August 17, 2016 in Tips by

Bing? Really? Everyone knows that Bing has a fraction of Google’s users. Why would you want to spend money to advertise on their network?

I’m suggesting this because it is significantly cheaper than Google Ads. Over the last month, I’ve done a test (using the small campaign I describe below). I paid one-fifth of the cost per click on Bing and received many more leads than I did with a Google Ads campaign over the same time.

It’s not just me. A couple of my clients have very cost-effective Microsoft Ads campaigns. Some of these are in highly competitive (and expensive) areas.

I’m not suggesting you invest thousands into Bing (although, as I said, it works). You should set up a small Microsoft Ads campaign. You’ll get a lot out of a bit of money (and time).

What is a “Small” Microsoft Ads Campaign”?

What do I mean when I suggest you start a “small” campaign?

Let me explain why I’d set up your small campaign this way. I’ll show you all you’ll get from this, too.

What will you get from a “Small Microsoft Ads Campaign”?

This campaign is not something that will make your company rich. Sure, you might get a couple of conversions from this; hopefully, they will pay for your campaign. That’s not the most significant benefit, however. We’re doing this for the information we gather. That information will pay off later.

Great Keyword Research Data

I’ve always used Google’s Keyword Planner for my keyword research. The problem: Google might revoke free access to this tool. Without that, we would have a hard time telling:

A simple Microsoft Ads campaign could tell us this. We can learn this information without the Keyword Planner if we test a couple of phrases. This is why I suggested we use phrase-matches. That gives us relevant phrases that can still account for the long tail. That’s some excellent keyword data for later in the campaign. Of course, as you start to identify productive keywords, change your campaign. Add negative keywords. Start bidding on exact- or phrase-match phrases as relevant.

This is also why I suggested you set up the campaign initially to bid the same for each word. This helps you learn which phrases people search for more often. Once you have this initial data set, change your bids- focusing on conversions.

It doesn’t matter that our budget is small for our campaign. We’ll still get the data we need to compare keyword phrases. In some cases, we’ll be able to bid enough to see impressions and even clicks. With some terms, we might need to be able to bid higher to appear on the first page of results. If that’s the case, we’ve learned something important: many potential customers are searching for that phrase!

While we mourn losing free access to the Keyword Planner, it’s always had limitations. For instance, the Keyword Planner can lead us in a different direction. Sure, many people might search for a particular term- but what good are they if they won’t become customers?

A simple Microsoft Ads campaign can tell us which keywords will likely become customers. That’s the point of our marketing, after all.

If we have to move to third-party keyword research tools, we will have to pay to use them. As long as we’re paying, getting accurate, not-sampled keyword research data from a PPC campaign is better. Even better if the “tool” pays for itself by generating leads along the way.

Test Your Message

Sure, keyword research lets you know how potential customers might look at you. What message makes a potential customer choose you over them? How do you stand apart from others who offer similar services? You could spend thousands of dollars on a branding consultant only to form an educated guess.

Or you could do your market research with a small Microsoft Ads campaign. Try a couple of different ads, each with another message. From there, you can see which of those messages produced more clicks. It would be even better if that message made a new customer!

Test the Viability of a Full PPC Campaign

A small campaign can help you test the waters for a full-force PPC campaign.

The point of my exercise is not to convince you to move into PPC. That said, if the dollars make sense, it’s worth considering.

Open Doors to Other Marketing Channels

PPC works well with other marketing channels. Use your Microsoft Ads campaign to multiply the effects of your other marketing channels. Here are some ways you can do this:

What would you pay for a tool that could give you all these features?

But wait, there’s more!

A small Microsoft Ads campaign might be the tool for which you’re looking. Around $500 a month for this seems like a good deal.

Harvard Business Club of Charlotte MDP

David Zimmerman participated in the Management Development Program by the Harvard Business Club of Charlotte in 2018.

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