply because they searched for a particular phrase on LinkedIn. The integration described in the interview instead uses three profile-based categories: company, industry, and job function. An advertiser can supply relevant company targets or select professional categories, then use those audiences within Microsoft search campaigns and adjust bids accordingly.

Q: How do bid boosts work with LinkedIn audiences?

A bid boost increases the amount an advertiser is willing to pay when a searcher belongs to a selected LinkedIn audience category. The interview gives an example of raising a bid by 20 percent for a relevant audience. This lets advertisers assign greater value to users connected with particular companies, industries, or job functions while retaining their underlying search targeting.

Q: Where can Microsoft Advertising ads and searches appear?

Microsoft Advertising reaches beyond searches performed directly on Bing.com. Its network includes Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft-owned properties such as Edge, Windows, Skype, MSN, Cortana, and Outlook, and thousands of third-party search partners. Examples named in the interview include DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, Forbes, WebMD, CBS Interactive, and The Wall Street Journal's search experience.

Q: Which industries have strong audiences on Microsoft Ads?

Microsoft Advertising said its audience over-indexes in business, finance, health, telecommunications, and automotive searches. Over-indexing means its audience share within those individual verticals is larger than its general share across all search activity. Businesses serving these sectors may therefore find a comparatively substantial group of relevant searchers across Microsoft's advertising network and its partner properties.

Q: How did working from home affect Microsoft search traffic?

Working from home contributed to continued growth in desktop and tablet search volume during 2020 because more people were using laptops for searches. The interview identifies this as a notable shift after increasing industry emphasis on mobile activity. Microsoft Advertising considered the change particularly relevant because desktop and tablet search traffic is an area where its network performs strongly.

Q: What retail trends did Microsoft Advertising identify for 2020?

Microsoft Advertising expected a fairly healthy holiday retail season despite the difficult economic conditions of 2020. It highlighted growth opportunities in food and beverage, health and beauty, personal care, and office equipment and supplies. The cited drivers included grocery shopping, food pickup and delivery, personal needs, and purchases required to establish home offices.

Q: What is the Microsoft Audience Network?

The Microsoft Audience Network is an audience-focused advertising offering that Microsoft initially launched in beta a couple of years before the interview. By the time of the discussion, it had become available to everyone. The presentation was designed to cover how the network works, its features, its observed performance, and practices advertisers can use when running audience campaigns.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Microsoft Advertising reported that its United States desktop search share grew from about 31 percent to about 37 percent by 2020. Its advertising reach includes Bing.com, Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft properties such as Edge, Windows, Skype, MSN, Cortana, and Outlook, plus thousands of third-party search partners.

• The network attracts a comparatively strong audience in verticals including business, finance, health, telecommunications, and automotive. During 2020, working from home contributed to continued desktop and tablet search growth, while some verticals experienced higher search volume and lower cost per click as advertisers temporarily left the marketplace.

• Microsoft's LinkedIn integration allows search advertisers to target profile-based categories such as companies, industries, and job functions. Advertisers can layer these audiences onto campaigns and apply bid increases when selected users are considered more valuable. The Microsoft Audience Network provides another channel for reaching audiences and is available to all advertisers.