How do you use testing to innovate and stay ahead of industry trends?

Using testing to innovate and stay ahead of industry trends in Bing Ads (or any paid media platform) is all about being proactive, experimental, and strategic. Instead of waiting for best practices to become mainstream, you're shaping them through real-world insights. Here's how I approach that:

🚀 1. Adopt a "Test Lab" Mindset
Treat a portion of your budget and campaigns as a sandbox for innovation—not every campaign has to be optimized solely for ROI.

Allocate ~10–20% of budget for experimental initiatives.

Create isolated campaigns or ad groups specifically for trend-based or bold ideas (new features, formats, audiences).

💡 Mindset: "Not everything has to work—but everything has to teach us something."

🔍 2. Spot Trends Early Through Research and Observation
Stay plugged into sources that highlight emerging tactics or consumer behaviors:

Microsoft Ads Blog & Beta Programs

PPC and marketing forums like Reddit's r/PPC, Search Engine Land, or PPC Chat on X (Twitter)

Competitor ad tracking tools (e.g., SEMRush, SpyFu, Adbeat)

Industry newsletters, webinars, and podcasts

👀 Tactic: Monitor SERP changes and auction insights to see if competitors are testing new ad types or messaging.

🧪 3. Translate Trends into Testable Hypotheses
Rather than copying trends blindly, convert them into experiments:

Trend: Conversational, chat-like ad copy is becoming popular.

Test: Run one ad group with formal copy and one with conversational copy.

Trend: AI-generated images in ads.

Test: Compare AI-generated visuals vs. traditional product photos in responsive ads.

📌 Rule: Every trend you act on should have a clear hypothesis and KPI tied to it.

🛠� 4. Leverage New Bing Ads Features as They Launch
Microsoft Advertising frequently rolls out new features (e.g., audience segments, automated bidding strategies, dynamic search ads).

Join beta programs or pilot groups when possible.

Test new ad formats like Multimedia Ads, Responsive Search Ads, or Product Audiences as soon as they're released.

Track how these impact engagement, CTR, and conversions compared to legacy formats.

⚡ Why it matters: Early adopters often see lower CPCs and higher impression shares before features become saturated.

🎯 5. Test Emerging Audience Segments and Targeting Layers
As more first-party and intent data becomes available, test:

LinkedIn profile targeting (unique to Bing Ads)

In-market and custom audiences

Remarketing lists and lookalike models

👤 Tactic: Run identical campaigns segmented by audience layers to see who performs best. Then scale winning segments across campaigns.

🧠 6. Apply Cross-Channel Learnings
Some of the best innovations come from borrowing successful tests from platforms like Meta, TikTok, or Google and adapting them to Bing Ads.

If UGC-style creative performs well on Meta, test casual, authentic messaging in Bing's ad copy.

Try successful hooks or angles from TikTok ads in search headlines or extensions.

🌐 Think omni-channel: Innovate beyond platform silos.

📊 7. Turn Testing Into a Feedback Loop
Use a central testing tracker or dashboard to measure the outcomes of each innovation test.

Identify what's repeatable, what's scalable, and what only worked due to temporary factors.

Share test results across teams—creative, content, dev, product—to inspire broader innovation.

📁 Pro tip: Categorize tests by impact level (High/Medium/Low) and confidence to prioritize scaling or revisiting.

🔄 8. Embrace "Fast Failure" Culture
Not every test will succeed, and that's part of the innovation process.

Track learnings from failures—sometimes what didn't work is just as valuable.

Reinforce internally that experimentation isn't wasteful—it's essential for staying ahead.

🧪 Mantra: "Fail fast, learn faster."

💡 Real-World Innovation Examples:

Trend   How I Test It   KPI
AI-generated ad copy   Compare vs. human-written ads   CTR, CVR
Multimedia Ads   Test performance vs. standard text ads   CPA, Engagement
LinkedIn profile targeting   Run B2B campaigns using job titles   ROAS, Lead Quality
Voice-search intent keywords   Add long-tail queries like "how to..."   CTR, Bounce Rate
🏁 Final Thought:
Innovation isn't a lucky accident—it's the result of consistent, data-driven testing fueled by curiosity. The brands that win in Bing Ads (and beyond) are the ones who treat testing not as a side task, but as a core marketing discipline.