Frequently Asked Questions
Getting Started
- faq/getting_started/01_what_is_this_service
- What is this service?
- MSNBC offers a complete on-demand banner advertising solution. When you create an account, you will have full access to our public library of ad templates. Customize ads for your company or service by swapping out text, images, logos, background color, etc. There is no charge to use the customization tool and you can customize as many ads from the public library as you would like.
- faq/getting_started/02_how_does_it_work
- How does it work?
- When setting up your campaign, establish your daily budget, select the channels where you’d like your ads to appear, and set targeting for your ads. When you are ready to run your ads, just submit your campaign for approval. You can change your campaign details at any time. You can also pause your campaigns to stop the delivery of your ads.
- faq/getting_started/04_how_do_i_get_started
- How do I get started?
- Begin by clicking the "Create an account" link on the MSNBC home page. Once you've created your account, you can browse our Ad Library to find ads that best fit your product or service. Use our customization tool to personalize your ads. Once your ads are created, follow our campaign creation instructions.
- faq/getting_started/05_how_do_i_deactivate
- How do I deactivate my account?
- To stop your ads from running, sign in to your account and set your running campaigns to 'Paused.' Your ads will stop running, but you will still have access to your account, your ads, and the report history of your campaign performance. We will perform a final debit of your account for any outstanding balance accumulated while your campaign(s) were active. Once all your campaigns are paused, your account will remain inactive until you sign in again and set a campaign to 'Run.'
Cost and Billing
- faq/cost_and_billing/01_how_much
- How much does the service cost?
- It is free to set up an account and customize ads. You pay only for the advertising that appears on websites, based on the budget you set for each campaign. MSNBC will work to spend your budget to provide the best results. It is possible, however, that your allocated budget limit will not be reached every day. When that happens, we charge you only for the advertising placements you received.
- faq/cost_and_billing/02_pay_for_customizing
- Do I have to pay for the ads that I customize?
- No. Customizing ads is free. You can build as many ads as you like after you've created your MSNBC account. All of the ads you customize can be stored in your private ad library within your account. You can use and reuse these ads whenever you want to run a campaign through the MSNBC service.
- faq/cost_and_billing/03_how_am_i_charged
- How am I charged for the advertising placements I receive?
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Your credit card will be billed on a "pay as you go" basis. This means that your credit card will be authorized at the time you submit your campaign for your full daily budget amount, but you will only be charged for the advertising placements you receive.
Our terms state that when you submit your credit card to run a campaign, MSNBC will check to see whether there is enough available credit up to the total amount of the daily billing cycle budget you provide for each of your campaigns. This is not a charge; it is simply an authorization to make sure funds are available. You are charged only for ad placements you receive.
MSNBC bills clients the day after a campaign has run. After a successful initial debit to your account, you will be billed each time the campaign receives a minimum of $300 worth of advertising placements. This amount is an approximation and the exact amount may vary slightly. Account balances under $300 are debited on the 1st and 16th (or next business day) of each month.
Ads
- faq/ads/01_how_do_i_customize
- How do I customize an ad?
- Browse the MSNBC public library until you find an ad you want to use, then select "Customize." This will open up the customization tool and allow you to change text, images, colors, and add your logo. You can browse the entire library and save ads to your private library for future use.
- faq/ads/02_compelling
- What elements make an effective and compelling ad?
- Capture the user's attention with images and text related to your business. Create "call to action" text that is compelling to your audience and highlights features and offers that make your site special. Try incorporating a contact number in your ad to help generate leads directly from the ad without requiring a click. And make sure to test your ads. It doesn't cost any more to run a campaign with multiple ads. We recommend running multiple ads for each campaign to see which ad performs best, which will help you optimize your campaign.
- faq/ads/03_how_do_i_select
- How do I select an ad to fit my business?
- Pick an ad you like and customize it. Any of our ads can be customized to fit your business, regardless of the category in which they appear in the MSNBC library. With a few clicks you can turn an auto ad into a toy ad in minutes! Our customization tool lets you change the text of the ad, the logo, images, and even the colors of the text and background.
- faq/ads/05_can_i_view_my_ads
- Am I able to view my ads on the Web?
- There is a chance that you will see your ads while browsing sites on the Web, but specifically pinpointing where and when your ad will be served is not possible given the volume of ads.
- faq/ads/06_search_results
- Will my ad appear in any search engine results?
- No. Your ad will appear on web sites or pages relating to your selections when you set up your campaign.
Customization Tool
- faq/ctool/01_effective
- What elements make an effective and compelling ad?
- Capture the user's attention with images and text related to your business. Create "call to action" text that is compelling to your audience and highlights features and offers that make your site special. Try incorporating a contact number in your ad to help generate leads directly from the ad without requiring a click. And make sure to test your ads. It doesn't cost any more to run a campaign with multiple ads. We recommend running multiple ads for each campaign to see which ad performs best, which will help you optimize your campaign.
- faq/ctool/02_image_fit
- How do I make an image fit within the ad?
- We suggest uploading an image which is in the same aspect ratio (dimension ratio) as the image currently in the ad. The size of the current image is listed next to the image within the toolbox. For example, if the image is 150 x 250, image sizes that will fit well within the ad include 75 x 125 and 300 x 500. A larger image in the same aspect ratio (such as the 300 x 500 image of our example) will be shrunk to fit the ad. An image that is not of the same aspect ratio will leave empty space around the image in the ad. After replacing any image, you should carefully inspect your ad to be sure your new image fits appropriately.
- faq/ctool/03_no_logo
- What if I don't have a logo?
- If you don't have a logo, you can use your company name or Web address instead. Some publishers will run your ad without a logo, as long as the company name and web address are included.
Campaign Setup
- faq/campaign_setup/01_my_own_ads
- Can I use my own ads?
- Yes. Once you set up an account with MSNBC, you can upload all of your own creative files to run in your campaigns. To upload your own ad creative into your private library, click on the 'Upload Ad' button under the 'Ads' tab and follow the instructions.
- faq/campaign_setup/03_what_happens_after_i_submit
- What happens after I submit my campaign?
- When you click the 'Submit your campaign' button, your campaign is sent for approval. Your ads will be reviewed to ensure they meet all publisher guidelines. This approval process takes 1 to 4 business days. Shortly after your campaign is approved, the ads will be live and begin serving impressions.
- faq/campaign_setup/04_what_is_reviewed
- What is reviewed during campaign approval?
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Your campaign will pass through an approval review in which MSNBC will review your campaigns for any issues that might prevent your campaign from running. If we identify any areas of your campaign that need to be revised, we will inform you before approving your campaign. Our review includes:
- Landing Page We will confirm that users who click on your ads are being sent to an active landing page that is relevant to the offer presented in the ad.
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Ad Creative Requirements We will confirm that all sizes of the ad display the customized changes you made, including, but not limited to the following:
- The ad logo placeholder is replaced or hidden.
- The text and images meet publisher guidelines and do not mislead the user.
- Use of terms such as "free" and any contests, promotions or special offers will be reviewed to ensure fair participation of the user and valid claims by the advertiser.
- faq/campaign_setup/05_delivery
- When will I start seeing delivery on my campaign?
- The turnaround time to review and approve your campaign is 1 to 4 business days, so it can take that long before your ad begins receiving impressions.
Running a Campaign
- faq/running_a_campaign/01_how_many_ads
- How many ads should I run in each campaign?
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You should run a minimum of two ads per campaign. It doesn't cost any more to run a campaign with multiple ads. We recommend running multiple ads for each campaign to see which ad performs best, which will help you optimize your campaign. To add to an existing campaign:
- Customize a new ad template.
- When finished, click 'Save and close' and go into your Private Library.
- Click directly on the ad and select 'Add to campaign.'
- Choose your existing campaign and follow the steps to add the new ad.
- faq/running_a_campaign/02_how_does_geo_targeting_work
- How does geographic targeting (geo-targeting) work?
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Online publishers and networks identify the visitor by determining the location of the IP address of the user's computer, matching it to a particular location. When you choose to run a geo-targeted campaign, you can set your targeting to the entire country or be more focused by selecting specific states or cities.
If your business is specific to a particular area, geo-targeting is the best way to get qualified traffic. If your business is not dependent on a specific area, we recommend targeting the broadest geographical range that makes sense for your business.
- faq/running_a_campaign/03_how_do_i_stop
- How do I stop my campaign from running?
- To stop your ads from running, sign in to your account and set your running campaigns to 'Paused.' Your ads will stop running, but you will still have access to your account, your ads, and the report history of your campaign performance. We will perform a final debit of your account for any outstanding balance accumulated while your campaign(s) were active. Once all your campaigns are paused, your account will remain inactive until you sign in again and set a campaign to 'Run.'
Reporting and Measuring Performance
- faq/reporting/01_results
- How do I access my campaign results?
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There are several reports available to review your campaign performance. Each available report displays your campaign data in different ways. Reporting data begins accumulating the moment your campaign starts. The data is updated nightly and includes campaign performance from the previous day.
To access reporting, make sure you are signed into your account and then click on the 'Reports' tab at the top of the page. Use the drop-down menu to choose the report you want to access, as well as the date range you wish to view.
- faq/reporting/02_tractions
- Can I track actions on my site?
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Yes. Tractions - short for action tracking - allow clients to track the number of users that complete a desired action after clicking on your ad and visiting your website. For example, the goal may be for a user to complete a sale, submit a registration form, download a report, or land on a desired page within the clientís site.
You can find your traction code by clicking the My Account link and then clicking Tractions. Place the traction code on the page that appears after the user completes the desired action (typically a 'thank you' or 'confirmation' page). The campaign reports within MSNBC will record actions only from users who visited your site after first clicking one of your ads.
To insert the traction code on your site, copy and paste the entire code segment into the bottom of your content, immediately before the
