When To Consider Microsoft Ads In Your Media Plan
At Refine, we almost always recommend paid search as part of our media plans for any client that is trying to generate leads on their website. Paid search is highly efficient because it enables businesses to reach potential customers at the exact moment in which they are searching relevant terms. Usually, we buy space on the search engine results page on Google, but there are other search platforms – with Microsoft Search (previously known as Bing) being the most relevant. There are a few reasons we may recommend Microsoft, either in place of or in addition to spending on Google:
– Lower Competition and Cost Per Click (CPC): One of the primary benefits of advertising on Microsoft is the lower competition for ad space compared to Google. This means that you can get more clicks for a lower CPC, which can help you stretch your advertising budget further. In some cases, we have seen up to 40% lower CPC on Microsoft compared to Google.
– Improve Conversion Rates: Depending on the industry and target audience, Microsoft Advertising may have a better conversion rate than Google. According to a study by AdEspresso, Microsoft Ads had a 29% higher conversion rate than Google Ads in the finance industry. Regardless of industry, we have found that a small spend on Bing focusing only on high-intent core keywords can be a better use of budget than spending money on upper-funnel, long-tail keywords on Google.
– Reach a Different User Base: Bing has a much different user base than Google, which can make it more attractive to some advertisers.
Age: Microsoft Search users tend to be slightly older than Google Search users. According to a study by Statista in 2021, 31.4% of Microsoft Search users were aged 45-54, and 22.9% were aged 55-64.
Gender: Microsoft Search users tend to be more evenly split between male and female than Google Search users. According to the same Statista study, 51.8% of Microsoft Search users were male, and 48.2% were female.
Income: Microsoft Search users tend to have higher incomes than Google Search users. According to a study by comScore in 2019, 44% of Microsoft Search users had a household income of $100,000 or more, compared to 35% of Google Search users.
Education: Microsoft Search users tend to have higher levels of education than Google Search users. ComScore found that 40% of Microsoft Search users had a college degree or higher, compared to 32% of Google Search users.
