Target Your Competitors with Google AdWords

Competition exists in any industry, but where it’s particularly prevalent is in the online marketing world. It’s an extremely cut-throat business to be in, and you sometimes need to play a little dirty to get ahead. I’m not talking about any blackhat techniques here, but some may argue that the following method falls into a gray area.

Lately I’ve been targeting competitors with Google AdWords and running campaigns to undermine their marketing efforts with promotional messages of my own. I should also mention that this will only work if the site you want to target is running Google AdSense.

I set up about five different campaigns with different graphic variations for five different websites. The first graphic mentions the website I’m targeting by name, and makes reference to how the customer can find a much better price elsewhere. The text includes the price the competing website is offering, and then a cheaper price. I had my graphic designer make up some Flash ads, so the creatives are very interactive and grab the reader’s attentions. It’s also very cost effective to advertise on individual websites as opposed to paying for a list of keywords, which can fluctuate depending on the demand. Targeting a specific site gives you exclusive access to carry out your campaign in a way that works in your favor.

Success so far has been great, and the sites I’m targeting haven’t noticed my little campaign, as the ads have been running for over a week without being blocked. Traffic to my particular sites have also increased and sales are up from last week. It’s a win-win!

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