Q4 is the busiest and most profitable time of year for retailers, and the pressure is on for PPCers to deliver. In our recent webinar, ClickTech’s Nikki and Alex shared practical strategies on how to use Microsoft Advertising to get ahead during this peak season.
Q4 is the golden quarter for advertisers. With Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the Christmas rush, retailers see their biggest spikes in demand, and agencies need to be ready to capitalise.
Recently, Click Tech’s Nikki and Alex hosted a webinar on how to prepare Microsoft Advertising campaigns for peak season. They shared insider insights into Microsoft’s ecosystem, the importance of early preparation, multi-format strategies, and advanced remarketing opportunities.
We’ve pulled together the key takeaways for PPC agencies and freelancers so you can set your clients up for success this holiday season.
Why Microsoft Advertising Deserves Your Attention
Many advertisers still underestimate Microsoft Advertising, assuming it’s “smaller” than Google. But Microsoft’s ecosystem offers unique opportunities and highly valuable audiences:
- Bing Search: Over 595 million monthly users.
- MSN: 550 million+ readers monthly.
- Outlook: 190 million users, second only to Gmail.
- LinkedIn: Over 1 billion members.
- Edge: The #2 desktop browser.
- Gaming: From Xbox to Solitaire (the world’s most-played game).
Microsoft users are 15% more likely to purchase online and spend twice as much as the average internet user. Add in the rapid rise of Copilot, with it’s AI-powered search, productivity tools, and ad placements across Bing, Outlook, LinkedIn, and Edge, and it’s clear that Microsoft Advertising is a widely untapped goldmine.
Prepare Early: Shoppers Start Sooner Than You Think
One of the biggest myths is that Christmas shopping starts in December. In reality:
- The average shopper takes 47 days to convert.
- 67% of November conversions started with a click in October.
- For fashion, 50% of December conversions can be traced back to October clicks.
This means agencies need to help clients front-load campaigns. Build awareness in September/October, run intent-driven search campaigns in November, and push product-specific shopping ads in December.
Shoppers are researching earlier, hunting for deals, and comparing unfamiliar brands (especially when buying gifts). The brands that show up early win later.
Pick & Mix Formats for Full-Funnel Coverage
Relying on a single campaign type limits reach and revenue. Microsoft data shows advertisers using five different formats are 20% more likely to boost revenue.
Key formats to blend:
- Audience Ads → For awareness & visual engagement.
- Search Campaigns → For high-intent queries.
- Shopping Campaigns → For ready-to-convert buyers.
- Performance Max → Covers awareness through conversion in one campaign.
- Remarketing → To re-engage browsers and cart abandoners.
The advantage is all of this can be managed within the Microsoft Advertising platform, keeping campaigns streamlined while covering the full funnel.
Remarketing is Crucial For Q4
Remarketing is especially powerful in Q4, when shoppers are browsing multiple sites before committing.
Some different remarketing variations:
- Standard remarketing: Re-engage site visitors via UET tags.
- Dynamic remarketing: Show the exact product a shopper viewed.
- Impression-based remarketing (exclusive to Microsoft): Build lists from users who saw your ad—even if they didn’t click.
In case your clients need convincing, here’s some key stats worth sharing:
- Campaigns with remarketing lists applied see a 179% higher conversion rate.
- Dynamic remarketing drives 164% higher conversions compared to static campaigns.
- Similar audiences deliver a 24% lower CPA than untargeted campaigns.
In short: if remarketing isn’t in your Q4 strategy, you’re missing major sales opportunities.
Optimise Ad Creative for the Season
When every brand is fighting for attention, creative testing is critical. Nikki recommended testing these angles:
- Urgency: Countdown timers for Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
- Value: Clear discounts, bundles, or free shipping.
- Emotion: Tap into gift-giving moments or self-reward messaging.
- Calls to action: Always be explicit (“Shop Now,” “Add to Wishlist”).
Microsoft’s Multimedia Ads are especially powerful. These large, visual units dominate the SERP—and only one can appear per auction. Use high-quality lifestyle imagery, keep headlines benefit-driven, and always add a strong CTA.
Performance Max Best Practices
Performance Max (PMAX) campaigns are a huge opportunity, but they need setup and patience:
- Allow 2–4 weeks for the learning phase. Don’t launch in mid-November and expect results by Black Friday.
- Budget wisely: Start with 25–30% of Google Ads spend, or 2–3x a standalone Microsoft search budget.
- Don’t over-restrict: Avoid overly tight ROAS/CPA targets in peak season – volume matters.
- Use audience signals: Feed in first-party data, in-market audiences, and seasonal signals like “Christmas gifts” or “Cyber Monday deals.”
- Add search themes: Up to 25 keywords to guide campaign learning.
PMAX thrives on data. The more you feed it early, the better it will perform during crunch time.
Want Microsoft Performance Max results for the upcoming holiday sales season? Get rid of the guesswork – download our free checklist and set up your PMAX for success.
The Adzooma Advantage
Finally, Nikki and Alex highlighted two features in the Adzooma platform that can help agencies streamline Q4 preparation:
- UET Tag Checker: Ensures your Microsoft tracking is correctly implemented before campaigns go live.
- Dynamic Product Remarketing Readiness: Assesses whether your client accounts are setup to run dynamic remarketing.
Both tools save time, reduce errors, and help agencies deliver better results during the busiest quarter of the year.
Final Thoughts
Q4 is a make-or-break period for many clients, and Microsoft Advertising offers untapped opportunities to reach valuable audiences across Bing, Outlook, LinkedIn, and beyond.
For agencies and freelancers, the key is:
- Prepare early—shoppers start in October.
- Diversify formats—cover the full funnel.
- Leverage remarketing—it drives massive efficiency gains.
- Optimise for seasonality—from ad copy to shopping feeds.
- Embrace AI and PMAX—Copilot and AI-driven search are reshaping user behaviour.
Get these strategies in place now, and your clients will thank you when the sales roll in this holiday season.
Missed the live webinar? Don’t worry – just get in touch at hello@adzooma.com and we will send you the full recording.
