Hi there,
Thanks for getting in touch. Happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance on your situation. Running ads for commercial insurance leads can be tricky, especially when figuring out the best strategy around holidays. Let's break it down a bit.
We'll need to look at historical performance...
First things first, I'd take a look at your campaign data from previous July 4th weekends. Did you see a significant drop in leads compared to other weeks? If so, it might make sense to scale back your ad spend during the holiday weekend. However, if the data shows that lead volume remained relatively consistent, or even increased, there might be an opportunity to capitalize on potentially lower competition.
I remember we had a client in the tax prep software niche, and you'd naturally assume their leads would take a nosedive over the Christmas period. But actually, their lead volume was pretty steady – turns out a lot of people catch up on that sort of stuff when they have time off. So, definitely worth having a look at your data.
Even if your office is closed, can leads still be generated through online forms or other automated processes? If so, completely pausing your ads might not be the best approach. Consider reducing your bids instead. This allows you to maintain some visibility and potentially acquire leads at a lower cost without requiring active management during the holiday.
I'd say you should adjust bids, not stop entirely...
Rather than turning off your ads completely, consider implementing a bid adjustment strategy. Reduce your bids by a significant percentage (e.g., 50% or more) to lower your average cost-per-click (CPC). This approach allows you to maintain some presence in the market while minimizing your ad spend during the holiday weekend. Monitor performance closely and adjust bids accordingly based on the results you observe.
Think of it this way: if you completely switch everything off, you're handing that traffic to your competitors. By reducing bids, you're still in the game, but not spending as much.
You probably should check your ad scheduling settings...
Given that your office will be closed, it's essential to review your ad scheduling settings. Ensure that your ads are not running during hours when you are unable to respond to inquiries or process leads. This prevents wasted ad spend and ensures a positive user experience for potential customers. Consider adjusting your ad schedule to align with your office hours or temporarily pausing your ads during the holiday weekend.
I've seen a few businesses make this mistake. They forget to change their ad schedule when they have different opening hours. So people click on the ads, ring up, and get no answer. Just make sure you don't do that.
You'll need to think about lead nurturing...
Even if you generate leads over the holiday weekend, you'll need a plan for nurturing those leads when your office reopens. Set up automated email sequences or workflows to engage with leads and keep them warm until your team is available to follow up personally. This ensures that you don't lose momentum and can efficiently convert leads into customers. I'm not sure whether you use a CRM, but they can be very handy for automating your lead nurturing.
This is the main advice I have for you:
| Recommendation | Details |
|---|---|
| Analyse past July 4th data | Check lead volume and costs to see if there's a typical drop-off. |
| Reduce bids instead of pausing | Lower your bids significantly (e.g., 50%+) to maintain visibility at a lower cost. |
| Adjust ad scheduling | Ensure ads only run during office hours to avoid missed calls/enquiries. |
| Automated lead nurturing | Set up emails to engage leads generated during the closure to keep them warm |
Hopefully these are some useful initial pointers. Navigating ad campaigns, especially around holidays, requires a blend of data analysis, strategic adjustments, and a good understanding of your target audience. Implementing these recommendations will help you optimise your ad spend and maximise your return on investment.
Of course, optimising ad campaigns can be a full time job. Agencies like us have the experience, the tools, and the time to really dig into the data and make the most of your ad budget. It's something worth considering if you want to take your advertising to the next level.
If you're interested, we offer a free consultation where we can discuss your specific needs and goals. We can then go into your account, see how it's all set up, and give you some tailored recommendations.
Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh
