Custom audiences: Create richer user segments with your own data

Learn about creating custom audiences to create richer user segments.
Note

Custom audiences are available in all Microsoft Advertising markets except within the European Union, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

A custom audience is a type of remarketing list that is generated by using your own customer data to create richer user segments. You can use custom audiences in conjunction with a supported data management provider (DMP)—currently supported DMPs are Adobe Audience Manager, Oracle Blukai, and LiveRamp. When your DMP connects to our custom audience feature, you can then import your custom audiences into Microsoft Advertising for search remarketing.

Through your DMP, you can segment your customer data however you see fit. For example, segment customers by purchase history, lifetime value, tenure, subscriber type, time since last purchase, or customer referrals.

Why use custom audiences?

No extra data management needed. Custom audiences allow you to use the audience data you already have.

Just the right audience. Create richer audience segments using your insights and customer data.

Similar to remarketing. Custom audiences can be associated to ad groups or campaigns as target and bid, bid only, or as an exclusion.

Using custom audiences

How do I set up custom audiences? expando image

To get started with custom audiences, you must have an account with a supported DMP: Adobe Audience Manager, Oracle Blukai, or LiveRamp.

Depending on the provider, they'll have their own enablement steps within their software. Be sure to contact your DMP for details on how to enable this feature.

Once the integration is complete, your custom audiences will appear in Tools > Audiences in Microsoft Advertising.

Important

When you set up a custom audience, you will be asked to confirm that you are using only first-party audience data (your customer data that you collected from your own website or apps, for example). Only first-party audience data is allowed for targeting on Microsoft Advertising.

How do I associate custom audiences?expando image
  1. From the collapsible menu on the left, select All campaigns > Audiences.

    If you're using the new Microsoft Advertising navigation, from the navigation menu on the left, hover over Campaigns and select Audiences.

  2. Select Create association.
  3. Select the ad group or campaign you want to associate with one or more audiences.
  4. Under Ad group targeting or Campaign targeting, select the audience categories you want to target.
  5. Select your Targeting setting:
    • Bid only: Shows ads to people searching for your ad, with the option to make bid adjustments for the selected audience.
    • Target and bid: Shows ads only to the selected audience, with the option to make bid adjustments.
  6. Adjust the Default bid adjustment. By default, new targeting associations are set to 15%, however, the bid adjustment can range from -90% to +900%.
  7. Under Ad group exclusions or Campaign exclusions, select the audience you want to exclude.
  8. Select Save.
Notes
  • A custom audience takes up to 24 hours to build, and targeting for it won't take effect until that point.
  • Custom audiences will not be applied until they have at least 300 users.
How do I associate custom audiences to multiple ad groups or campaigns?expando image
  1. From the collapsible menu on the left, select All campaigns > Ad groups > Ad groups.

    If you're using the new Microsoft Advertising navigation, from the navigation menu on the left, hover over Campaigns and select Ad groups > Ad groups.

  2. Select the ad groups or campaigns you want to associate with the custom audience.
  3. Select Edit > Associate with audiences.
  4. Under Ad group targeting or Campaign targeting, select the audience categories you want to target.
  5. Select your Targeting setting:
    • Bid only: Shows ads to people searching for your ad, with the option to make bid adjustments for the selected audience.
    • Target and bid: Shows ads only to the selected audience, with the option to make bid adjustments.
  6. Adjust the Default bid adjustment. By default, new targeting associations are set to 15%, however, the bid adjustment can range from -90% to +900%.
  7. Under Ad group exclusions or Campaign exclusions, select the audience you want to exclude.
  8. Select Save.
Notes
  • A custom audience takes up to 24 hours to build, and targeting for it won't take effect until that point.
  • Custom audiences will not be applied until they have at least 300 users.
FAQsexpando image
  • What Microsoft Advertising information do I need to provide to set up data management providers (DMPs)?
    • Adobe Audience Manager: A Microsoft Advertising manager account ID
    • Oracle Blukai: A Microsoft Advertising manager account ID
    • LiveRamp: A Microsoft Advertising manager account ID plus Microsoft Advertising credentials (a username that is linked to this Microsoft Advertising manager account ID and is user type Super Admin or Standard User)
  • Can I use custom audiences with any Microsoft Advertising campaign type?
    Yes, custom audiences can be associated with search campaigns, Microsoft Audience Network campaigns, and Microsoft shopping campaigns.
  • Can I use custom audiences in my campaigns that run across all device types?
    Yes, custom audiences can be associated with ad groups or campaigns that run across computer, tablet, and mobile devices.
  • Can I use custom audiences in my campaigns that run across the entire Microsoft Search Network, including syndicated partners?
    No, custom audiences are only supported on sites owned and operated by Bing, AOL, and Yahoo.
  • What countries/regions are supported?
    Custom audiences are available in all Microsoft Advertising markets except within the European Union, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Japan.
  • Are exclusions allowed with custom audiences?
    Yes, exclusions are allowed with custom audiences, allowing you to exclude a custom audience from a campaign. For example, an advertiser can exclude their list of "Platinum Customers" from their ads targeting new customers.
  • How do I edit the targeting setting for an association?
    The targeting setting can be edited one ad group or campaign at a time from the Audiences page by selecting Create association and then selecting the relevant ad group or campaign. The updated targeting setting is applied to all the associations of that ad group or campaign. Learn more about editing the targeting setting for an association.
  • Can I use a "Target and bid" setting for one audience list and a "Bid only" setting for another audience list in the same ad group or campaign?
    No, you can only select one targeting setting per ad group or campaign that will apply to all your audience lists in that ad group or campaign (either "Target and bid" or "Bid only"). It isn't possible to use different targeting settings in the same ad group or campaign for remarketing lists, in-market audiences, and custom audiences. Whichever setting you've selected most recently ("Target and bid" or "Bid only") overrides any previous settings.
  • Does Enhanced CPC (auto-bidding) work with custom audiences?
    Yes, Enhanced CPC works with custom audiences.
  • How long does it take for my custom audiences to show up in Microsoft Advertising?
    It takes up to 48 hours for a new custom audience to be available in Microsoft Advertising.
  • How frequently are custom audience list sizes updated?
    Once every 24 hours.
  • Why do I see the same list size for a custom audience in both search campaigns and Microsoft Audience Network campaigns?
    List sizes reflect the information passed to Microsoft Advertising from your DMP and are not tied to search campaigns or Microsoft Audience Network campaigns.

Note

Custom audiences are just one of our audience targeting options.

See more videos...