How to track offline conversions in Microsoft Ads [step by step guide + video]

Tracking offline conversions in Microsoft ads is often overlooked by marketers because the process of uploading offline conversions in your Microsoft advertising account may sound daunting.

But what happens if your business is solely tracking conversions that occur directly on your website?

Chances are you might not have a complete understanding of how advertisements are impacting your sales!

Let’s say a customer sees your ad, clicks on it, but ends up calling you, leading to a sale that was taken offline. How can you track when your search ad leads to a conversion offline and outside of your website? You can import offline conversions in Microsoft Ads, to better measure what happens after your ad was clicked.

In this article, we’ll explore two ways to setup offline conversions in Microsoft ads.

Tracking offline conversions in Microsoft Ads

Using Microsoft Ads is an effective way to reach a specific audience and advertise your product or service. It is commonly considered a more affordable option compared to Google Ads and is highly recommended for those seeking to increase traffic and conversions through paid advertising.

Setting up an offline conversion in Microsoft Ads

In Microsoft Ads navigate to: Conversion Tracking -> Conversion Goals and click on “Create Conversion Goal”

Give your conversion goal a name and select type=Offline conversions. Click Next.

Select the scope, value, count, conversion window that suits you best and check the box “Include in Conversions”.

Manually importing offline conversions in Microsoft Ads

You have multiple options for importing your offline conversions in Microsoft Ads. You can either upload a file once, create a schedule to upload a file regularly, or upload conversions through APIs. In this guide we cover how to upload a file.

Prepare your data for import

1. Download the template as an Excel or .csv file.
2. Enter the following information:
   Microsoft Click ID. The MSCLKID that led to the conversion (see below for click ID information). The MSCLKID is a GUID (32 characters) that is unique for each ad click.
   Conversion Name. The goal name you entered when you created the conversion goal.
   Conversion Time. The date and time that the conversion occurred. The accepted time zone values can be viewed here. See below for conversion time formatting and need-to-know details. Note: Make sure that the conversion time is after the click time.
   Conversion Value (optional). 0 to 999999999999, with 3 decimal fields and no negative numbers. You must use a period for decimals (as in 12.34), not a comma (as in 12,34).
   Conversion Currency (optional). The currency in which the conversion value is provided. Note: If conversion value and conversion currency is not defined in the file, the value defined in the goal will be used.
3. Save the file locally to import it into Microsoft Advertising once. If you’re scheduling recurring imports, save the file to an online location.

Import offline conversions once

1. Once your file is ready for upload, in the global menu at the top of the page, click Tools and then Offline conversions.
2. Under the Uploads tab, click + Upload.
3. Click Browse and select the file you want to upload.
4. Click Upload and preview.
5. When the upload is complete, you can view the results of the changes including any errors. Download errors for troubleshooting.
6. Click Apply changes when you’re ready.

Automating Nimbata to send MSCLKIDs to Microsoft Ads

Although more marketers are utilizing Microsoft Ads, it remains difficult for many to connect paid sessions with broader customer journeys. However, by incorporating Nimbata with your Microsoft Ads account, you can bridge this gap and enhance your advertising efforts.

Let’s see how you can get Nimbata to automate sending of MSCLKIDs to Microsoft Ads!

Step 1: User clicks on one of your Microsoft Ads

Step 2: Microsoft Ads will append the MSCLKID to the URL of the landing page 

Step 3: The Nimbata script that runs on your website captures the MSCLKID and the whole customer journey until the customer calls

Step 4: When the call ends, Nimbata assigns the call to the visit that drove it and sends the click ID back to Microsoft Ads as an offline conversion.

First Navigate to Integrations from the menu on the left and click on Microsoft Ads

Click on the Button labeled “Connect Microsoft Ads”

A pop up window will appear were you can select the Microsoft Account you wish to connect. Make sure that the account you connect is the one you previously setup the conversion action, as described above.

Click on Yes to give permission to Nimbata to send call data to your Microsoft Account.

After completing the process, you will return back to Nimbata and see a confirmation message that your account has been successfully connected.

Select the trigger, the ad account and in the list of conversions find the offline conversion you created in the previous steps.

That’s it! Nimbata will send MSCLKIDs to your offline conversions in Microsoft Ads.

Video Tutorial

Takeaway

Importing offline conversions in Microsoft Ads can provide valuable insights for businesses looking to optimize their advertising campaigns. By tracking conversions that occur outside of your website, such as phone calls or in-store purchases, you can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of your ads and improve your advertising strategies for maximum ROI.

This is especially important for businesses with physical stores or those that generate a significant portion of their sales through phone inquiries. Microsoft Ads offers several tools for importing offline conversions, such as the Offline Conversion Tracking tool, which allows you to upload offline data and match it with your advertising campaigns to determine which ads, keywords, and targeting methods are driving the most conversions and revenue.

By incorporating offline conversions in Microsoft Ads, you can make data-driven decisions and optimize your advertising strategies to drive business growth.

FAQ