When we think about what makes a great PPC strategist, we often list technical skills first: keyword optimization, bid strategies, conversion tracking, and landing page design.
But one of the most powerful—and overlooked—skills in paid media?
Customer empathy.
Recently, I worked with a client who was on the brink of shutting down after years with the same PPC vendor. Their ads were running, leads were technically being generated, and on paper, things didn’t look terrible. But they were drowning in spam, dealing with low-quality leads, and—most importantly—not closing business.
The problem wasn’t just tactical. It was relational.
There were no conversations. No check-ins. No questions like:
- Are these leads actually good?
- Is this helping your sales team?
- Are we feeding Google the right signals?
That lack of collaboration nearly cost this business everything.
When PPC Performance Is a Mirage
Here’s what was really happening behind the scenes:
- Spam calls and junk form fills were eating up valuable sales time.
- Google’s algorithm was learning from those low-quality conversions—and doubling down on cheap, useless leads.
- The vendor was convinced they were crushing it because the numbers looked good on their dashboard.
Meanwhile, the client was on the verge of collapse.
This is why empathy matters. Without regular communication and curiosity, it’s easy to fall into the trap of managing to metrics—not outcomes.
How We Turned the Campaign Around (With Empathy and Strategy)
After our first conversation, it was clear this client didn’t need more clicks. They needed better-qualified leads and a system that supported long-term growth.
Here’s what we did together:
✅ 1. Audited Lead Quality
We didn’t just look at conversion volume. We listened to call recordings, reviewed form submissions, and evaluated what actually turned into revenue.
Insight: Most phone leads were spam. But form fills? Much more valuable.
✅ 2. Pivoted to the Main Website
Instead of sending traffic to generic PPC landing pages, we drove traffic to the client’s core site—pages that already had social proof, product detail, and built-in trust factors.
We ran a full UTM audit to track performance clearly and tied traffic to actual outcomes.
✅ 3. Used Portfolio Bidding Strategically
We implemented portfolio bidding to ensure we could bid high enough to attract good leads while still enforcing budget caps. This helped balance scale and efficiency without overspending on bad traffic.
✅ 4. Validated Keyword and Search Quality
After rebuilding the campaign structure, we checked to make sure our keywords were still bringing in qualified traffic. They were—so we leaned into the winners and paused underperformers.
The Results? Mixed… on Paper. Exceptional in Real Life.
Here’s what happened after 90 days:
- Google Ads metrics looked worse YoY—less conversions, higher CPL, fewer “micro-conversions.”
- But actual business performance? 2x more closed deals compared to the previous year.
We weren’t chasing vanity metrics. We were building revenue reality.
And the client?
They’re growing again. Hiring. Scaling. No longer on the brink of collapse.
The Real Lesson: Talk to Your Clients (or Team)
PPC success isn’t just found in dashboards or optimization tools. It’s found in relationships, conversations, and aligned goals.
If you’re a marketer or agency partner and you’re not talking to your clients regularly—asking about lead quality, sales team feedback, or real-life friction—you might be driving what looks like success… while actually hurting them.
And the inverse is true too: you might think you’re underperforming when in reality, you’re crushing it. But you won’t know unless you ask.
Quick Pulse Check Questions You Should Be Asking:
- What percentage of leads are actually qualified?
- Which lead sources convert at the highest rate?
- Are any lead types wasting sales team time?
- What’s your average time-to-close per source?
- What’s your sales team hearing from prospects?
These answers can (and should) influence how you structure campaigns, prioritize channels, and allocate budget.
Bonus Note on Bidding Strategy
Yes—I kept this client on Max Conversions even though Max Conversion Value is often the preferred long-term play.
Why?
Because this client had years of bad signal history feeding the algorithm, and we didn’t want to shock the system right before their busiest season.
Instead, we’re planning a gradual shift to value bidding in the off-season when we can test safely without disrupting lead flow.
Sometimes, the smartest move is the slower one—especially when revenue is on the line.
Final Thought: Empathy Is Strategy
Great PPC isn’t just about better ads or smarter bids—it’s about understanding the human on the other side of the dashboard.
Your client. Your customer. Your sales rep. Your end-user.
When you lead with empathy, you uncover the insights that data alone can’t give you. And when you combine that with solid strategy, you don’t just get better performance—you build trust, loyalty, and long-term success.
Need someone to help you audit your paid media with empathy and expertise?
At Stratus Analytics, we partner with B2B teams to build PPC campaigns that work in real life—not just on paper.
Hi There! I’m Scott, and I am the principal consultant behind Stratus Analytics. I’ve have been providing freelance digital marketing services for over 20 years. DISCLAIMER: Due to my work in the packaging industry, I unforunately cannot take on freelance clients within the packaging manufacturing space. I do not want to provide disservice to your vision or my employer. Thank you for understanding.