Microsoft Advertising Image Extensions allow advertisers to enhance their text ads with high-quality, relevant images that help capture users’ attention and improve click-through rates (CTR). By combining compelling visuals with concise ad copy, you can create more engaging and effective ads across the Microsoft Advertising network. Below are 10 best ways to use Microsoft Image Extensions to improve ad performance.

1. Use High-Quality, Relevant Images

• Why: High-quality images are essential to catching users’ attention and conveying professionalism. Blurry or irrelevant images can hurt your ad’s performance.
• How to use: Always choose clear, high-resolution images that directly relate to the product or service you’re promoting. Ensure the images are visually appealing and resonate with your target audience.
• Example: For a travel company, use images of beautiful destinations like beaches or mountains to entice potential customers to explore vacation options.

2. Showcase Product Features or Benefits

• Why: Images that highlight key product features or benefits make it easier for users to visualize what they will gain from your offer.
• How to use: If your product has unique features, use close-up shots or lifestyle images that emphasize those benefits. Pair them with concise, benefit-driven ad copy.
• Example: A tech company can display an image showing the sleek design of a new laptop, paired with ad copy that highlights its lightweight portability and long battery life.

3. Align Images with Seasonal or Event-Based Campaigns

• Why: Seasonal or event-based campaigns can drive urgency, and relevant images can amplify that message, making the ad more timely and engaging.
• How to use: Use images that reflect current events, seasons, or holidays to make your ads more relevant to the time of year. For instance, showcase holiday decor or seasonal colors to reflect festive themes.
• Example: A fashion retailer might use images of cozy sweaters or winter coats for a fall/winter campaign, emphasizing seasonal relevance.

4. Create Visual Consistency with Your Brand

• Why: Consistency in branding helps users quickly identify your ads and reinforces brand recognition, especially if you use consistent colors, tones, and imagery across platforms.
• How to use: Choose images that align with your overall brand identity. If your brand has a specific color scheme or style, ensure the images used in your extensions reflect that to build a cohesive brand experience.
• Example: A luxury cosmetics brand should use clean, sophisticated images with soft lighting to match the premium feel of their other marketing materials.

5. Focus on Lifestyle Images to Evoke Emotion

• Why: Lifestyle images that show your product or service being used by real people can create an emotional connection with the viewer, increasing engagement and click-through rates.
• How to use: Use images that show people enjoying or benefiting from your product, creating a relatable and aspirational appeal.
• Example: A fitness brand could use images of people working out in a gym, smiling, or achieving fitness goals to motivate potential customers.

6. Test Multiple Images for A/B Testing

• Why: Different images resonate with different audiences, and testing multiple options allows you to identify the most effective visuals for driving clicks and conversions.
• How to use: Create a few variations of your image extensions and test them across different campaigns. Track performance to determine which images drive the best results, and optimize accordingly.
• Example: An online retailer can test images of individual products versus lifestyle shots of those products in use to see which one leads to higher CTR.

7. Use Images to Highlight Promotions or Offers

• Why: Promotions and discounts can drive immediate action, and adding a relevant image makes the promotion stand out even more.
• How to use: Use image extensions to visually emphasize special offers, such as sale banners, percentage-off labels, or free shipping icons. The image should complement the ad copy, reinforcing the urgency of the offer.
• Example: An e-commerce store could display an image showing “50% Off Sale” alongside the promotional text in the ad.

8. Optimize Images for Mobile

• Why: Mobile users have different browsing behavior, and visuals play a crucial role in quickly capturing their attention. Image extensions optimized for mobile can help you drive more mobile traffic.
• How to use: Ensure that the images you use are mobile-friendly, with clear and simple visuals that are easily viewable on small screens. Test how the image appears on different devices to ensure clarity and relevance.
• Example: A restaurant could display close-up images of popular dishes that look delicious even on smaller smartphone screens, enticing mobile users to click.

9. Match Images with Specific Audience Segments

• Why: Different audience segments respond to different imagery. Tailoring images to specific groups allows for more personalized and relevant ads.
• How to use: If you have multiple target audiences, use images that align with the interests or demographics of each segment. You can adjust the image style, tone, or content to match the preferences of your ideal customer.
• Example: A car dealership could use images of family-friendly SUVs for ads targeting families, and sleek sports cars for ads targeting younger professionals.

10. Drive Traffic to Product-Specific Pages

• Why: Image extensions can be used to guide users to specific landing pages that match the product shown in the image, increasing the likelihood of conversions.
• How to use: Ensure that the image used in the extension reflects the product or service that users will find on the landing page. This creates a seamless experience from ad to landing page and improves relevancy.
• Example: If you’re advertising a specific clothing item like a jacket, use an image of the jacket and ensure the ad links to that product page rather than the homepage.

Conclusion

Microsoft Image Extensions offer an effective way to enhance your text ads by providing users with visual cues that make your ad more engaging and informative. By following these 10 best practices—using high-quality images, focusing on branding, testing different visuals, and aligning with specific audiences—you can significantly improve your ad performance and achieve better click-through and conversion rates across the Microsoft Advertising network.