Still don't get the hype about pay-per-click. Had a campaign tank hard.

Ran a $200 Facebook ad for my small Etsy shop last month and got 3 clicks. Zero sales. Everyone says PPC is essential for growth, but I think it's overrated for tiny businesses like mine. Anyone else have better luck with just organic posts?

3 comments

3 Comments

margareto261mo ago

Start by asking @bennett.evan if he's really sure that targeting local folks made the difference or if it was just luck. Sounds like you spent more time tweaking settings than actually making sales, and that's a lot of work for maybe a few bucks back. I'd rather just post on Instagram for free and see what sticks.

the_wendy1mo ago

Exactly. The whole "test run with $30" thing only works if you already know who's buying. Most of us don't have that data yet. With Insta, you can post a photo of your work, tag a local hashtag like #yourcityhandmade, and see if anyone bites without spending a dime. Plus you get real feedback from likes and comments way faster than waiting for an ad to tell you a vague story. Facebook ads can feel like throwing darts blindfolded until you've got a decent sample size of actual customers to work from.

bennett.evan1mo ago

Boy, that sounds frustrating. I had almost the exact same experience when I tried Facebook ads for my small shop a couple years back. Threw $150 at it, got maybe five clicks, and nothing came of it. What finally worked for me was scaling way back on spend and focusing on a very specific local audience. Instead of trying to reach everyone, I set the ad to only show within 10 miles of my town and targeted people who liked similar handmade pages. That little test run with $30 got me a few sales and taught me more than the big waste did. So I wouldn't write off PPC completely, but for a tiny Etsy shop like yours, organic posts and word of mouth are probably a better bet until you have a clearer picture of who's actually buying.

-1