Launched: Radius Targeting for Bing and Yahoo! Search

A few weeks ago we announced a preview of our local PC and mobile ad offerings for Bing and Yahoo! via adCenter.

As of this week, radius targeting is live for search ads on PC and for mobile devices in all adCenter markets.

Now, Bing and Yahoo! Search advertisers will be able to target ads to appear when consumers are searching around a specific geographic location or locations. Local ads can be targeted within a five to 100 mile radius around an address, the center of a zip code or lat/long coordinates – which will increase ad relevancy for users as well as campaign efficiency, and ROI for local businesses looking to increase sales, drive leads and grow store traffic.

To bring this to life, here are a couple of scenarios that help local businesses target different customer segments more effectively:

Using Radius Targeting to Promote Different Services

We all know that there are some things we would drive long distances for, and there are other things that we prefer to purchase close to home. For instance, consider Contoso Auto, a luxury auto dealer based in downtown Seattle that not only sells cars, but also provides auto maintenance/repairs as well.

Consumers who live in Bellevue, an upscale suburb outside of Seattle, may be willing to drive quite a distance when shopping for their next automobile. To increase new car sales Contoso Auto might run a special new car promotion, “$2,500 Off MSRP”, in a 30 mile radius around Bellevue and other similar neighboring suburbs to target consumers in high income brackets.

However, for Contoso’s auto services, consumers may be more interested in convenience and are likely willing to only travel a short distance for such services. In this case, Contoso Auto can create a more focused radius targeted campaign featuring a promotional offering, such as a “$24.95 Oil Change Special” in a 10 mile radius around the dealership’s service location.

Conceptual View of PC and Mobile Local Search Ads, New Car Discount & Oil Change Special Using Radius Targeting

Encircle the Competition with Radius Targeting

One way a local business can acquire new customers is by targeting its competitor’s loyal patrons. Consider Fourth Coffee, a coffee shop in San Francisco that is competing head-to-head with its crosstown rival, Coho Coffee. Given the highly competitive nature of the coffee market in San Francisco, one way Fourth Coffee could increase sales is apply a target campaign in a five mile radius around its competitors’ locations - enticing Coho Coffee’s customers with an aggressive discount, such as “$1 Off a Cafe Latte.”

Using Radius Targeting to Drive Shopper Loyalty

Many local businesses thrive by converting the occasional shopper into a loyal, habitual customer. One way to do this is to use Radius Targeting to encourage repeat visits. For example, Fourth Coffee could run a ”Buy 5 Lattés, Get 1 Free” offer targeted within 10 miles around their locations, encouraging more store visits from their existing customers or those nearby.

Conceptual View of Fourth Coffee’s PC and Mobile Local Ads Using Radius Targeting

This is the first of many exciting announcements from Bing to help local businesses reach local customers and increase sales. Check out the Microsoft Advertising blog for future updates.

Cheers,

Ginny Sandu, Group Manager

Global Product Marketing, Microsoft Mobile, Local & Commerce

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