Bing Product Ads: How to Prepare

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MSN has announced that Bing will open its feed-based Product Ads to all advertisers in Q3 2013. Based on the announcement’s accompanying screenshot, Product Ads will inhabit prime real estate on the Bing search results page for product-related user queries.

Similar to Google’s Product Listing Ads, Bing’s Product Ads will allow advertisers to entice potential customers with product images in a virtual marketplace, and allow users to compare relevant product search results at a glance. Since PLA’s have been a boon for many of our clients, we’re ready to take advantage of the opportunity presented by the Product Ads rollout.

Here are five ways you can prepare to take advantage of the potentially big opportunity:

1. Create a Bing Shopping feed. You’ll need one to run Product Ads. Make sure it meets editorial guidelines, and learn a little bit about which titles, descriptions, and images work best before you need to make it the backbone of your campaign. (http://advertise.bingads.microsoft.com/en-us/bing-shopping)

2. Optimize your product descriptions. Most advertisers simply copy and paste manufacturer or distributor copy into their feeds, but with a few tweaks, you can easily distinguish your store from the herd, add some personality, and pack them full of relevant, compelling keywords and phrases.

3. Use compelling product images to distinguish your listings from your competitors’. Dazzle your potential customers with large photos from multiple angles. Don’t drive them to a competitor’s listing with a pixelated stock photo.

4. Familiarize yourself with the BingAds platform. According to MSN’s developer resources, adding product targets to an ad group will be similar to adding keywords to an ad group, so learn how before diving into the deep end.  (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/library/bing-ads-product-ads-guide-v8.aspx)

5. Prepare to support your Product Ads campaign with robust paid search and retargeting strategies. Don’t make your first impression your only impression. Some people won’t be ready to buy when they first see your ad, so make sure that when they’re ready to buy, make your site the most convenient option.