ABM display ads: a playbook for Google and Microsoft
A practical ABM display ads playbook for Google and Microsoft: targeting by account and role, creative by stage, frequency, budgets and account-level reporting.
ABM display ads show visual ads to the people at your target accounts, before and after they visit your site. On Microsoft you can target companies and job functions directly. On Google you reach accounts through custom segments, lookalikes and audiences built from site visits. The playbook below covers targeting, creative, frequency and reporting on both.
What ABM display ads are for
Display ads rarely close B2B deals on their own. Their job is different:
- Familiarity. When a buying committee starts looking, they shortlist names they recognise.
- Coverage. Most people on a buying committee never search for you. Display reaches them anyway.
- Follow-up. When one person from an account visits, display keeps the conversation going with the rest of the team.
- Air cover for sales. Reps get warmer replies from accounts that have already seen your name.
Judge display on those jobs, not on last-click leads. If you measure it like search, it will always look expensive.
Google vs Microsoft for ABM display
| Microsoft Advertising | Google Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Where ads run | Microsoft properties such as MSN and Outlook, plus partner sites | Google Display Network, YouTube, Discover and Gmail through Demand Gen |
| Target companies by name | Yes | No |
| Target by job function | Yes | No direct option; use custom segments |
| Target by industry | Yes | Indirect, through custom and in-market segments |
| Lookalikes | Similar-audience options vary by campaign type | Lookalike segments in Demand Gen |
| Remarketing | Yes, from UET tag audiences | Yes, from Google tag audiences |
| Report by company | Yes | No |
The short version: Microsoft is your precision channel, Google is your reach channel. Run both, with different jobs.
Step 1: build the account list and tiers
Everything starts with the target account list. Split it into tiers:
- Tier 1: a small number of accounts you'd most like to win. Highest budget, most specific creative.
- Tier 2: a wider group that fits your ideal customer profile well. Shared creative by industry.
- Tier 3: the broader market. Mostly reached through Google segments and lookalikes.
For each tier, list the roles on the buying committee. A software purchase might involve the user team, IT, security, finance and procurement. Each needs a reason to care.
Step 2: set up targeting
On Microsoft
- Create an audience campaign per tier.
- Add the companies on that tier's list using profile targeting.
- Add two or three job functions that sit on the buying committee.
- Check estimated reach. If it is very small, add job functions or companies before raising bids.
- Add remarketing lists for visitors so you can show stage-specific creative later.
Microsoft matches companies and job functions to its own signed-in users. You never upload contact data.
On Google
Google can't target a company by name, so build reach around the account list instead:
- Custom segments from the searches and websites your ICP uses in their daily work. Describe the job, not just your product.
- Audiences from site visits. When target companies visit, these visitors join remarketing audiences. Company identification on your site tells you which accounts they came from.
- Lookalike segments seeded from visitors at target accounts, once you have enough of them.
- Customer Match only with your own first-party contacts who agreed to hear from you, such as customers and opted-in leads. Never upload bought lists.
Exclude existing customers from acquisition campaigns, and give them their own expansion or retention campaign instead.
Step 3: creative by stage
Match the message to where the account is, not just who they are.
| Stage | Signal | Creative focus | Call to action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unaware | On the list, no visits | The problem, in the buyer's words | Read a short guide |
| Aware | Saw ads, first visit | What you do and for whom | See how it works |
| Engaged | Several visits, key pages | Proof: outcomes, integrations, security | Book a demo or start a trial |
| Opportunity | In a sales conversation | Answers to objections, role-specific | Talk to your contact |
Practical creative rules:
- One idea per ad. Display ads get a glance, not a read.
- Name the role or industry when you can. "For finance teams" beats a generic headline.
- Use responsive formats on both platforms, and give them several headlines and images to test.
- Refresh every few weeks for tier 1, because the audience is small and sees the same ads often.
Step 4: frequency and budget
Small audiences saturate quickly. A tier 1 list of a few hundred companies with two job functions can see the same ad many times a week if the budget is too high.
- Set frequency caps where the platform allows it.
- Budget from reach, not from a target CPL. Estimate how many people you can reach and how often you want to show up, then set the budget to match.
- Shift spend toward accounts that respond. Accounts with recent site visits deserve more frequency than accounts that have ignored you for months.
- Watch placements. Exclude placements that bring clicks but no engagement, such as mobile games and low-quality apps.
Step 5: report by account
Clicks are the wrong unit for ABM display. Report on accounts:
- Reached: how many target companies saw ads. Microsoft can report impressions per company.
- Engaged: how many of them visited your site, how often and which pages.
- Progressed: how many moved to a sales conversation or opportunity.
Company engagement reporting joins ad reach and website visits into a single account view. Review it every two weeks with sales so reps know which accounts are warming up.
Common mistakes
- Running one campaign for every tier. Tier 1 needs different budget and creative than tier 3.
- Judging display like search. Expect few direct conversions. Look at account engagement.
- Only targeting the champion. Finance, IT and procurement can block a deal. Reach them too.
- Letting creative go stale. Small audiences tire of the same ad quickly.
- Claiming Google targets companies. It doesn't. Plan Google for reach and follow-up, and Microsoft for named accounts.
For more context, see our pages on ABM display ads and ABM B2B strategies.
How IntentBid runs ABM display
IntentBid connects to your own Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising accounts with no media markup. It builds your target account list with counts of decision-maker positions per company, never people or emails. It then creates Microsoft audience campaigns with company and job function targeting, and Google campaigns with ICP custom segments, lookalike companies and audiences from visits. Every campaign is created paused with compliance checks. The website pixel identifies visiting companies and reporting shows impressions per company next to engagement.
FAQ
Can I run ABM display ads on Google Ads?
Yes, but not by company name. Use custom segments, audiences from site visits, lookalikes and Customer Match with your own first-party contacts. Use Microsoft Ads when you need to target named companies.
How many accounts should be in tier 1?
Small enough that each account gets real attention from marketing and sales. For most teams that means a list your sales team could name from memory, not thousands of companies.
How do I know if display ads are working?
Track account reach, then account engagement: visits from target companies, repeat visits and key page views. Compare engagement for accounts that saw ads against similar accounts that did not.
What frequency is right?
There is no single number. Start conservatively, watch engagement and creative fatigue, and increase frequency for accounts that are actively visiting your site.
Should I exclude current customers?
From acquisition campaigns, yes. Give customers a separate campaign about expansion, new features or renewals.
Run ABM display on your own Google and Microsoft accounts. Start a 14-day trial, no card needed.