GOOGLE ADS DISPLAY COMPETITOR TARGETING … NOT A DIY PROJECT!

But a Great Way to Direct Competitors’ Prospects to Your Site

In past issues, we’ve offered articles that deliver advice and guidance on how to approach Display Ad Targeting if you choose to do it on your own. While not recommended … as it is likely that you are already wearing several hats as a business owner and ladling on yet another marketing responsibility is probably not an option. While it may sound a bit self-serving, our advice is to seek proven expertise just as you do with your accountant, attorney or other trusted advisors.

That said, this month’s topic is not one where we so much as suggest a DIY approach. As you’ll see, the upside is potentially significant for you to drive more traffic to your website and enhance your conversion rates … that means more sales. The strategy is referred to as a “Display Competitor” campaign which often doubles as a branded campaign as well.

Without getting too “deep in the weeds”, here’s a general rundown on the process Third Marble will deliver for you to enjoy the best results at the lowest cost.

Google Ads Display Competitor Targeting

In simplest terms, Google Ads Display Competitor Targeting is simply to make your brand visible to folks who have visited your competitors’ websites. Prospects attracted to your competitor’s site may be a good fit for your business, so getting in front of them has obvious advantages. The objective is essentially to steal your competitor’s traffic to convert as your sales rather than your competitor’s.

The tactic is to identify your competitors’ website addresses (URLs) and initiate actions that causes your Google Ads to appear when a visitor shows up to view something of interest on your competitor’s site. That presents the opportunity for you to be considered in contrast to your competitor. By tailoring your ads to demonstrate why your company is the better choice, your offerings may be perceived as significantly more attractive. To be proactive, consider these competitive value propositions that you may spotlight:

• Pricing is a major element in customer decision-making. Capitalize on that by being the lower price-leader if you can do so profitably. That’s likely to steer prospects to your offering.
• Emphasize a unique value proposition not addressed by your competitor. Your market differentiator is what your competitor doesn’t do .

Identifying Your Competitors

We started this article with the strong recommendation that you not pursue it as a DIY project. There are some intricate details that must be professionally executed to ensure your Google Ads Display Competitor Targeting campaign is successful.

Third Marble’s first task is to build a comprehensive list of the competitors who offer similar products and services in your space. Why? So, we can prioritize in rank order the key competitors to target initially. Ideally, together we will identify a minimum number of 10 of your competitors.

With a list of your competitors in hand, TMM will seek out and compile the URL (website address) for each. Next comes an important step. TMM will tell Google to show your display ads to anyone who has visited those URLs. This triggers Google to follow your competitor’s customers and folks in the market for your offerings.

Your payoff … you capture new clients, attracted by ads paid for by your competitor , at a fraction of the cost for you to advertise! Plus, you win the added benefit of exposure in a no-cost branding campaign demonstrating one or more unique value propositions unequaled by your competitor.

Takeaways

Small business owners … before spending another advertising dollar, be sure to seek expert evaluation of how a Display Competitor Campaign may boost your marketing ROI.

Our job at Third Marble Marketing is to deliver proven design and management strategies to maximize the effectiveness of your Display Ad Targeting and drive pre-qualified traffic to your website! Equally important is to convert those visitors to immediately respond to your preferred call to action. That’s where your web design agency becomes invaluable.