6 new Microsoft Ads updates, including data exclusions and in-market audience segments

Microsoft has just announced six new products and features for this month. Let’s dive in.

Expansion into 34 additional markets

Recently, Microsoft Advertising announced its expansion into 34 additional markets, bringing the total number of markets served to 164 globally. The 34 latest markets now available to all Microsoft Advertising customers include:

American Samoa, Anguilla, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Faroe Islands, Gabon, Gibraltar, Greenland, Grenada, Jamaica, Marshall Islands, Niger, Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Somalia, Suriname, Tonga. Tunisia, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, United States Virgin Islands, and Zambia.

Automated bidding and last-touch attribution on the Microsoft Audience Network

As of today, the Enhanced cost per click (CPC) option is now accessible in all markets across the network. To experiment with alternative bidding methods, you’ll need to consult with your Microsoft Advertising account team.

Additionally, the last-touch attribution feature is now available in all markets of the Microsoft Audience Network. This gives you the ability to adjust your attribution for conversion goals, enabling Microsoft’s automated bidding solutions to consider both click-based and view-through conversions.

Lastly, you can now create and manage your Audience Shopping Campaigns using the Microsoft Editor tool.

Data exclusions for Automated bidding

All automated bidding strategies now come with data exclusions. These exclusions will help Microsoft Advertising’s automated bidding algorithms in the event of website data outages or unexpected changes in conversion tracking. It also ensures that your automated bidding algorithms receive accurate information and maintain optimal performance.

You can find this tool, along with seasonality adjustments and portfolio bid adjustments under Tools -> Planning -> Bid strategies.

New In-market audience segments and pilot for custom combinations

The wording for this update came directly from the Microsoft Blog.

First, In-market audience segments for Valentine’s Day have now launched in India, and are also available in the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany, and Australia. You can find the complete list under “Valentine’s Day Shoppers.”

Additionally, there is now a pilot to expand the functionality of custom combinations. With the pilot, you’ll be able to create combined lists of the following audience types: Customer Match, Custom Audiences, Remarketing, and Dynamic Remarketing.

Previously, it was only possible to combine Customer Match with other Customer Match lists, or Custom Audiences with other Custom Audiences. Work with your Microsoft Account team to start using this feature.

Conversion tracking enhancements

There are a set of great enhancements we’ve made in the world of conversion tracking:

1. Universal Event Tracking (UET) tag deletion: You can now easily disassociate your UET tags when needed.
2. Custom events are now simpler and easier to set up.
3. Implement conversion tracking easily across all accounts: You can now change the scope of your conversion goals from a single account to “all accounts” as part of the edit workflow. If you have conversion tracking set up only on one account, you can explore this new feature to expand the benefits of conversion tracking to all your accounts with just a click in your advanced settings.

Google Import for Smart Campaigns available in 11 new markets

The Google Import feature simplifies the process of transferring Smart Campaigns from Google Ads to Microsoft Advertising, allowing you to reach even more customers right away. This month, this capability is now accessible in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Singapore.

Dig deeper. You can read the full announcement from Microsoft here.

Why we care. The new updates provide more options and capabilities for advertisers reaching their target audience and achieving advertising goals. With the expanded availability of Microsoft Audience Network, enhanced bidding strategies, and the ability to manage campaigns from within the Microsoft Editor tool, advertisers have greater control over their campaigns and can make more informed decisions about their advertising efforts.

Additionally, the addition of data exclusions and the ability to import Google Smart Campaigns help ensure that advertisers’ campaigns are running smoothly. By taking advantage of these features, advertisers can optimize their campaigns and reach their goals more effectively, driving greater returns on their advertising investment.

Google has had these features for some time, but if advertisers want to expand their market share or give Microsoft Ads a shot, the new features should be familiar.