Can advertisers customize reporting dashboards on these platforms?

Yes, advertisers can typically customize reporting dashboards on third-party bid management platforms for Bing Ads (Microsoft Advertising). Customizable dashboards are one of the most useful features of these platforms, as they allow advertisers to tailor the data they see to suit their specific needs, goals, and KPIs. Here's how these platforms generally support dashboard customization:

1. Drag-and-Drop Widgets
Customization Method: Most third-party platforms offer drag-and-drop functionality for creating personalized dashboards. Advertisers can select specific metrics or visualizations (like charts, graphs, tables) and place them on the dashboard in a way that suits their preferences.

Common Metrics: Advertisers can include metrics like CTR, CPC, Conversions, ROAS, Impressions, Budget Spend, Quality Score, Bid Adjustments, and many others, depending on the platform.

Flexibility: This method allows users to create multiple dashboards tailored to different goals or audiences (e.g., one dashboard for campaign performance, another for budget tracking, and another for audience segmentation).

2. Customizable Metrics and KPIs
Customization Method: Advertisers can often choose which metrics are most important for their campaigns and display them on the dashboard. These can include standard metrics like CPC and CTR, or more advanced metrics like Cost per Acquisition (CPA), Return on Ad Spend (ROAS), and Customer Lifetime Value (LTV).

Custom Metrics: In some cases, platforms allow the creation of custom metrics based on predefined formulas (e.g., revenue per click, cost per lead, etc.). This enables advertisers to track metrics unique to their specific business model.

3. Segmentation and Filtering Options
Customization Method: Dashboards often come with segmentation options that allow advertisers to filter data by device, location, time of day, audience, keyword, or ad group.

Granular Views: This flexibility is essential for optimizing campaigns because advertisers can track how specific segments (e.g., mobile users, people in a specific geographic area, or high-value customers) are performing.

Real-Time Filters: Many platforms also allow advertisers to apply real-time filters to the data, enabling them to quickly drill down into campaign performance.

4. Automated Reporting and Scheduled Dashboards
Customization Method: Many platforms allow users to schedule and automate the delivery of custom reports based on the dashboards they create. For example, a user might set up a dashboard that shows key performance metrics on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis and have it emailed to stakeholders automatically.

Report Templates: Some platforms even offer pre-built templates for common reports (e.g., weekly performance summaries or campaign performance by region), which can then be customized by adding or removing certain metrics.

Export Options: These platforms usually allow users to export the data from their custom dashboards into CSV, Excel, or PDF formats, making it easy to share reports across teams.

5. Data Visualization
Customization Method: Custom dashboards on third-party platforms often support a wide range of data visualization options to help advertisers interpret performance data effectively. These may include:

Line charts

Bar graphs

Pie charts

Heat maps

Funnel visualizations

Customizable Views: These visualizations can be customized to reflect the advertiser's specific goals. For instance, a user can display conversion trends over time or compare impressions vs. clicks using different types of graphs.

6. Alerts and Notifications
Customization Method: Some platforms allow you to set up custom alerts based on specific performance thresholds (e.g., if CPC rises above a certain point or if CPA exceeds a defined value).

Notification Triggers: These alerts can be set up to trigger emails or in-platform notifications to inform the advertiser when a campaign needs immediate attention or when a specific KPI has been met.

7. Multi-Account or Cross-Account Dashboards
Customization Method: For advertisers managing multiple accounts or clients, many platforms offer the ability to aggregate data across multiple accounts and display it in a unified dashboard.

Cross-Account Comparison: This feature is helpful for agency management or when managing a portfolio of campaigns across different verticals or geographies. Advertisers can compare performance across accounts in one place and customize views for each account or client.

8. User Roles and Permissions
Customization Method: Many platforms provide user roles and permissions that allow different levels of access to custom dashboards and reports. For instance, a campaign manager might have access to performance metrics, while a senior executive might only see top-level KPIs like ROAS or overall spend.

Role-Based Dashboards: Based on roles, users can customize and limit what data is visible and actionable for each user type.

9. Integrations with Other Tools
Customization Method: Some platforms allow for data integrations with other tools (e.g., Google Analytics, CRM systems, or sales tracking tools), enabling advertisers to incorporate data from these systems into their custom dashboards.

Unified Reporting: Integrating with other systems helps create a more comprehensive view of the advertising performance and customer journey, allowing for more informed decision-making.

Examples of Customization Features Offered by Popular Bid Management Platforms:
Kenshoo (Skai):

Offers drag-and-drop dashboards with the ability to add custom KPIs, audience insights, and performance metrics.

Provides advanced segmentation and cross-platform reporting, which can be customized for Bing Ads and other advertising channels.

Marin Software:

Allows highly customizable dashboards with real-time reporting and the ability to filter data by campaign, region, device, and more.

Offers automated alerts and customizable reporting intervals.

WordStream:

Provides easy-to-build custom dashboards that track important metrics like CTR, CPC, and ROAS for Bing Ads campaigns.

Includes weekly email reports with custom metrics.

Semrush:

Offers custom reports that allow you to combine Bing Ads performance data with organic search and other digital marketing data for a holistic view of campaign success.

Provides customizable templates and advanced filtering.

Conclusion
Advertisers using third-party bid management platforms for Bing Ads can easily customize their reporting dashboards to suit their specific needs. These platforms generally offer robust options like drag-and-drop widgets, customizable KPIs, real-time filters, data visualizations, and automated reporting. The ability to tailor dashboards based on user roles, segmentation, and specific campaign goals makes these tools highly valuable for optimizing ad performance and streamlining the reporting process.