Microsoft In-Market Audiences: Targeting Purchase Intent (2026)

"Keywords" tell you what they want right now. "In-Market Audiences" tell you what they have been researching for 2 weeks. The Layering Strategy: Don't just target the keyword "CRM Software." Target keyword "CRM Software" AND Audience "In-Market for Business Services."

• Result: Higher CVR because you filtered out students/researchers.

In this "Mega-Authority" guide, we cover:

1. Data Source: Where does Bing get the data?
2. Bid Only vs Target & Bid.
3. Top Segments.
4. Seasonal Segments.

Part 1: Microsoft's Data Advantage

Google uses Search + Chrome data. Microsoft uses:

• Bing Search.
• Windows 11 Telemetry.
• LinkedIn Profile Data. This creates robust "In-Market" signals, especially for Auto, Finance, and Tech.

Part 2: Targeting Mode

• Target & Bid: Users MUST be in the audience AND search the keyword. (Restricts volume).
• Bid Only: Users search the keyword. IF they are in the audience, we bid higher.
• Recommendation: Use Bid Only with a +30% adjustment for In-Market segments.

Part 3: Top Performing Audiences

1. Financial Services: "Credit Cards", "Mortgages" (Very strong on Bing).
2. Autos: "In-Market for Used SUVs."
3. Software: "Business Productivity Software."
4. Travel: "Cruises" (Older demographic dominance).

Part 4: Summary & Checklist

Your Action Plan:

1. Go to Audiences -> In-Market.
2. Add 5 relevant lists to your Search Campaign as "Bid Only."
3. Wait 14 days.
4. Review data. If Audience A has 2x ROAS, increase bid adjustment to +50%.

Layer your intent.