All You Need to Know About the Microsoft Bing Audience Network
Similar to Google’s Display Network, Bing has its very own Microsoft Audience Network (MSAN) which allows advertisers to target users outside of search – such as when they’re browsing their favorite websites. If this is news to you, you’ll be even more surprised to know that Microsoft automatically made any existing search ads eligible for MSAN, so be sure to check and disable any poor performers – below I’ve outlined how to disable this.
Formerly known as Bing Intent Ads or Bing Native Ads, MSAN ads are served across Microsoft’s properties like MSN, Outlook, and Edge as well as other premium sites. Boasting the powers of Microsoft Graph and AI, the MSAN continuously learns and adapts to serve ads based on a user’s historical data, intent, profile, location, and device. This natural blending of ads into a user’s experience on and off the search platform functions to supplement performance on just search alone in hopes that you’ll build awareness, remind potential customers of your product, and, ultimately, drive more conversions.
.png)
Here’s an example of a MSAN ad that’s blended right into an MSN Sports article.
.png)
Getting started in the MSAN is easy because your campaigns/ads are probably already enrolled. Learning how to utilize them is the tough part.
First, let’s explore the campaign-level where you can make MASN bid adjustments. You can start from any currently existing campaign and navigate to the Settings tab:
.png)
Scroll down to Advanced Settings > Other settings > click on Audience ads to reveal the Bid adjustment window:
.png)
Here you can opt out by decreasing your bid by 100% or you can increase bid adjustments by up to 900% if this aligns with your goals:
.png)
Once you’re squared away at the campaign-level, the next step is to explore the Ads-level by navigating to the Ads tab:
.png)
Navigate to an ad, hover over the ad, and click on the pencil icon that appears in the upper right corner of an ad when you hover over the ad. (pencil icon was unable to be captured in a screenshot but it should appear at the tip of the arrow below.
.png)
In the edit menu, you’ll find a checkbox next to Prefer audience ads format. Enabling this option will restrict your ad to serve on the Microsoft audience network as opposed to the usual Bing search network.
.png)
Be sure to uncheck this if you don’t want to be placed exclusively in the MSAN. By unchecking this box your ad will be eligible for both the Bing search network and the Microsoft audience network.
Whether or not you decide to pursue the MSAN, I hope this article has provided you with enough information to at least get control of your campaigns before finalizing your decision. Happy Advertising!
