Microsoft Ads (Bing) Offline Conversion tracking

The primary purpose of offline conversion tracking is to be able to report a conversion that did not happen online, thus couldn’t be reported using scripts we all are so used to.

Let’s say your customer sees your ad, clicks on it, and submits a Contact Us form. If your sales manager closes the deal - you would ideally want to know what has led to this conversion and that’s where Bing offline conversion tracking will become handy.

Keep in mind that in such case you’ll need a small development effort to submit a Microsoft click ID (msclkid query parameter) with every form submitted, e.g. in a hidden input, so you could later send it from your CRM to sGTM (via webhooks for example). 

Additionally, nothing is stopping you from sending your online conversions via the Bing Offline Conversions tag, so you do not have to rely on Bing pixel which can be easily blocked by adblockers.

Benefits of Bing Offline conversion trackingCopy link to this section

• Better tracking. Allows tracking and attribution of events that happened offline (e.g., in-store or over the phone).
• Better ROI. You can optimize your campaigns based on the full online and offline impact of your search ads.
• Pure s2s option. This gives you the ability to send conversion data to your server GTM container via webhooks for example, thus making your reporting completely server-to-server.

How to set up Bing Offline conversion tracking using Stape sGTM tagCopy link to this section

Bing Offline conversion tag uses Firebase for authentication and Microsoft developer token. We simplified the process of creating these two entities for Stape users, which is why the list of needed things to set up Bing offline conversions depends on whether you are a Stape user.

1. Google service accountCopy link to this section

You can skip this step if you have already connected your Google service account to the Stape sGTM container and it has Cloud Datastore User scope to be able to read/write from/to Firestore Database.

1.1. Login to the Google Cloud account (or create one) -> From the Navigation menu, click IAM & Admin -> Service Accounts -> Click Create service account. 

1.2. Add account -> Click Next -> Select Roles. To set up the Microsoft Ads offline conversion tag, we need to use Firebase. Select the Cloud Datastore User role for Firestore.

1.3 Open Google Service Account you’ve recently created -> Open the Keys tab -> Click Add Key -> Select JSON type in the popup -> Click create. A file will be downloaded to your computer.

1.4. Log in to Stape account -> open the sGTM container that you want to set up the Bing Ads Offline conversion tag for -> Click Power-Up -> Google Service account -> upload the JSON file you’ve downloaded on the previous step -> click Save. 

2. Create a Firebase accountCopy link to this section

You may skip this step if you are already using Firestore Database.

2.1 Open Firebase -> click Create Project -> Select the same project you’ve used to create Google Service Account.

2.2 On the main menu click Build -> Firestore Database.

2.3 Click Create Database -> Start in production mode.

2.4 Select Cloud Firestore location. Select the closest available location to the one where your sGTM container is hosted.

3. Microsoft AzureCopy link to this section

3.1 Log in to Microsoft Azure portal with your Microsoft account. 

3.2 Search for “App Registrations” service. Once there, click “+ New registration” to create a new app.

3.3 For “Redirect URI” select ‘web’ and enter:

• For Stape Global: https://app.stape.io/integration/microsoft/callback
• For Stape EU: https://app.eu.stape.io/integration/microsoft/callback

Choose only "Accounts in any organizational directory and personal Microsoft accounts".

3.4 Once the app is created you’ll be redirected to an Overview page. Application (client) ID you see will be needed to set up the tag, save it.

3.5 In the menu on the left, go to “Certificates & secrets” → “+ New client secret”. Copy and save the Client Secret “Value” - this will be needed in the Bing sGTM Offline tag. Client secret values cannot be viewed, except for immediately after creation, so be sure to save the secret when created before leaving the page.

4. Set up Bing Offline Conversions in sGTM containerCopy link to this section

4.1 Download Bing Offline Conversions tag from GitHub and import it to your sGTM container.

4.2 Enter Client ID and Client Secret you copied from the Azure app.

4.3 To obtain API Refresh token you need to log in to your Stape account -> Click Tools -> select Microsoft Auth Helper -> enter the same Client ID and Client Secret -> Start Authorization. Please make sure to use the Microsoft account that has access to the Microsoft Ads account you want to set up the Bing Ads Offline conversion tag for. After successful authentication you should see an API refresh token that you need to use in your tag.

4.4 To get Customer account ID and account ID please go to your Microsoft Ads account where offline conversion is created and check the URL:

• Customer Id is under &cid= query parameter
• Customer Account Id is under &aid= query parameter.

4.5 You may find the Stape container API key under your Stape account -> select the container -> Settings tab -> Container API Key.

4.6 Under the Firebase settings spoiler please enter Firebase project ID. You may find it in the Firebase console project settings.

4.7 Lastly, do not forget to add conversion data. The tag also allows you to send user data for part of the enhanced conversions functionality.

ConclusionCopy link to this section

The ability to report data from the server GTM container to Microsoft Ads Offline conversions brings valuable benefits for advertisers looking to maximize the impact of their campaigns. It gives you the ability to close the gap between the online and offline activities, providing valuable insights and enabling businesses to make data-driven decisions.

Do not hesitate to contact Stape agency if you need help setting up Bing Offline conversion tracking - we’ll be happy to help!