How do you refine audience targeting to reach your ideal customers?

Refining audience targeting to reach your ideal customers is all about combining data, strategy, and continuous optimization. In Bing Ads (now Microsoft Advertising), there are a variety of tools and tactics you can use to zero in on your best audience segments. Here's how you can do it effectively:

🔍 1. Start with Clear Customer Personas
Before you dive into the platform, define who your ideal customers are:

Demographics: Age, gender, income level

Geographics: Where they live or are searching from

Psychographics: Interests, values, buying behavior

Job Titles / Industries (for B2B): Are they decision-makers? Small business owners?

Tip: Use CRM data, Google Analytics, or customer surveys to inform these personas.

🎯 2. Layer Audience Targeting Options
Microsoft Advertising lets you layer different targeting types to create highly specific segments:

Demographic targeting: Narrow by age, gender, household income.

Location targeting: Focus on cities, regions, or radius-based areas.

Device targeting: Reach users on mobile, desktop, or tablet depending on their behavior.

Dayparting: Show ads at the times your audience is most active or likely to convert.

Example: A high-end e-commerce brand might target:

Females aged 30–45

In high-income zip codes

Using mobile devices

Between 6 PM – 10 PM (when online shopping peaks)

👥 3. Use Custom Audiences & Remarketing Lists
If you have access to first-party data, you can upload it to Microsoft Ads and create:

Customer match lists: Use email lists to retarget or exclude past buyers.

Website remarketing: Target users who visited your site but didn't convert.

Similar audiences: Expand your reach by targeting users similar to your converters.

Pro Tip: Use exclusions wisely. If someone already converted, exclude them from future campaigns or push them into a loyalty/upsell segment instead.

🔄 4. Analyze Audience Performance Data
After running campaigns, review the performance data by audience segment:

Which demographics are converting?

Which devices bring the most value?

What geos have the lowest CPA or highest ROAS?

Use this to:

Increase bids on top-performing segments

Reduce or exclude poor-performing audiences

Adjust your creative or landing pages to match what's resonating

🧠 5. Leverage In-Market & LinkedIn Profile Targeting
Microsoft Ads uniquely allows:

In-market audiences: Reach users actively researching products or services in your category.

LinkedIn profile targeting: Target users by company, industry, or job function — ideal for B2B.

Example: If you sell marketing software, target users:

In the "Marketing & Advertising" industry

With the job title "Marketing Manager"

In-market for "CRM Software"

✍️ 6. Customize Creative for Each Audience
Once you've segmented your audiences, tailor your ad messaging to speak directly to them:

Use dynamic text to insert location or product names.

Speak to their specific pain points or desires.

Highlight relevant promotions or urgency drivers.

Example: A student-focused bank could run ad copy like:

"Get a no-fee student checking account—plus a $50 bonus!"

🔁 7. Continuously Test and Refine
Audience targeting is never "set and forget." Try:

A/B testing different audiences

Rotating creatives for different segments

Adding new layers like time of day or audience exclusions

Keep checking metrics like:

CTR (Is the ad grabbing attention?)

Conversion rate (Is it resonating with the right users?)

CPA/ROAS (Are you making a profit on that audience?)