Why Run Bing Ads for Affiliate Marketing?
While Google and Facebook command the largest ad shares, Microsoft Advertising (Bing Ads) is a highly lucrative traffic source for affiliate marketers, particularly in:
- Finance & Investing: Crypto offers, loans, and investment newsletters.
- B2B & Software: High-ticket SaaS offers and enterprise products.
- Older Demographics: Health offers, insurance, and physical gadgets.
Bing traffic often has higher purchasing power. However, to scale successfully on Bing search ads, you must feed conversion data back to Microsoft's UET (Universal Event Tracking) engine.
This guide explains how to set up Microsoft Ads Offline Conversions via PostbackFlow.
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The MSCLKID attribution loop
Microsoft Advertising attributes conversions using the MSCLKID (Microsoft Click ID):
1. A searcher clicks your Bing ad. Microsoft appends ?msclkid=XYZ to the URL.
2. PostbackFlow captures the msclkid and binds it to the visitor click database.
3. When the user purchases the affiliate offer, the network sends the postback to PostbackFlow.
4. PostbackFlow matches the click, retrieves the msclkid, formats the conversion event, and sends it to the Microsoft Ads API.
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Step 1: Create an Offline Conversion Goal in Microsoft Ads
First, set up a conversion action inside your Microsoft Advertising account.
1. Log in to your Microsoft Advertising Dashboard.
2. Go to Tools -> Conversion Tracking -> Conversion Goals.
3. Click Create Conversion Goal.
4. Choose Offline as the goal type and click Next.
5. Set the parameters:
* Goal Category: Purchase or Lead.
* Goal Type: Offline Conversions.
* Goal Name: Enter a unique name (e.g., PostbackFlow Purchases).
6. Save the goal. Record the exact Goal Name (it must match character-for-character).
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Step 2: Configure Microsoft Ads in PostbackFlow
Now, connect your Microsoft Ads account settings in the PostbackFlow console.
1. Go to the Ad Platforms page.
2. Click Configure on the Microsoft Advertising card.
3. Enter the required information:
* Conversion Goal Name: The name you created in Step 1.
* Developer Token: Your Microsoft Advertising developer token (obtained in the account settings).
* Authentication details: Save changes.
4. Toggle the platform switch to Active.
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Step 3: Enable Auto-tagging on Bing
For Microsoft Ads to append the msclkid parameter, you must ensure Auto-tagging is turned on:
1. In Microsoft Advertising, go to Settings -> Account level options.
2. Verify that Auto-tagging of Click ID is checked.
3. Save changes.
PostbackFlow will now automatically capture msclkid values from incoming search traffic and report conversions back to Microsoft Ads, allowing you to optimize your bids for high-value search queries.