Microsoft Video Ads Are Now Available To More Advertisers

Back in September 2021, Microsoft launched video ads in select countries, and now, a year later, video ads have become available to all Microsoft advertisers in the following locations:

• United States
• Canada
• The United Kingdom
• France
• Germany
• Australia
• New Zealand

While video ads were being tested, Microsoft said that adding video to search campaigns increased conversions by 50%, compared to a regular search campaign.

Here are Microsoft’s video requirements:

• Length: Must range from 6 to 120 seconds
• File formats: We recommend MPEG-2, MP4, or MOV. We support all Azure Media Services v3 input file formats.
• Aspect ratio: Must range from 16:9 to 9:16 (e.g. 1:1 is acceptable)
• Resolution: As high as possible. At least 720×720 pixels recommended, at least 120×120 pixels required.
• Maximum file size: 10 GB
• Source: Videos must be uploaded from your local computer or from a publicly accessible file server such as OneDrive, FTP, or Dropbox. Indirect links to videos from sites such as YouTube, Dailymotion, Twitch, or Facebook are not allowed.

The following bidding options are available for video ads:

• Optimize for impressions: Bid per 1000 viewable impressions. An impression is counted when a viewer watches two seconds of continuous play.
• Optimize for views: Bid on a single video view. A view is counted when a person watches at least 15 seconds of video or clicks on the ad.
• Optimize for clicks: Bid per click on the video. A click is counted when the viewer lands on your website.

How to create a Microsoft video campaign:

1. From the collapsible menu on the left, select Campaigns.
2. Select Create campaign.
3. Choose Video views as your goal.
4. Enter the Campaign name and the Daily budget, and then select Save & go to next step.
5. Enter an Ad group name and select your intended audience targeting.
6. Select Save & go to next step.
7. Add your video. You can choose from Existing videos, or Upload a new video from your PC or from a URL where the video file can be directly downloaded.
8. Microsoft Advertising will automatically create multiple videos for each aspect ratio (16:9, 5:4, 1:1, 4:5, and 9:16). To choose a video with a specific aspect ratio, select the pencil icon  > Replace.
9. Select Save & go to next step.
10. Choose your Budget & bids settings.
11. Select Save.

Sources:

• Search Engine Journal
• Microsoft