What are the best practices for bid management using these platforms in the travel industry on Bing Ads?

Great question! The travel industry has unique dynamics—like fluctuating demand, seasonal spikes, and competitive CPCs—so bid management using third-party platforms on Bing Ads (Microsoft Advertising) requires a smart, data-driven approach.

Here are the best practices specifically for bid management in the travel industry:

🧠 1. Use Automated Bidding with Real-Time Signals
Third-party platforms like Skai (Kenshoo), Marin, or SA360 offer advanced machine learning algorithms that:

Adjust bids in real time based on travel intent signals (e.g., destination search behavior, time of day, device type).

Factor in historical booking data and lead quality.

Bid higher during peak booking hours or for high-LTV travelers.

Pro Tip: Set different bid strategies for different travel products (e.g., flights vs. hotels vs. tours).

📍 2. Geo & Device-Level Bid Adjustments
Travel intent is heavily location- and device-dependent:

Increase bids in regions with high conversion rates or valuable customer segments.

Adjust bids for mobile if your site is optimized for mobile bookings.

Use IP geo-targeting to prioritize ads for local deals or events.

Example: Bid higher for users in NYC searching for Caribbean getaways during winter.

📆 3. Incorporate Seasonality & Events
Travel has intense seasonal shifts and event-driven demand:

Use third-party platforms to automate bid rules for seasonal campaigns (e.g., summer vacation, spring break, festivals).

Set calendar-based bid modifiers that increase bids during peak times and reduce them during off-seasons.

Bonus Tip: Layer in weather data if available (e.g., boost warm destination bids during cold snaps).

🧳 4. Segment by Funnel Stage
Travel shoppers often research before booking:

Set up remarketing lists for search ads (RLSAs) and bid more aggressively on return visitors.

Use different bid strategies for branded vs. generic queries (e.g., "cheap flights" vs. "Delta flights to Paris").

Layer customer lifetime value into bid optimization to focus on repeat travelers.

📈 5. Conversion Value Bidding
If you know the value of each conversion (e.g., average revenue per booking), use Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) bidding.

Platforms like SA360 let you set conversion values by product type, location, or customer segment.

Optimize for profitability, not just volume.

🛠� 6. Feed-Based Campaigns & Dynamic Insertion
Use dynamic search ads or feed-based campaigns (especially for hotels, tours, or packages):

Bids are automatically adjusted based on real-time inventory and pricing.

Third-party tools integrate with your booking system or feed to pause bids on sold-out properties or flights.

🔁 7. A/B Test Bid Strategies
Run tests to compare:

Manual vs. automated bidding

Maximize conversions vs. Target CPA

Platform-specific vs. cross-platform strategies

Then let the data guide your optimization.

🎯 8. Budget Reallocation & Portfolio Bidding
Let platforms manage budgets across a portfolio of campaigns:

Automatically shift budget to top-performing destinations or products.

Set guardrails (min/max CPA or ROAS) to keep control.