Use These 5 Microsoft Advertising Features to Make Better PPC Ads

Opteo continuously monitors Google Ads accounts for statistically significant patterns. When something comes up, Opteo suggests an improvement backed up by real data. Opteo also helps monitor performance trends, track spending & get alerts when you need them. With Google’s dominance of the search market, PPC advertisers can easily forget to focus on Microsoft Advertising. Too often, campaigns are simply copied over from Google Ads with no further thought going into unique configuration for Microsoft Advertising. The search marketers who win are the ones who put the extra thought into tailoring campaigns for each platform. Every ad platform has tools that set it apart from others, and users behave differently on each service as well. 1. Action Extensions. Unique to Microsoft Advertising, action extensions add a call-to-action button beside your ad in search results, linking to the landing page of your choice.

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Advertiser Campaign Management, CMO Strategy

Combat Video Ad Fatigue with Audio Advertising

Article | June 3, 2024

As a marketer, your goal is to create ads that stick in the minds of your audience. You devote extra time and resources to creating memorable graphics, engaging CTAs, and interesting copy that works. You also buy just the right ad spots. But, what happens when your potential customer scrolls right past your ad? Your costly video ad never creates a difference and your campaign fails. Combat this video ad fatigue with audio advertising to effectively influence your target demographic. After the audio content boom driven by podcasts, audio advertising is rising and becoming marketers’ new favorite. Nielsen Catalina Solutions’ 12-month-long study of audio ads on Spotify versus video and display ads found that audio ads were up to 25% more effective than other ad formats. Mostly, audio ads are delivered through podcasts. We’ll dive into this shortly. First let’s look at how audio advertising can influence the buying decisions of your target audience: Audio Advertising: Superpowers Explained Audio advertising uses a broad content category such as background scores, jingles, and branded content apart from audio ads. By fusing audio ads into audio experiences such as ad-supported music streaming or podcasts, marketers can position relevant products and services in front of customers. Here are more of its advantages: Audio Ads Offer Immersive Experience A study done by Lightwave and iHeartMedia showed that one of the biggest benefits of audio advertising was its ability to connect with the audience on a deeper level. Remembering catchy jingles is also a part of this connection. Audio ads communicate emotions, capture the attention of the listeners within seconds and engage them enough to paint a picture in their minds. They achieve this without a big budget or production crew. A strong script and an audio booth are all you need to create an immersive audio ad. They Have a Greater Reach Primarily, audio ads are delivered through podcasts because they can be easily categorized and are widely consumed. According to Statista, almost 60% of all U.S. consumers older than 12 listen to podcasts. Interestingly, 70% podcast listeners do not multi-task while listening to a podcast, so you are catering to alert listeners who might end up retaining your ad (Edison Research). Apart from podcasts, audio ads are also run in locations such as radio, music, and news streams. They Are Insightful and Creative Marketers can use 3D and 8D audio to create soundscapes that offer an immersive experience. Additionally, audio ads create a 1-to-1 relationship. With the help of programmatic advertising, they also collect many layers of data that provide buying insights. Integrating audio ads with voice assistants is a creative approach to entice customers while being interactive. Nars Cosmetics UK used Spotify to offer its customers voice commerce. Upon hearing the ad on Spotify, they could order samples and set up delivery using their smart speakers. Smart Speakers Are Changing the Game Smart speakers are contributing to screen-less moments in American homes. This means your video ad campaigns won’t get the kind of response you expect, but your audio ads just might. The Edison Infinite Dial report found that there is an average of 2.3 smart speakers in each home in the U.S. This number shows that a wide range of people use voice search and will listen to audio ads as a result. Summing It Up Audio advertising drives engagement and conversion through immersive storytelling, catchy jingles, and longer ad retention. It can be a great addition to your digital marketing strategy and refine the way you influence your audience’s buying decisions.

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Ad Tech and Martech

4 Ways to Create Engaging Video Content For Advertising

Article | May 14, 2024

Video content is more important than ever from a marketing perspective, but the high profile status it has attained also brings challenges with it. The main hurdle to overcome is that of creating compelling clips that outshine the competition in a marketplace that is already overflowing with attention-grabbing content. With all that in mind, here are just a handful of strategies that will empower you when making promotional video content for your business or brand. Use the right software tools The video editing tools you choose will form the foundation of your content creation strategy, so it pays to give this plenty of thought and not to just stick with the same old package you have been using for years. For example, leveraging collaborative video editing software could take your projects to the next level, not only in terms of creativity but also when it comes to compressing cycles of work. If you can have multiple team members collaborating on the same project in unison, you can hit deadlines and capture the zeitgeist with your content, rather than seeing viral trends pass you by. Choose types of content that serve your advertising aims The extent to which your video content is able to engage and connect with your target audience will partly be determined by the format it takes. As such you have to choose wisely and avoid producing clips that don’t gel with your marketing goals. For example, if your business makes a product that has practical applications, you could gain views and shares by making tutorial content that explains how best to use it. On the other hand, if your business offers services within a particular industry, then you may earn more traction with videos that explain a particular aspect of the niche you occupy. Both of these types of content provide value to viewers as well as being promotional, and can also remain relevant for long periods. The more evergreen your video content, the bigger the potential ROI. Extrapolate ideas from your existing content Working out what video content will hit home with your ideal demographic can feel like it involves a lot of guesswork, and a lot of risk-taking as a result. However, you don’t have to go all-in on a concept for a video without knowing if it will hold water, because it is more than likely that you already have tried-and-tested ideas that have proven themselves and are ripe for video adaptation.

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Advertiser Platforms

Colling Media Lands Five New Advertising Clients in March and April

Article | March 12, 2024

Colling Media, a top-ranked national digital advertising and marketing agency, continues its recent, impressive growth by adding five new businesses to its prestigious roster of clients. ScriptSave WellRx an innovative prescription medication discount program that closes the gaps in prescription benefit coverage. Diamond Kitchen & Bath the leading retailer of kitchen and bathroom cabinetry and countertops in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Radix Law a business law firm based in Scottsdale. Soul Surgery a renowned integrative medicine addiction and rehab center in Scottsdale, featuring a holistic approach to drug and alcohol treatment. Premier Criminal Defense based in San Diego and serving all of Southern California, the firm offers skilled counsel to help clients accused of Misdemeanors, Felony and Federal Offenses.

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Social Media Advertising

Microsoft Named Netflix’s Global Ad Technology and Sales Partner

Article | July 14, 2022

On July 13, Netflix’s COO, Greg Peters, officially named Microsoft as Netflix’s “global advertising technology and sales partner”. This partnership will help Netflix kick-start its advertising business. Industry watchers were waiting to see who Netflix would choose as its advertising platform to build its ad-supported tier of service after the streaming giant’s April announcement to bring ads to the platform. In April, we announced that we would introduce a new lower priced ad-supported subscription plan for consumers, in addition to our existing ad-free basic, standard, and premium plans. Today we are pleased to announce that we have selected Microsoft as our global advertising technology and sales partner. “Microsoft has the proven ability to support all our advertising needs as we together build a new ad-supported offering, More importantly, Microsoft offered the flexibility to innovate over time on both the technology and sales side, as well as strong privacy protections for our members.” -Greg Peters,COONetflix. It’s very early days and we have much to work through. But our long-term goal is clear: More choice for consumers and a premium, better-than-linear TV brand experience for advertisers. We’re excited to work with Microsoft as we bring this new service to life. Microsoft recently acquired Xandr, an ad marketplace that ties into connected TV. It has been developing its ad platform while endorsing its approach to protecting customers’ information. Marketers looking to Microsoft for their advertising needs will have access to the Netflix audience and premium connected TV inventory, said Mikhail Parakhin, Microsoft’s president of web experiences. While assisting Netflix in delivering more choices to its customers, Microsoft will offer new premium value to its ecosystem of marketers and partners.

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MediaPost

The media, marketing and advertising professional's leading resource for complete news coverage, engaging events, and comprehensive industry jobs, directories and research. Daily news and commentaries along with in-depth industry insider blogs from the trade's most seasoned journalists and contributors. Attend conferences and learn from industry leading OMMA conferences and expos to intimate high level search, email, mobile and social summits, to participate in one of our live events.

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Forrester: How Amazon's ad growth will threaten Google, Facebook, agencies and ad-tech

Marketing Dive | September 05, 2019

Amazon's growth into a digital advertising giant will threaten Google and Facebook, transforming their current "duopoly" status into a "triopoly," Forrester Research said in a new report shared with Marketing Dive. Ad agencies and ad-tech firms also will need to adapt as the e-commerce giant follows its long-term strategy of eliminating middlemen that hinder efficiency. Media and ad agencies will benefit from Amazon's emergence as a third major digital ad platform, although they must develop expertise in running campaigns on its properties. Agency holding companies are acquiring firms with Amazon-specific expertise to build out these capabilities. The e-commerce giant is adding more self-serve ad features, but agencies still have a role in helping marketers manage their campaigns among a growing variety of retailer media networks, including those being developed by Walmart and Target, per Forrester.

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Facebook’s Latest Enterprise Gambit: Ads that Click Directly to Messenger

CBROnline | September 05, 2019

Facebook amps up Messenger features for enterprise. Facebook says business users can now create adverts that click through to its Messenger application – a commercial offering designed to drive potential prospects into conversation with advertisers. The new feature is the latest move by the social media and advertising behemoth to boost its enterprise offering. It follows a decision last year to open up a Whatsapp API for businesses for the first time. Facebook says the new feature, available through Facebook Ads Manager, will integrate with existing CRM tools to help sales teams track leads. In a post on the company’s developer blog, Facebook said that since the beta launch of the feature earlier this year, “businesses like UK-based professional services firm RIFT Tax have seen meaningful results”, adding that the company saw an 18 percent higher lead resolve rate through Messenger versus over the phone. Facebook Messenger Advertising: Range of New Features Revealed.

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Google’s Proposed Privacy Standards Are Also Friendly for Programmatic Advertising

CPO Magazine | September 05, 2019

A central feature of the modern Internet is the use of tracking technology by advertisers to serve up highly personalized, customized ads to web users. And it is precisely this defining feature that has enabled Silicon Valley tech giants such as Facebook and Google to create highly profitable programmatic advertising business models that now generate billions of dollars in revenue every quarter. Given that context, Google’s new “Privacy Sandbox” privacy standards proposal for Google Chrome is an interesting compromise solution that attempts to keep publishers and advertisers happy while simultaneously respecting users’ privacy as they go about browsing the web. Details of Google’s Privacy Sandbox for programming advertising. In many ways, the new Privacy Sandbox privacy standards are designed to offer the best of both worlds when it comes to programmatic advertising.

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Forrester: How Amazon's ad growth will threaten Google, Facebook, agencies and ad-tech

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Amazon's growth into a digital advertising giant will threaten Google and Facebook, transforming their current "duopoly" status into a "triopoly," Forrester Research said in a new report shared with Marketing Dive. Ad agencies and ad-tech firms also will need to adapt as the e-commerce giant follows its long-term strategy of eliminating middlemen that hinder efficiency. Media and ad agencies will benefit from Amazon's emergence as a third major digital ad platform, although they must develop expertise in running campaigns on its properties. Agency holding companies are acquiring firms with Amazon-specific expertise to build out these capabilities. The e-commerce giant is adding more self-serve ad features, but agencies still have a role in helping marketers manage their campaigns among a growing variety of retailer media networks, including those being developed by Walmart and Target, per Forrester.

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Facebook’s Latest Enterprise Gambit: Ads that Click Directly to Messenger

CBROnline | September 05, 2019

Facebook amps up Messenger features for enterprise. Facebook says business users can now create adverts that click through to its Messenger application – a commercial offering designed to drive potential prospects into conversation with advertisers. The new feature is the latest move by the social media and advertising behemoth to boost its enterprise offering. It follows a decision last year to open up a Whatsapp API for businesses for the first time. Facebook says the new feature, available through Facebook Ads Manager, will integrate with existing CRM tools to help sales teams track leads. In a post on the company’s developer blog, Facebook said that since the beta launch of the feature earlier this year, “businesses like UK-based professional services firm RIFT Tax have seen meaningful results”, adding that the company saw an 18 percent higher lead resolve rate through Messenger versus over the phone. Facebook Messenger Advertising: Range of New Features Revealed.

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CPO Magazine | September 05, 2019

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