Heidi Sturrock, a seasoned paid search consultant with over two decades of experience, recently shared insights on PPC Live The Podcast. Her story revolves around a broad match error during a campaign for a B2B SaaS client, which inadvertently turned into a strategic advantage.
In her early days, Heidi launched a high-budget competitor conquest campaign without implementing negative keywords, resulting in a surge of complaints from the rival's customers over the weekend. When she informed her client, he surprisingly viewed the situation as a chance to train his sales team to convert these calls into opportunities, offering discounts to switchers. This led to a refined campaign strategy that improved budget control and targeting.
Heidi emphasizes two critical lessons: avoid launching significant campaigns on Fridays, as the algorithms require monitoring, and ensure all key stakeholders are involved in discussions. This approach fosters accountability and can turn potential crises into opportunities.
When mistakes occur, she advises immediate action to mitigate damage, transparent communication with clients, and presenting solutions. Additionally, she highlights common pitfalls in account management, such as misaligned attribution windows and focusing on secondary metrics over primary goals.
Heidi has also tested AI Max across numerous accounts, finding mixed results based on data quality and target definitions. Her upcoming blog will provide a detailed guide on optimizing AI tools. Ultimately, she encourages marketers to embrace industry changes and adapt to new technologies for success.