Understanding your audience is crucial for running profitable ad campaigns—and Microsoft Ads (formerly Bing Ads) makes this easier with a powerful feature called In-Market Audiences.

Here's a full breakdown of how Bing Ads In-Market Audiences work and how to use them effectively in 2024:

🧠 What Are In-Market Audiences?
In-Market Audiences are predefined audience segments of users who are actively researching or comparing products and services in a specific category.

🔍 Example: If someone is regularly searching for "best laptops for college," "Dell vs MacBook," and "student laptop discounts," Microsoft categorizes them as in-market for laptops.

🎯 Why Use In-Market Audiences?
Highly intent-driven: These users are close to making a purchase decision.

Better ROI: You target people who are already considering what you offer.

Easy integration: You don't need to upload lists—just choose from Microsoft's audience segments.

Layering: Combine with keyword targeting for even more precision.

📌 How to Use In-Market Audiences in Microsoft Ads
Step 1: Log into your Microsoft Ads account
Go to ads.microsoft.com and select the campaign/ad group you want to enhance.

Step 2: Navigate to "Audiences"
Click on the "Audiences" tab

Then click "Add Association"

Step 3: Select In-Market Audiences
Choose the option: "In-market audiences"

You'll see categories like:

Apparel & Accessories

Auto Buyers

Business Services

Financial Services

Health & Wellness

Real Estate

Travel

Tech & Electronics

Step 4: Apply Audience Targeting or Bid Adjustments
Targeting Mode: Show ads only to this audience.

Bid-Only Mode: Show ads to everyone, but adjust bids (e.g., +30%) for in-market users.

📊 Pro Tips for Using In-Market Audiences
✅ 1. Use Bid-Only First
Start by layering In-Market Audiences with "bid-only" mode to test how well they perform before narrowing your targeting.

✅ 2. Combine with Remarketing
Layer In-Market Audiences with remarketing lists to re-engage warm leads who are also actively researching.

✅ 3. Monitor Segment Performance
Check performance by audience to identify the most responsive groups—and allocate more budget to them.

✅ 4. Use Demographics + In-Market
Refine even further with age, gender, and location filters. For example, if you're selling retirement insurance, target users 50+ who are in-market for financial services.

🧩 Real Use Case Example
Product: Travel Insurance
Target Audience: In-market for international travel + aged 30–55 + frequent flyers
Strategy:

Target the "Travel > International Travel" audience

Use bid adjustments for mobile users

Add remarketing to capture return visits

🚀 Summary: Why It Matters
In-Market Audiences help you:

Tap into real buying intent

Reduce wasted ad spend

Improve conversion rates without increasing your budget

They are one of the most underused features in Microsoft Ads, but can offer Google Ads–level precision when used correctly.