EP317 - How a $50,000 Mistake Became a Learning Opportunity ft Navah Hopkins

In this insightful PPC Live The Podcast episode, host Anu Adegbola welcomes industry powerhouse Navah Hopkins, Evangelist at Optmyzr and respected digital marketing strategist. Navah courageously shares her experience of accidentally spending $50,000 in just three days (a client's entire monthly budget) due to an ill-timed switch to max conversions bidding strategy combined with a significant budget increase.

The conversation explores how Navah turned this potential disaster into a valuable learning experience by:

Promptly identifying and addressing the issue with transparencyInvestigating invalid clicks that led to securing credits from GoogleDetermining that max conversions wasn't appropriate for legal clients, but max conversion value would beEstablishing stronger trust with the client by demonstrating accountability and expertiseBuilding relationships with in-house teams who can advocate for you during challenges

The episode reveals important lessons on failing gracefully, including:

The importance of documenting concerns when testing risky strategiesWhy you should trust your instincts and advocate for what you know is rightHow to approach mistakes with clients (be the first to bring it up with solutions)The value of setting bidding floors and ceilings when using automationWhy AI should be treated as a partner rather than being delegated your strategic thinking

Navah leaves listeners with a powerful reminder to "give yourself grace" in an industry constantly disrupted by AI, privacy concerns, and economic shifts, while emphasising that failures aren't truly failures if they generate valuable learnings.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

04:03 Discussing Failures in PPC

04:34 The $50,000 Mistake

07:18 Turning the Situation Around

10:10 Lessons Learned and Strategic Advice

11:22 Communication and Client Relationships

16:11 Valuing Your Service

18:16 Technical Insights and Best Practices

21:01 Mindset and Recovery

23:21 Final Thoughts and Advice

26:22 AI in Digital Marketing

30:20 Conclusion and Where to Find Navah

Get the full transcript on our ⁠Podcast Site⁠.

Follow Navah on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠BlueSky, or Optmyzr

Book a coaching call with ⁠Anu

PPC Live The Podcast (formerly PPCChat Roundup) features weekly conversations with paid search experts sharing their experiences, challenges, and triumphs in the ever-changing digital marketing landscape.

The next ⁠PPC Live event⁠ is on June 26th in Leeds, UK

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