Microsoft Marketers Guide To Chatbots and Agents
Microsoft Marketers Guide To Chatbots and Agents
Contents
01 Executive foreword 03
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Executive foreword
from Paul Longo, General Manager, AI in Ads for Microsoft Advertising
Dear Marketer,
After countless conversations at recent industry The way people engage with technology and
events and in one-on-one meetings, one message content has transformed. This guide serves as your
has become crystal clear: 2025 is the year AI moves roadmap for adapting your advertising and SEO
from promise to practice, but a test-and-learn strategies—and, ultimately, achieving your marketing
approach is needed to put this into motion. goals. It’s designed to bridge the gap between
potential and practice, enabling you to harness the
We’re living through a seismic technological power of generative AI to build trust and develop
shift, and marketers are at a pivotal moment. meaningful, personal relationships with customers.
Generative AI isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a Imagine a future where your brand doesn’t just
transformative force reshaping how we connect reach audiences—it truly connects with them.
with audiences. Devices are no longer just
tools; they understand our languages, see the That future is now.
world through our lenses, and hear the sounds
around us. Generative AI is reshaping how It’s important to note that we’re all still learning.
businesses operate and interact with people. We’ll continue to capture new insights, update
this guidance regularly, and share it with the
For marketers like you, this is driving investments marketing community.
in both generative AI tools and new strategic
thinking. And for your customers, it’s opening While this is a quickly evolving space, we’re here
the door for highly personalized, unforgettable to help you seize the opportunity today.
experiences that delight and deliver significant
value, from search to advertising and beyond.
Paul Longo,
General Manager, AI in Ads
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“
Generative AI (GAI) is more than just
the latest tech trend—it’s a game-changer;
a paradigm‑shifter. It’s giving marketers like
you the power to understand your audiences
in deeper, more meaningful ways, to anticipate 2023 was about ‘wow.’
their needs, and to deliver personalized 2024 is about ‘how.’
experiences that truly resonate. And it enables And 2025 will be ‘now.’
you to accomplish tasks more efficiently, The shift to AI-first marketing
improving your return on time spent. requires agencies and
brands to rethink workflows,
This guide discusses strategies and best practices for
extending your brand’s reach through popular chatbots partnerships and strategies.”
and agents. Refining your SEO and paid media strategies
can help create new opportunities for your brand to Sir Martin Sorrell
create meaningful connections with customers. The guide Executive Chairman, S4 Capital,
also covers tips on improving performance outcomes at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show
and leveraging the power of conversational AI-powered
tools in building and optimizing ad campaigns.
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Understanding these
key trends is essential:
Consumer behaviors are evolving, moving Chatbots and agents prioritize substance
from passive content consumption to over style, and readers do, too. If a brand’s
empowered co-creation. Conversational products, reviews, and site content aren’t
AI fosters dynamic, interactive experiences genuinely helpful, they may not surface in
where people actively shape the content they GAI-driven recommendations or connect with
consume. The Harvard Business Review notes people. As S. W. Miliano, managing director
more than 100 use cases, from generating and cofounder of The Stone Register marketing
ideas to researching product ideas. Over firm, notes, “While AI can simulate a lot, true
time, co-creation fosters trust and loyalty. authenticity will always shine through.”2
When large language models (LLMs) Conversational AI experiences create a new level
have access to comprehensive brand of personalization, remembering user preferences,
information, they can accurately interpret behaviors and actions. This streamlines the
user intent and deliver highly relevant customer journey by providing highly relevant,
experiences that enhance performance. context-aware responses, reducing the need
Internal data from Microsoft Copilot for multiple searches and extensive website
advertising experiences shows a 69% navigation. We’re moving to accelerated decision
increase in click-through rates (CTR) and making, where discovery, research, and conversion
an improvement in conversion rates.1 are integrated within a single seamless exchange.
1. Microsoft First Party Data | June 2024 - August 2024 | Comparison between similar serving positions in Search and Copilot.
2. S.W. Miliano. The Importance Of Authenticity In The Age Of AI. Forbes Business Council. July 18, 2024.
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“
Marketers aren’t being left behind, either.
New GAI features are rapidly being added to
everyday marketing tools to leverage consumer
trends. Ad platforms are directly embedding
GAI-powered tools, helping with everything from
generating ad copy and writing product descriptions,
At OMD, we’re leveraging GAI
to generating eye-catching images and providing
insights to optimize campaigns in minutes instead at multiple levels, from everyday
of months. As GAI advances, we should expect practical applications that
even more intuitive and autonomous options in increase efficiency to cutting-
our daily toolboxes. The ‘Now’ of GAI is here.
edge marketing strategies that
enhance effectiveness. OMD
was an early mover toward AI-
powered advertising products,
conducting workshops to ensure
a clear plan for implementation
that would optimize outcomes
for our clients.”
Fabio Goncalves
Head of Paid Search, OMD USA
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66%
Microsoft Copilot go to
of engagement, but few have seen the service to perform
as much rapid change as search. topic research, including
product comparisons.
As chatbots and agents change the
search landscape, SEO and SEM experts
have an opportunity to shift their approach
for this new era. While traditional search
principles and digital marketing strategies Statista notes that:
remain foundational, GAI-driven search
in chatbots and agents introduces new
pathways and challenges that demand
both strategic and tactical updates.
68%
of people have used GAI
for answering questions
90M
people will rely on GAI search
as their primary tool by 2027
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01
Marketers know how to optimize Master
websites and content for traditional the basics
search. But with conversational AI,
search results come as comprehensive, Strong foundational SEO practices, accessibility,
colloquial responses that synthesize and clear data architecture remain essential.
information from multiple sources. Resources like Bing Webmaster Tools can help keep
your website optimized for discoverability, fast
Conversational AI experiences not
loading, and technical accuracy. For a full list of best
only answer queries directly, but also practices, refer to the Bing Webmaster Guidelines.
anticipate follow-up questions for
a better user experience.
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02 Focus on
search intent 03 Keep
content fresh
User intent remains the most important factor. Regularly audit and update existing
Use intent-based keywords and long-tail content to maintain relevance and
keywords to capture the specific needs of people authority. Use tools like IndexNow
at various stages of their journeys. Incorporate to quickly notify search engines
conversational, question-based keywords that of updates, ensuring they’re
reflect how people engage with GAI-driven captured and surfaced faster.
search. Learn more in the blog article, The Value of
Intent-Driven SEO in AI-Powered Search Engines.
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07
optimize your content strategy, ensuring it’s
always in sync with searcher intent. The ultimate Monitor
goal is to create content that not only attracts performance
visitors, but also drives meaningful actions.
Use tools like Bing Webmaster Tools to track search
performance and conversions. Regular audits of
05
analytics data can help refine your strategies and
Quality vs. identify areas for improvement.
quantity
The evolving web ecosystem emphasizes the
importance of originality and quality in driving
SERP authority. In GAI engines, some sites may
experience fewer clicks as people find content faster
and don’t need to click through as many links in
search results. Therefore, focus on the quality of
your clicks, not the quantity. It’s important to attract
highly relevant and intent-driven queries that lead
to meaningful interactions and conversions.
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Keep the following Always review and edit GAI content to ensure it
in mind: meets your quality standards. GAI can make errors
or produce content that lacks depth and nuance.
Leverage GAI to enhance your content, Use GAI to generate ideas and drafts,
not replace it. Prioritize quality over quantity, but infuse your personal insights,
build trust through consistent and meaningful experiences, and creativity into the final
engagement, and make sure your content content. This keeps your content unique
remains authentic and valuable to your audience. and resonating with your audience.
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Delightful, relevant,
and high-ROI: How
conversational AI is
changing advertising
As search evolves, so does advertising.
Broader GAI trends such as content
co‑creation are coming to the foreground,
driving deeper relevance and engagement
and offering brands new high-performance
strategies for capturing audience attention.
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85%
to make your message
resonate with Gen Z in the
United States. Based on
the content of my landing
page <add url> create
10 suggestions for ad
copy and headlines to be
used in search campaigns,
of marketers using GAI report improved productivity,
maximizing the likelihood
that Gen Z will engage with with common usage in areas like
my message and convert
into new customers. Make
sure to keep the product
truth of my offering and
don’t overpromise benefits.
The message should target
38%
Gen Z users using language writing
28%
that resonates with them,
without referencing Gen
Z in the actual ad copy.
visual storytelling/
image generation
33%
content creation
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Conversational AI is also helping Need a visual ad? GAI can generate tailored
marketers unleash their creativity imagery in minutes. Imagine crafting ad copy that
speaks directly to eco-conscious millennials in one
and iterate fast enough to develop
campaign, then shifting to bold, playful messaging
highly personalized campaign assets.
for Gen Z in another. From a creative perspective,
GAI also helps develop strategic planning and
With the right tools, marketers can explore
campaign ideation. It’s like having a creative partner
new ideas and test different approaches with
who’s always ready to brainstorm, refine ideas,
ease. Features like “Try a different tone” in
or give instant feedback. Collaboration opens
Copilot let you fine-tune messages instantly,
the door to quicker decision-making and more
so they resonate with your audience.
innovative campaigns, whether you’re working
on a single ad or a full-scale strategy.
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“
By merging creativity with efficiency,
GAI‑powered tools are helping marketers
deliver innovative campaigns that engage
audiences more effectively.
At DEPT®, we believe the
ultimate promise of AI is about
forging new possibilities, from
generating imagery to inspiring
new marketing campaign ideas
to delivering on the dream of
hyper-personalization. We’ve
found our teams are most
eager to adopt AI solutions
when they enhance rather
than replace their work, give
them more time for strategic
thinking by performing tactical
tasks, and drive real results like
new customer acquisition and
increased conversion.”
Bridget Fahrland
AI Consultant, DEPT®
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1.7x
times higher CTR compared
to traditional search ads
40%
of people report that these ads
enhance their overall experience
3. Microsoft First Party Data | June 2024 - August 2024 | Comparison between similar serving positions in Search and Copilot.
4. Publicis and Microsoft. “Consumers & Generative AI: Building Trust in Conversational AI.” 15-minute online survey of 2,115 consumers conducted in August 2024.
Participants were aged 18-65 and located in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
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02 04
Upload more assets to enhance Optimize campaigns
the user experience for omnichannel
GAI’s ability to tailor messaging helps campaigns Solutions like Performance Max have
feel relevant and authentic. Support that with the flexibility and ability to better adjust
a variety of messaging and visual options. to the granular and dynamic context of
As GAI platforms work to optimize the ads omnichannel conversations. For example,
experience for exact user intent, the larger the Microsoft data shows that Performance
pool of assets (images, copy, etc.) the AI has to Max campaigns increase ad impressions
draw from, the better it can deliver the perfect in Copilot, and these ads also perform
ad to the user in their context. It’s like giving with better CTR and conversion rates
the AI all the ingredients it needs to create when compared to traditional search.
the perfect dish for each person. For example,
use Copilot in Microsoft Advertising Platform
to quickly get asset recommendations
tailored to your audience and help you save
time improving asset variety, so you can test
different tones, styles, and formats with ease.
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05 07
Prioritize visual assets If it works,
and ad formats keep going
Rich visuals and multimedia formats are essential for Digital marketing optimization best
standing out in chat environments, which can support practices also translate to emerging GAI
an array of visual content. When combined with channels. For example, your work to
AI-powered tools like Performance Max, you can see optimize search campaigns with the right
even greater performance improvements. Microsoft signals (like Universal Event Tracking)
data shows that visual ad formats like Multimedia and the right conversion goals will also
Ads have a 1.7 times higher CTR and conversion benefit your ads in Copilot, so you can
rates in Copilot in comparison to traditional search. optimize once and benefit twice.
06
Save time with
smarter tools
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Your prompting
cheat sheet
GAI’s ability to create compelling ad copy, Role definition
engaging visuals, and dynamic content is
undeniable. However, beneath the surface,
mastering the art of prompting empowers Assigning a ‘role’ to the GAI helps it generate responses
marketers to fully harness the potential of GAI. that align with the desired perspective. This could
be asking it to think like a person in a specific role,
such as a copywriter, or bring dedicated expertise
Prompts are how people communicate with
to the table, such as search engine marketing.
GAI-powered tools. A well-structured and
complete prompt shapes a successful output.
EXAMPLE
Crafting precise, imaginative prompts allows
you to tap into GAI’s full potential, making your
campaigns more creative, efficient, and impactful.
Act as a professional
marketer crafting an ad
Prompting is about context and clarity. Don’t think
campaign for eco-friendly
of it as a new language; it’s a structured way to cleaning products.
interact with GAI in which the details you provide
dictate the results in a language that’s comfortable
for you. Even marketers without technical skills
can see the value of prompting by embracing
these seven key elements of a strong prompt:
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Context Audience
Providing background or situational details helps Specifying the audience shapes the tone,
GAI create more relevant, tailored responses to language, and style of the output. You could
your unique needs. Audience details, how the focus on demographics, search intent, or
content will be used, and where it fits into a broader factors such as what the audience cares most
campaign are all helpful factors to include. about based on customer segment data.
EXAMPLE EXAMPLE
Defining tone aligns the output with your Clearly define what you want the tool to accomplish.
brand’s voice. By providing clear direction Ambiguity leads to generic or irrelevant outputs.
for style and language, you can target Consider including details such as the specific goal,
outputs from professional to funny. the format and length, and any unique qualities.
EXAMPLE EXAMPLE
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Inclusivity
EXAMPLE
Source material
EXAMPLE
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EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
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EXAMPLE
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“
INCLUSIVE PROMPTING
How to boost your ad performance
with better copywriting
Copilot has been an invaluable
asset in the process of writing new
ad copy for our client, Marks &
Spencer. It’s sparking new ideas
YO U ’ R E C R E AT I V E , N OT A I and helping us craft compelling
Your guide to advertising image messages that resonate with M&S
prompt mixology
customers. By leveraging Copilot’s
easy-to-use features, we have not
only saved time, but also seen
improvements in CTR on Generics.”
Senior Account Executive,
Incubeta/Marks & Spencer London
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02
GAI has created new opportunities for brands
and adopting GAI tools and best practices
can do more than just improve productivity.
Understanding how different aspects of Iterate
conversational AI marketing work can help and enhance
drive clear strategy, smart tool selection,
Conversational AI adoption is not a one-and-
and workflow updates. Marketers ready to done effort; it requires constant refinement
take their first steps into effective GAI-powered to see the highest ROI. Use GAI to manage
marketing can consider the following five repetitive tasks and heavy workloads, such as
action steps: creating, analyzing, and optimizing assets. Keep
a pulse on how team members are using GAI
tools, what best practices they develop, and any
iterative feedback loops to improve workflows.
01 03
Understand Focus on
pain points training
Brands that take the time to map their needs Help teams get the most out of conversational
before investing in conversational AI tools see AI by investing in the training, knowledge, and
the highest ROI. Identify your high ROI use skills they need to succeed. Provide continuous
cases, where GAI can save the most time, reduce training programs that reinforce GAI best practices
costs, or drive growth. Once you identify your and behaviors. Tailor sessions to each role to
opportunities, prioritize them based on business demonstrate the specific value of GAI for specific
needs and access to the right technology. jobs or teams. Microsoft Copilot Academy is now
available to all Microsoft 365 Copilot users.
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04
Reevaluate processes
and goals
Conversational AI changes what’s possible, so
think about whether it’s time to reassess goals,
KPIs, or other factors. Focus on outcomes, like
campaign results and strategic impact, rather
than traditional metrics like the number of
assets produced. Internal surveys, interviews,
and data can help provide an objective view.
05
Embrace your
path forward
Conversational AI is transforming marketing
into a discipline focused on strategy and
relationships rather than routine tasks.
It’s not about replacing the human touch,
but it is helping marketers get more done
and elevate their impact. Use GAI
to streamline operations, increase
personalization, and enhance creativity
by building better workflows.
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Ads in Copilot
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Copilot in Microsoft
Advertising Platform
“
Copilot in Microsoft Advertising Platform is
becoming an invaluable digital advertising
assistant. It seamlessly combines convenience
and knowledge, offering swift
and insightful responses.”
Cynthia Gutierrez
Senior Associate, Paid Search, dentsu
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Copilot for
Microsoft 365
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Microsoft
Copilot Studio
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Have any
questions?
Get in touch with your
account representative or
schedule a consultation with our
team of experts to learn more.
New to Microsoft Advertising?
We welcome you to join us.
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