EDGE hosts Erin Sparks (Site Strategics CEO) and Tom Brodbeck (Site Strategics Digital Media Director) talked with Product Learning Strategist John Lee of Bing Ads in EDGE of the Web Episode 299 to find out the why and how of including Bing Ads in your digital marketing strategy. Here’s what we learned:

The Elephant in the Room: Breaking Out of the Google Mindset

By far the biggest challenge that Bing Ads has to face each and every day is that when it comes to search ads, people automatically default to Google. It’s a hard habit to break, but when people do the smart thing and give Bing Ads a try, they are inevitably quite surprised at the results they get, often outshining previous campaign efforts in nearly any vertical with better click-through rates, cost per click and conversion rates. In other words, more bang for your buck than you’re going to get elsewhere.

The good news is that Bing Ads has very deliberately made it very easy to move some or all of your search ad activity from Google Ads over to Bing Ads because they’ve made everything totally compatible. You’ll be able to import all your essential material right into Bing Ads and plug it right into the Bing ecosystem. You can even automate the process of extracting campaign data out of Google Ads and importing it into Bing Ads. Learning how to use Bing Ads is also very easy thanks to the Bing Ads Academy. The reasons for resisting giving Bing Ads a try are dwindling.

The Microsoft Brand Loyalty Advantage

It’s also important to point out that there is a whole gigantic audience of people who are pretty loyal to the Microsoft brand that can be leveraged through Bing Ads, and there is no clear correlation of that on the Google side. Microsoft has been getting a ton of positive press lately and there’s a lot of love out there for the Microsoft brand, none of which can be leveraged if you devote all your search ad budget to Google. Again, those tie-ins to premium native inventory that you’re going to get with the Microsoft Audience Network, Yahoo, AOL and others comprise a very strong competitive advantage that too many people are just missing out on altogether. And don’t forget that the most valuable company in the country has been switching around between Apple, Amazon and Microsoft.

And now Microsoft is going some really good things with mobile, like the Microsoft launcher on Android and the Edge web browser with all its super-convenient features. As Microsoft continues to hit home runs with beautiful, effective apps, The Bing share of the search market is going to increase, and you’ll want to be riding that rising wave with Bing Ads.

Tie-ins to Microsoft Rewards have also been a great development. Gamers who use Xbox and earn MS Rewards points for gaming achievements know how lucrative this can be. Using Bing will also earn you MS Rewards points, so everything is poised for Bing Ads to move by leaps and bounds in the right direction.

Connect with John A. Lee and Bing Ads

John Lee on Facebook: @johnleeclix

John Lee on Twitter: @John_A_Lee

Bing Ads website: https://bingads.microsoft.com

Bing Ads Academy: https://academy.bingads.microsoft.com

Bing Ads Facebook: @BingAds

Bing Ads Twitter: @BingAds

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