In early May, our data indicated that pay-per-click (PPC) accounts were recovering after the initial effects of COVID-19.

This is positive news for the online advertising sector and the broader economy, but its implications for individual accounts remain unclear. Deciding when to resume online advertising might seem straightforward, but numerous factors warrant consideration. Should you immediately increase your spending or wait for a specific trigger? Is it advisable to reactivate paused accounts, or is it more prudent to wait for more businesses to reopen? How do you determine the opportune moment to restart advertising across all channels?

To address these queries, we consulted eight specialists, both within nexus-security and the wider PPC domain, regarding their recommendations for reactivating Google, Facebook, and Microsoft Advertising. Presented below is their expert guidance on when to recommence online advertising, encompassing indicators to monitor within the industry and your account, as well as strategies for successfully rebuilding each channel.

Resuming Online Advertising: When is the Right Time?

Senior Account Manager Holly Niemiec offers a straightforward response to this question: “Immediately! Or as soon as feasible,” she asserts. “There are numerous reasons to avoid a complete blackout, the most significant being that platforms like Google and Facebook thrive on robust historical data for optimization.”

Lead Acquisition Manager Kristina Simonson aptly points out that this is contingent upon financial resources: “Often, reducing ad expenditure is essential due to cash flow constraints and the business’s capacity to invest in regular advertising levels during these times.” However, if you can maintain a presence, it can benefit both your account history and your customer relationships.

Holly suggests running a brand campaign if possible. “This demonstrates your continued activity to customers and prevents competitors from capitalizing on your brand and capturing potential market share during this critical period,” she explains. “Modify your ad copy to reflect your company’s current status.”

Toyota notably omitted their “Let’s Go Places” tagline in a recent commercial.

Several marketers advocate using ads as a communication tool with customers. The coronavirus pandemic’s disruptions have had varied effects on businesses—not only have physical storefronts and restaurants faced closures or limited operations, but production lines across industries have also been impacted.

“Some businesses are awaiting inventory or authorization to reopen,” observes Amy Hebdon, Co-Founder of Paid Search Magic. “Once you can address your audience’s needs and challenges—whether through established practices or innovative solutions—running ads to inform people of your assistance becomes logical.”

Informing people about your ability to help necessitates a tailored approach. “For some clients, we scaled back budgets due to operational setbacks caused by the pandemic, such as those in manufacturing or facing resource limitations like global acrylic shortages,” explains Akvile DeFazio, president of social media advertising agency AKvertize. “We adjusted our strategy to maintain awareness of products and services during this time and highlight their adaptations.”

“If people are prepared to convert,” she adds, “we provide them with that opportunity through updated messaging, such as shipping delays, curbside pickup, contactless delivery, and/or special promotions.”

Running even limited advertisements now can enhance the success of your reopening. “As you gear up to ramp up your business, proactive marketing amplification is crucial for a strong relaunch,” advises Mark Irvine, director of strategic partnerships at nexus-security. “If your business isn’t yet equipped for full capacity, focus on maximizing engagement with your most valuable customers first.”

Mark proposes the following starting strategies:

1. Develop audience lists for past customers. Leverage email addresses or contact information to create customer lists within Google Ads and Facebook, enabling targeted advertising. On average, past customers are three times more likely to convert than new customers and often demonstrate higher spending patterns.
2. Create separate lists for prospects and past website visitors. Individuals who considered purchasing from you in March remain more likely to be considering your brand compared to those just initiating their search today.
3. Acknowledge that new customers require time to evaluate your brand, product, and competitors before committing to a purchase. Don’t be discouraged by a lack of immediate conversions! Explore low-friction calls to action or integrate landing page popups to capture email addresses or contact details. Incorporate these prospects into your drip campaigns and remarketing efforts to nurture their conversion when ready.

Industry Signals Indicating the Time to Increase Ad Spend

Greg Herrmann, who has trained numerous digital marketers at nexus-security, highlights a signal extending beyond the online advertising realm, yet crucial nonetheless. “Different locations are reopening at different paces,” he notes. “If your state is permitting non-essential businesses to operate, consider advertising. This applies whether your essential or non-essential business can fully open (as many states are implementing phased reintegration).”

Kristina emphasizes that rising or resurgent business demand is a key indicator to increase spending, and search trends effectively gauge this demand. Senior Manager Mike Emiliani recommends a broad initial approach. “Advertisers should analyze current search behavior,” he suggests. “Are people searching for these specific goods and commodities again, and are their searches consistent with pre-pandemic patterns? Are overall purchase volumes lower? Are their expectations of your small business different post-COVID?”

Customer Success Manager Francine Rodriguez suggests delving deeper into keywords. “Analyze your primary keywords in Google Trends, comparing current search trends to pre-COVID levels. If they approach pre-pandemic levels, it’s time to increase spending. For instance, searches for ‘plumber’ have recently returned to normal levels, signaling an opportunity to advertise!”

Account Signals Indicating the Time to Increase Ad Spend

Both Greg and Francine recommend monitoring impressions. “Impression share effectively reflects your competitors’ actions,” Francine states. “A decline in your impression share might indicate increased advertiser participation within the space, signaling a need to boost your budget.” Greg suggests observing changes in total impressions. “A sudden increase in impressions after a COVID-related dip suggests that consumers are becoming more comfortable interacting with your product or service. They’re actively searching and are either ready or nearing readiness to engage.”

Lower average cost-per-click (CPC) values are crucial for Holly. “Have you recently reviewed your Auction Insights report? If you operate in an industry significantly impacted by COVID,” she remarks, “it’s likely you’re not the only one who reduced ad spending. In my client accounts, especially those in travel and related sectors, we’ve observed a sharp decline in competitors bidding on our shared keywords. This not only translates to lower average CPCs for specific keywords but also presents an opportunity to dominate the search engine results page (SERP) more frequently, even with reduced budgets! Reactivating campaigns now not only positions you ahead of competitors but also generates valuable historical data, enabling you to outperform them as they return.”

“Since the majority of the US has been under shelter-in-place orders, we’ve been closely monitoring CPCs, CPMs, conversions, CPAs, and conversion rates week over week, and for some clients, even multiple times daily leading up to major holidays like Mother’s Day,” Akvile shares. “These financial and sales-related metrics have been the most significant performance indicators for our clients, guiding our strategic optimization decisions.”

Akvile emphasizes the importance of tracking other metrics like social engagement for signs of increased demand or other customer signals. “In terms of engagement, we’ve also been analyzing comments on social ads to gain insights into our audience’s sentiments towards our advertised offerings and identify common questions that we can address through our marketing efforts.”

Brassica_, a Boston-based restaurant, experienced positive engagement after posting about their enticing extra offerings on Instagram.

Reactivating Across Online Advertising Channels: When is the Right Time?

As a marketer, you’re aware that strategies effective on one channel might not yield the same results on another. Therefore, I sought advice from our expert panel regarding channel-specific reactivation timelines.

“I’d recommend starting with Google Ads Search,” suggests Mike. “It inherently targets the mid-funnel, provides clear insights into user intent, and offers ample flexibility for adjusting budgets, bids, and search parameters. Whether you opt for a brand campaign with a few select non-brand ideas or a more extensive approach, it provides the most adaptability in terms of cost and performance.”

Francine presents a different perspective, advocating for Bing. “This network has remained relatively unaffected by changes throughout COVID-19. While other networks experienced significant declines, Bing remained at manageable levels. If you were previously using Bing, it’s time to restart. If you weren’t, consider exploring this network promptly!”

Other marketers champion a cross-channel strategy, even during the reactivation or ramp-up phase. For Google and Bing, Holly advises, “Reactivate or start increasing the budget for your most successful prospecting campaign.” Regarding social media, she adds, “Overall traffic on Facebook and Instagram has surged in recent months, with more people staying home and browsing on their phones. If you’re not on Facebook, now’s the ideal time to begin advertising. Brand awareness, reach and frequency, or traffic campaigns are all effective strategies for driving traffic to your site at a low cost. Utilize this platform to promote blog content related to your industry or relevant case studies. You can later retarget these individuals with a more direct call to action. This approach effectively builds brand presence and starts populating your remarketing lists, which typically yield higher conversion rates at lower costs.”

Echoing Holly’s sentiment, Akvile recommends prioritizing audience building for future remarketing efforts. “If your business or your clients’ operations were significantly impacted, leading to account deactivations, a gradual re-entry strategy involves reactivating or launching new upper-funnel campaigns targeting cold and warm audiences on Facebook and Instagram,” she explains. “This allows you to replenish your funnel with new prospects and remind warmer audiences about your products or services. Upper-funnel campaigns are more cost-effective, and their performance assessment can guide a gradual return to your pre-COVID advertising volume.”

Remember, It’s a Process

The complexity of determining when to restart online advertising stems from the fact that it isn’t a singular event. Ramping up your online advertising budget or reactivating accounts is an ongoing process requiring continuous effort. “PPC isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it industry,” Greg emphasizes. “While automation plays a significant role, it can’t fully account for pandemics or the need for a human touch.”

Instead, Greg advocates for a measured, hands-on approach. “Implement smart, conservative adjustments to aspects like budgets and bids for a gradual ramp-up. Don’t hesitate to accelerate if the data supports it, but initially, proceed cautiously.”

Keep these key takeaways in mind:

• Maintain online advertising if feasible.
• Utilize your ads to communicate updates to customers.
• Monitor signals of increased business demand, including rising search volumes and impressions.
• Pay attention to geographical data, particularly as communities reopen in stages.
• With limited budgets, prioritize Google search ads and brand campaigns.
• With ample budgets, maintain a cross-channel approach to increasing ad spend.

For further information on industry trends, budget increases, and marketing during COVID-19, explore these resources:

• Updated Google Ads Benchmarks for Your Industry During COVID-19 (May)
• Updated Google Ads Benchmarks for Your Industry During COVID-19 (June)
• New Data Reveals PPC Ad Campaigns Are Rebounding
• The Step-by-Step Guide to Google Ads Account Recovery
• The Step-by-Step Guide to Facebook Ads Account Recovery
• nexus-security’s Resources for Businesses Navigating COVID-19
• Goal Talk Podcast Episode 15: Marketing During COVID-19