The ad market, especially the paid search and SEO formats, is showing signs of life. Many of your clients may believe they’re experiencing the worst business market in decades. That’s true. But the recovery may look more like a V than a U in some sectors. So marketers shouldn’t lose hope. 

Paid Search Activity is Up

Ginny Marvin, Third Door Media’s Editor-​in-​Chief, just reported the results of her informal poll on Twitter. When she asked if businesses are once again running paid search campaigns, 50% of respondents said their clients were buying. Marvin also cites early indicator data that shows activity in the travel industry. Ads for cruise ships, resorts and hotels are increasing after having been almost completely stopped in March. While consumers aren’t traveling yet, service providers want to stay top of mind and hope postponed trips will happen later this year. 

Marketers had multiple reasons for cutting ad spending in March. Some businesses hit the brakes in a panic stop. Others retrenched until they could figure out what to do. In the past several weeks, we’ve realized that we won’t be returning to business as usual. Instead, we’ll be operating in a new normal. That means businesses need to adjust their promotional messaging. 

The Power of SEO and PPC

The good news for online operators is that consumers will continue to purchase products online. They may do so at a higher rate than previously in order to avoid COVID-​19 exposure in physical stores. Some of your established online operators may think they don’t need to protect their established brands. Maybe they’ve relaxed their SEO efforts and backed off on their paid search campaigns, believing consumers will continue to buy from them.

Remind them that up-​and-​coming organizations are eager to capture new customers as a result of the surge in online shopping. These new competitors are bidding on the same keywords that established businesses believe they own. In some online sectors, the competition will heat up as signs of life increase. Don’t let your existing clients become complacent about their top position on the search engine results page. 

Signs of Life

You can monitor the performance of their search campaigns and suggest changes to help them protect their position on the SERP. And to stay current on which keywords are working for a specific client, check out the Digital Audit available from AdMall by SalesFuel.