Microsoft adCenter Blog and Forum Community

adCenter Ads on Facebook

Carolyn Miller - MSFT — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:36:00 GMT

Earlier this week, the Live Search Blog posted about a new deal with Facebook in the U.S.: Now Facebook users in the U.S. have the option to "Search Facebook" or "Search the Web." In addition, adCenter is delivering search ads alongside those results. For me that means getting great search results while receiving highly relevant ads that are personalized by either my Facebook profile or search query. Find out more about the Facebook team's first implementation of Live Search...(read more)

New Look for adCenter API Forum on MSDN

Chris Norred - MSFT — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 02:55:00 GMT

You may have noticed that the adCenter API forums are now using a new forum technology developed by the Microsoft team that publishes MSDN and TechNet.

One of the new features is a better, more obvious way to format code within the post editor. This may help eliminate some of the issues we've had with Smilies appearing in code blocks in forum posts.

Use the icon to add code to your post when writing in the new forum.

The new forums also offers richer profiles in which developers can add information about themselves, share bookmarks they enjoy and highlight any MSDN library content they have added. The MSDN profiles are separate from the adCenter Community profiles. This is intended. We know many of you wear multiple hats. The MSDN profile, is where you may choose to list your developer credentials, while the adCenter Community profile is where you might list your credentials in the advertising business.

We are interested in your feedback on this approach. Is it more convenient and valuable for you to use the MSDN forums for API development discussions? Or would you prefer to have all adCenter discussions in one location? Of course, we provide cross links to make it easy to go back and forth so the difference should be subtle. Still, it is a difference. If you have an opinion on it, let us know.

To provide general feedback on the new technology, post a comment in the suggestions forum.

If you have feedback on the adCenter API forum , or any questions about the adCenter API community, post a comment here or in the new API forum.

Thank you for using the community.

Chris

Creating Proxy Files using Visual Studio 2005

Jeff Dillon - MSFT — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:18:00 GMT

When building Version 5.1 adCenter API applications in Visual Studio 2005, you will want to use the wsdl.exe utility when creating the proxy files for those services that are of the .asmx type. These include:

Administration – https://adcenterapi.microsoft.com/Api/Advertiser/v5.1/Administration/Administration.asmx
CustomerManagement – https://adcenterapi.microsoft.com/Api/Advertiser/v5.1/CustomerManagement/CustomerManagement.asmx
NotificationManagement – https://adcenterapi.microsoft.com/Api/Advertiser/v5.1/NotificationManagement/NotificationManagement.asmx

For the other .svc services, you will want to use svcutil.exe to create the proxy files. These include:

Reporting – https://adcenterapi.microsoft.com/Api/Advertiser/V5.1/Reporting/ReportingService.svc
CampaignManagement – https://adcenterapi.microsoft.com/Api/Advertiser/V5.1/CampaignManagement/CampaignManagementService.svc

adCenter API Support

Search and the Art of Fly Fishing: Optimizing for Your Customers’ Buying Cycle

Charles Thrasher — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:24:00 GMT

Search engine advertising is about moving your customer from search page to landing page. It’s about selling the click but selling it to the right person, the person likely to buy your product, service, subscription, or information. It’s about the customer, a fact that some advertisers seem to overlook.

I’m a fan of fly fishing; I’m just not any good at it. I once took a class and was unable to catch anything in a pond stocked with hungry trout! Still, I appreciate the artistry required, the intimate familiarity with the trout’s lifecycle and environment. Trout rise to different insects as they hatch at different times of the year, even different hours of the day. A fly offered at the wrong time or with the wrong presentation is likely to be ignored. There’s a lot of similarity between fly fishing and search engine advertising.

Present me with an ad that doesn’t acknowledge
where I’m at in my buying cycle and
I’m likely to ignore it. I’m a trout!

Your customers have a buying cycle. It begins with recognition of a need. It may be a vague, undefined need but it’s a need. Take my experience on Cougar Mountain.

Cougar Mountain has been described as Seattle’s backyard wilderness; 3,000 acres of wetlands, meadows and forest on a very old mountain. After walking a trail on Cougar Mountain, my ankles ache and I realize that my Converse tennis shoes, although fashionably retro, are probably not the best footwear for a mountain. I need something better.

Researching a solution to my need is the next step in the cycle. It’s likely an iterative step as I become more informed about alternatives. Maybe I begin searching on general keywords like “hiking boots,” then recognize what I really want are “hiking shoes,” and finally “light weight hiking shoes” as I define the features important to me. I begin comparing specific brands of hiking shoes. And finally, I begin shopping prices for specific models. Each iterative step has its own set of keywords different than the one before. Each step requires different ad copy to remain relevant.

Early in my buying cycle, an ad that prominently features “Hiking Boot Reviews” would likely appeal to my ignorance. I don’t yet know what I don’t know. When I realize there is something called a hiking shoe, an ad that includes “Hiking Shoes” and “Buyer’s Guide” might attract my attention. Once I’ve determined my short list of hiking shoes, then an ad that includes brand, model and a special offer might get me to rise to the fly. Present me with an ad that doesn’t acknowledge where I’m at in my buying cycle and I’m likely to ignore it. I’m a trout!

Your Customer As Organizing Principle

It’s common practice in search advertising to create large ad groups of loosely related keywords, write a few static ads, and finish with an ad that dynamically inserts the keyword phrase into the title or body copy. It’s easy. When your campaigns include thousands or hundreds of thousands or even millions of keywords, easy becomes very attractive. It’s the equivalent of fishing with dynamite.

“…speak to the dog,
in the language of the dog,
about what’s in the heart of the dog.”
Persuasive Online Copywriting
Bryan, Jeffrey Eisenberg

Dynamic keyword insertion increases click through rate, no question. The searcher sees their keywords reflected in the ad and perceives greater relevance. Searching is a goal-oriented activity driven by relevance. So dynamic keyword insertion increases click through but compared to what? Loosely organized ad groups with irrelevant ad copy? Not surprising.

Instead, organize your campaigns into smaller ad groups of closely related keywords focused upon your customers’ progression through the buying cycle. Pitch your ad copy to the questions and concerns of your customers as they move from acknowledgement of a need through fulfillment of that need. Quoting Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg’s Persuasive Online Copywriting, “…speak to the dog, in the language of the dog, about what’s in the heart of the dog.” (Somehow, paraphrasing with “speak to the fish, in the language of the fish” doesn’t seem as impactful.)

And yes, it’s more work than fishing with dynamite. It requires finesse, timing, a deep understanding of your customers, and probably far fewer keywords. Think there’s no cost to those millions of long tail keywords if no one clicks them? Think again.

Technorati Tags: Search advertising,search engine marketing,SEM,pay per click,PPC,organizing principle,campaign architecture,buying cycle,customers,Charles Thrasher

Are You Doing Anything Differently During The Downturn?

Mel Carson - MSFT — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:25:00 GMT

After blogging yesterday about the IAB’s announcement of excellent growth in online advertising in the UK, it got me thinking that although we gave advertisers some tips on how to optimise your PPC campaigns in these lean times - what about the other end of the process?

In a downturn we tend to “batten down the hatches” and spend more time being careful about where we spend our budgets to maximise ROI.

But does this economic turbulence mean you MEASURE anything differently?

Are there any particular KPIs or metrics that you find have been magnified by all this uncertainty?

Is there anything you are doing differently that you weren’t before?

Please share any tips you have with fellow readers so we can weather the storm together!

UK Search Spend Up 28% – How Does This Affect You?

Mel Carson - MSFT — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:58:00 GMT

The IAB has announced today that UK internet advertising spend in the first half of 2008 grew by 21% compared with the same period the year before. Online advertising now has a healthy 19% share of the UK’s total advertising budget with marketers allocating £1.7B of their budgets to online channels. PPC lead the way as advertisers showed a great deal of confidence in the medium: “Paid-for search continues to lead the way, growing by 28% year-on-year and was worth £981 million in the first half of...(read more)

The Magic of Brand and Generic Keywords

Libby Thomas - MSFT — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 21:09:00 GMT

As a pay-per-click wizard, you’re probably aware that the perfect paid search account should contain a magical combination of both generic and branded terms. Omitting either of those could leave your campaign seriously lacking in sparkle and wonder. Not to mention conversions.

Enchanting Evidence

Just in case you’re not convinced; let me try to charm you with some interesting evidence. A recent study by Atlas - Engagement Mapping – Atlas 2008 Thought Paper - monitored searchers’ behaviour towards brand and non-brand terms.

First Clicks

It discovered that 29% of the very first clicks on sponsored links came from generic terms (e.g. ‘halloween outfits’) whereas only 22.7% came from brand terms (e.g. ‘libby’s fancy dress’). This indicates that the slight majority of first searches are from window-shoppers - clickers having a browse around the search pages for ideas and suggestions.

It’s crucial to have a good selection of generic terms in your account to capture this audience and remind them of, or introduce them to, your brand.

Repeat Clicks

In addition, the study found that repeated clicks on the ads generated by the very same search terms were more likely to come from brand terms - 36.9% of repeat clicks on sponsored links came from brand terms (e.g. ‘libby’s cauldrons’) compared to only 11.4% from generic terms (e.g. ‘cheap cauldrons’). This indicates that after a bit of searching around, clickers are more likely to return to make their purchase by using a brand term. For this reason, it’s crucial that you’re bidding on your brand name and all its variants.

Conversion Rates

Another study by 360i/SearchIgnite - Giving Clicks Credit Where They’re Due: What You Need to Know When Allocating Your Search Budget - 360i/SearchIgnite 2006 Whitepaper - confirms this and adds, “the highest conversion rate (9.30%) came from when the user’s first click and last click on a marketer’s paid search ads were both brand terms. Yet, when the first click is on a non-brand term and the last click is on a brand term, the conversion rate is almost as high (8.73%).”

So, although a searcher is more likely to click at any point in the search process if they’re continually searching for your brand, they’re also very likely to click if they discover your brand after initially typing in a generic term. Capitalise on this (and stop your competitors from stealing your loyal fans) by ensuring your ads and brand are present for all of the relevant generic terms.

To conclude, these studies prove that it’s crucial to have a wide variety of strong, relevant generic and brand terms in your account live at all times.

Thanks a lot and please come back soon for more magical insights,

Libby

Sneak peek into the adCenter Fall Upgrade

Carolyn Miller - MSFT — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:07:00 GMT

The holiday season is almost here, and soon we'll be releasing the adCenter Fall Upgrade with new features that you’ve been asking for. We’ve been listening to your feedback, requests, and great ideas for new features in adCenter, and throughout this year we’ve made significant progress in several key areas. For example, we’ve expanded your billing and payment options , simplified your campaign management experience , improved the way you create and analyze reports , and updated your keyword...(read more)

See you at Search Marketing Expo (SMX) East

Carolyn Miller - MSFT — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:24:00 GMT

SMX East starts Monday in NYC - we hope you'll stop by and see us in the Microsoft booth and meet with adCenter and Live Search team members. We'll also be representing Microsoft in some of the sessions: Monday, October 6, 2008 1:45-3:15pm -- Search & Display Ads : Pavan Li, Trade Marketing Research, Microsoft 6:00-7:00pm -- SMX Theater Presentation , What’s Live got to do with it? SEO and Webmaster tools Presentation Overview : Ani Babaian , Senior Product Manager, Webmaster Tools, Microsoft...(read more)

MOBILE INTERNET WORLD, Boston, Oct. 21

Chris Norred - MSFT — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:45:00 GMT

http://www.mobilenetx.com/2008/boston/about/

Mobile Internet World attracts attendees from the entire mobile Internet ecosystem. Executives from around the globe attend to learn about the state-of-the-art and state-of-the-practice of the mobile Internet, what role they can play and how they can profit from its opportunities.