MSN adCenter New Updates: Pause Ads & Keywords

I just got an e-mail full of new features now available in adCenter. In addition, the new adCenter interface has gone through a light design update - what are your thoughts on the new re-branding?

Regardless, here are a few quick notes included in the e-mail:

• Pause the delivery of your ads and keywords. Now you have more control and flexibility as you manage your campaigns.
• Receive better help with disapproved ads and keywords. Get easier-to-find information about the reasons for the disapproval and how to update the ads and keywords for resubmission.
• Create multiple users for your account. You’ll find new options for easily creating multiple account users and assigning user permissions.

To get step by step instructions on the new features you can also visit the what's new with adCenter website.

All PPC Search Engines Not Created Equal

There was an interesting post in the Microsoft adCenter blog recently regarding the varying tactics needed to run successful paid search campaigns in differing search engines. After reading through the article I quickly realized something! I've been approaching adCenter all wrong! Here is what I read when it hit me:

Some advertisers optimize their pay per click campaigns for other engines and then export them with little change to adCenter. This may save time, but it doesn’t always optimize for the distinctly different character of Microsoft’s traffic. In other words, you may be leaving a pile of money on the table.

Lets face it! Google and Yahoo capture 85-90% of all search traffic while MSN gathers up the remaining 10-15%. In like manner, I had been dividing my campaign's ad spend in like manner - 85-90% between Google and Yahoo and throwing 10-15% at adCenter.

Where the problem lies in this is that despite the varying differences in traffic percentages, there is always room for improvement. Not to mention that in a few cases, adCenter carries with it a significantly higher conversion rate. This blog post in particular focused on bidding strategies in relation to the long tail of keywords which is typical for an Adwords or YSM paid search campaign. To counter-act the lower traffic level in MSN's adCenter, concentrate on a select few keywords that are closer to the head.

Here are a few additional reasons to NOT copy and past your Adwords campaign to other paid search vendors:

• Character Limits: This directly applies to Yahoo!, where your headline is allowed 40 characters. AdWords and adCenter only allow 25. You should do your best to maximize the space given to you in Yahoo!. Just think of the extra keywords you can fit in that space!
• Keyword Bids: Beyond merely making bid decisions based on the long tail of keywords, you should make those decisions based on the search engine you’re working in. The bid you have set in AdWords is based on Google’s traffic and competitive landscape. Those factors are altogether different when dealing with Microsoft and Yahoo!. All three of these search engines offer their own unique bid forecasting tools for a reason. In a perfectly optimized world, a single keyword will have a different bid in each account.
• DKI, Keyword Insertion, Dynamic Text: Each of the search engines takes a slightly different approach to DKI. While Google and Yahoo!’s systems are nearly identical, there are vast differences when Microsoft is thrown into the mix. In adCenter, you can dynamically insert the keyword, but also have the ability to set multiple parameters per keyword which can be inserted into your ad texts automatically. Taking the time to learn the ins and outs of these tools is important and can directly benefit your CTR!
• Match Types and Negative Keywords: When you copy and paste your campaigns from one search engine to another, you will likely erase your negative keyword lists. And your match types will be eradicated when copying into Yahoo! (no exact, phrase or broad matching!). Negative keywords and match types are such a vital part of the PPC arsenal and should not be forgotten. Take the time to research the right negative keywords and match types for each search engine and implement them accordingly.

MSN Ad Excellence Accreditation Review

I've recently been researching the MSN Ad Excellence Accreditation Review. As I have already achieved the Professional Adwords accreditation and passed the test to become a Yahoo! Ambassador I figured I should start pursuing the tri-fecta!

I stumbled across this blog post - basically a quick review of MSN's accreditation process and test! I figured I would share with the rest of you should you be interested in pursuing this certification as well.




MSN Ad Excellence Test:
1 Hour
100 Questions (1.6 a minute)

MSN Ad Excellence vs. Google AdWords Accreditation:

You really have to understand that the Google and MSN tests are very different. It’s not because Google leads the market that their test is harder! Quite the opposite actually: as Search Marketers run more campaigns on Google than MSN, they easily forget that MSN has many features that Google does not offer, and therefore test questions!

What to Look out for:

Therefore look out for questions asking you about the Dynamic Keyword Insertions as MSN has many more than Google: {param1} and {param2} placeholders, the {keyword} insertion tool (different to Google, spot the difference), and the Credit Card billing cycle.

Where to revise for your test:

The Ad Excellence Classroom is a place where you can go revise your test. Make sure you go through each lecture at least once.

Why its important to pass the test:

MSN has made some huge improvements in the past 6-12 months. Their interface has improved, their customer service is great, and their AdCenter lab tools are really useful if used in the right way, as they can give you info you’ll find nowhere else (keyword’s commercial intent, demographic prediction…).

You can read the full Ad Excellence Accreditation Review here.

MSN AdCenter Adds New Tools

MSN Add New Tools To AdCenter

As I mentioned in a few previous posts, MSN AdCenter has really been making a conscious effort to improve its pay per click tools and interface. In their last quarterly e-mail, AdCenter relayed a number of improvements. Here is a quick run down with links to learn more:

Optimize your campaign with the adCenter Add-in for Excel 2007

The adCenter Add-in is a keyword research and optimization tool in beta testing at the moment. Based in Excel (only operates on Excel 07) it includes the Ad Intelligence model, which enables you to:

• Easily and quickly build out or expand keyword lists.
• Effectively plan keyword strategy based relevance, cost history, volume, demographics, geography, and more.
• Forecast monthly and daily keyword impressions and future trends.

You can Download the adCenter Add-in to start researching keywords. There is also a free webinar that will give the run-down on the new tool and its features. You can register here.

New Campaign Daily Budget Option:

Microsoft adCenter now provides daily budgeting options for your campaigns with a maximum monthly budget.

You can set a daily budget target by following these easy steps:

Go to the Pricing page (for a new campaign) or Keywords tab (for an existing campaign).
1. In the drop-down list next to the Campaign budget box, select per day.
2. In the Campaign budget box, type your daily target amount.
3. In the Maximum monthly budget box, type the maximum amount you want to spend each month.

Additional articles on MSN adCenter:

1. Importing Campaigns into AdCenter
2.Writing Compelling Retail Ad Copy
3. Increasing MSN Quality Score

Importing Google & Yahoo PPC Campaigns Into adCenter

Importing Existing PPC Campaigns into MSN adCenter

Update: You may find this more recent post on importing Yahoo and Google Campaign into adCenter beneficial as there have been quite a few updates to the adCenter interface since this was written way back in 2007:)

MSN has been making some headway in bringing their paid advertising platform up to snuff with Google and Yahoo in recent months. Arguably, one of the better updates is the ability to import existing PPC campaigns into the MSN interface without first having to copy and paste your exported data into an adCenter template, as previously required.

Now, you don't need to make any formatting adjustments to the file you've exported from another search advertising program – just make sure the key adCenter columns are included (extra columns or data are ignored).

Below is a step by step guide to aid in the import process:

To import a campaign:

1. Click the Campaigns tab.
2. Click Import campaigns.
   
   

   
   

3. If you are using the template, click Excel or CSV, type or copy data into the template, and save the file.
   –or–
   If you are exporting campaign information from another online advertising program, save the exported file as a CSV file.
4. In the Select a language and market drop-down list box, select the language your ads are written in and the market you want them distributed through.
5. In the Time zone drop-down list box, select the time zone you want to use for this campaign. (Please note that you won't be able to change this selection at a later time.)
6. Click Import file.
   
   

   
   

7. In the Choose file dialog box, select the file, and then click Open.

Your imported campaigns are added to the table.

8. For your ads to go live, you must submit your imported ad groups.
   1. Select an imported campaign.
   2. If you have not set a budget for your campaign, at the top of the Select an ad group page, click [Edit], type a campaign budget, and then click Save.
   3. Select the check boxes next to the ad groups you want to submit, click Actions, and then click Submit ad group.

Here are two additional articles you may find of interest:

1. Writing Compelling Retail Ad Copy
2. Increasing MSN Quality Score

Increasing MSN AdCenter's Ad Effectiveness

Good-looking, relevant ads can make a big difference to the success of your search campaign. If your ad appears professional and your text matches your keywords and what you offer, searchers will be more likely to click through and visit your site. MSN offers a number of quick tips below for increasing CTR, conversions and ultimately revenue. Enjoy:)

Quick Advice

• Match the tone of your ad to your product’s price point and positioning, and include the top benefits your customers are looking for.
• Direct your ad to unique landing URLs, so that searchers can easily find your offer.
• If you’re targeting a certain geographic area, be sure to include that location in your ad.
• Make sure titles are between six and 25 characters, descriptions are between six and 70 characters, and the display URL is no more than 35 characters.
• Microsoft adCenter allows you to create up to 20 ads per order and automatically shows the better performing ads more often. Use this to your advantage and test multiple ads at once.
• Consider using dynamic text in your ad to make the ad more relevant to the searcher's query.

Writing Compelling Retail Ad Copy

With MSN's new vibrancy for search and their lofty goals of achieving the No. 2 position in search marketing their adCenter Blog is beginning to show a much improved tendency for providing QUALITY information.

Their most recent post regarding ad copy surrounding holiday provided some useful tips and clever uses of dynamic insertion.

1. The number one influential element is to mention the product name in the ad title or ad copy. Dynamic Text Insertion can be a great way to ensure ads looks targeted & relevant.

2. Like on the high street pricing, promotions & special offers attract. People just love a good deal! Ads including an offer for a limited amount of time or next day/free delivery generally perform better than using, for example, pricing on its own.

3. Is your business a well-known, well-loved household name or brand? Use it! It can say more than you can express in a few lines and you may gain instant trust from the consumer.

4. Use call to actions (CTAs) to invite consumers to your site and to let them know what they’ll find on your there. Successful CTAs for retail campaigns in the UK are:
‘buy’, ’compare’, ‘save’, ‘order’ and ‘find’. For the US ‘save time and money’, ‘buy’ ‘save’, ‘order’ and ‘find’ work well.

5. Shoppers might complain about Christmas decorations in the high street in late September or Easter eggs in January. However online seasonality trends show that a big event such as Christmas impacts sales as early as September. The below table shows the main retail revenue drivers and when you should be thinking of getting your ad copy ready