Solved: Need Marketing Specialist to Help Sell Products Online

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out! I saw your post and it sounds like you're in a bit of a tricky spot, which is really common for businesses moving from in-person success to the online world. It's great you're doing well at local fairs, that proves people want what you're selling. Translating that to online sales is a different beast altogether, but it's definately doable.

I'm happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance based on my experience with other ecommerce brands. No fluff, just some straight-forward advice on what I'd be looking at if you were a client of mine. Hopefully it'll help you figure out the next steps.

First things first, let's look at why the ads probably aren't working...

You mentioned you've started a Google Ads campaign with no positive results. Honestly, I'm not surprised. This is the single most common problem we see. People assume that if you just send traffic to a website, sales will magically happen. It's almost never that simple, especially for a new brand that people don't know or trust yet.

Think about the experience at a local fair. People can see you, they can touch the handcrafted items, they can feel the quality and have a chat with the person who made them. That builds instant trust. Online, you're just another website among millions. You have to build that trust from scratch, and that's a job for your website, not your ads. The job of the ads is just to get the right people to the website in the first place. If the website isn't ready to convert them, you're just throwing money away. It's like pouring water into a very leaky bucket.

When ads aren't working, we need to diagnose where the problem is in the customer journey. It's a process of elimination:

-> Are people not clicking your ads? If you have very low click-through rates (CTR) and high costs per click (CPC), it usually means your ad itself isn't compelling. The image might be poor, the headline might not grab attention, or you might be targeting the wrong audience entirely.

-> Are people clicking the ad but leaving straight away? If you get visitors to your homepage but very few of them click through to look at your products, it's a sign of a mismatch. Either the traffic is wrong (your ad targeting is off) or your homepage doesn't immediatly convince them they're in the right place. Maybe it's cluttered, slow to load, or doesn't showcase the products well.

-> Are people looking at products but not adding to basket? This is a huge one. If you get lots of product page views but no one clicks 'add to cart', the problem is almost certainly on the product page itself. This points to issues with your product photos, your descriptions, your pricing, or a general lack of trust. People are interested enough to look, but something is stopping them from taking the next step.

-> Are people adding to basket but not buying? If you see lots of abandoned carts, the issue is likely in your checkout process. It could be unexpected shipping costs, a process that's too complicated, or not enough payment options. Again, it often comes back to trust - are they comfortable giving their credit card details to a brand they've never heard of?

My gut feeling, without seeing your site, is that your problem lies somewhere in the middle two points. Your ads could be better, but the bigger issue is probably the website isn't set up to build trust and persuade visitors to buy. So, before you even think about spending another penny on ads, we need to sort out your shop front.

We'll need to look at your website first and build a solid foundation...

Your website is your 24/7 salesperson. Right now, it sounds like its not doing a very good job. For a handcrafted brand, the story, the quality, and the person behind the products are your biggest selling points. Your website needs to scream this from the rooftops.

Photography is non-negotiable. This is probably the most important investment you can make. Grainy, poorly lit photos taken on a kitchen table won't cut it. Your products need to look incredible. You don't need a massive studio budget, but you do need to invest time and effort.
-> Get high-resolution photos from multiple angles.
-> Use lifestyle shots. If you sell handcrafted jewellery, show it on a model. If you sell handmade home decor, show it in a nicely styled room. Help customers visualise it in their own lives.
-> A short video of you making the item, or just showing it off from all angles, can work wonders. It adds a human element and shows the detail and care that goes into it.

Your product descriptions need to sell a story, not just a product. Don't just list the dimensions and materials. Tell people about your inspiration. Talk about the crafting process. What makes this item special? Why should someone buy it from you instead of a mass-produced version from a big shop? This is where you build desire and justify your price. We often bring in a proffesional copywriter for our clients because good copy makes a massive difference to conversion rates.

Build trust signals everywhere. A new visitor needs to feel safe buying from you.
-> An 'About Us' page is essential. Put a face to the brand. Share your story, your passion for your craft. People buy from people, especially with handcrafted goods.
-> Customer reviews and testimonials are gold. Do you have happy customers from your fairs? Reach out and ask them for a testimonial to put on your site. Once you get online sales, have an automated system to ask for reviews.
-> Be transparent. Have a clear shipping and returns policy. Make your contact information easy to find. An address and phone number (even a mobile) adds a lot of credibility.
-> Add trust badges for secure payments (like Shopify Payments, PayPal, etc.). This reassures people their details are safe.

I know this sounds like a lot of work, and it is. But there is absolutely no point in running ads until this foundation is rock solid. Any agency or specialist worth their salt would tell you the same thing. They should want to fix the leaky bucket before they start pouring more water in.

I'd say you need to find where your customers hang out...

Once your website is looking trustworthy and is set up to convert, then we can think about getting people to it. You don't always have to start with expensive ads. Given you're a small business, I'd actually start elsewhere.

Start with Etsy. Seriously. For handcrafted items, it's a no-brainer. Yes, they take fees, and yes, there's competition. But they've done the hard work for you: they've built a massive audience of people who are specifically looking to buy handcrafted, unique items. They already trust the platform. It's the perfect place to get your first online sales, gather some fantastic reviews, and understand what products and price points resonate with an online audience. You can even link to your Etsy store from your website as an additional trust signal.

Then, think about paid ads. This is for when you're ready to scale. Paid ads give you control and predictability that organic channels often lack. The goal isn't just to get clicks; it's to get sales at a profitable cost. For an ecommerce brand like yours, there are two main platforms I'd be looking at:

1. Google Ads (but done right): Your initial campaign likely didn't work because it wasn't the right type of campaign. For physical products, you should almost always start with:
-> Google Shopping Ads: These are the product listings with images and prices that appear at the top of Google. They are brilliant because the person searching has high intent. They've searched for "handcrafted leather wallet" and your product appears. You're catching them at the exact moment they're looking to buy. This requires setting up a product feed from your WooCommerce store, which can be a bit technical but is absolutely worth it.
-> Performance Max (PMax): This is Google's newer, all-in-one campaign type. It can work well, but you need to feed it with good 'assets' - high-quality images, videos, and compelling text. It uses these to show ads across Shopping, Search, YouTube, and Display. It could be an option once you have those assets ready.
-> Search Ads: These can still work for very specific, long-tail keywords like "unique handmade ceramic mugs" or "custom silver necklace UK". You target people with very clear buying intent.

2. Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram): This is probably where you'll find the most success for building brand awareness and driving initial sales. Handcrafted items are highly visual, which is perfect for these platforms. People aren't necessarily searching for your product, so you have to interrupt their scrolling with something beautiful or interesting.
-> The Creative is Everything: Your amazing product photography and videos will be the core of your Meta ads. A static image can work, but a simple video carousel showing off a few products, or a short video of the item in use, will almost always perform better.
-> The Targeting is Crucial: This is where expertise comes in. You don't want to just target "shopping". You want to get specific. We'd test audiences based on interests like:

You probably should have a clear, phased plan...

This all might feel overwhelming, so let's break it down into a logical sequence of events. This is how I'd approach it.

Phase 1: The Foundation (First 1-2 Months)
-> Action: Pause ALL ad spend immediately.
-> Focus: Your website and Etsy.
-> Tasks:
1. Get professional-looking photos and videos of your top-selling products.
2. Rewrite your product descriptions to tell a story.
3. Build out your 'About Us' page and get customer testimonials on the site.
4. Set up an Etsy store and list your core product range.
5. Ensure your website's checkout is smooth and trustworthy.

Phase 2: Initial Testing & Data Gathering (Months 3-4)
-> Action: Start with a small, controlled ad budget. I usually recommend about £500 - £1,500 per month to start, depending on your product prices.
-> Focus: Proving the concept and gathering data.
-> Tasks:
1. Launch a Google Shopping campaign. Let it run and see which products get clicks and sales.
2. Launch 2-3 Meta ad campaigns, targeting your most promising audiences (e.g., one for Etsy interests, one for competitor interests). Use your best photos/videos. The objective should be 'Conversions' optimised for 'Purchase'.
3. Drive all traffic to your best product pages on your own website.
4. The goal here is NOT massive profit. The goal is to get your first 20-50 sales and identify which products, audiences, and ads are working. You need this data.

Phase 3: Optimisation & Scaling (Month 5 onwards)
-> Action: Analyse the data from Phase 2 and make smart decisions.
-> Focus: Profitability and growth.
-> Tasks:
1. Turn off the ads and audiences that aren't working (e.g., high spend, no sales).
2. Increase the budget on the winning ads and audiences that are delivering profitable sales.
3. Launch retargeting campaigns on Meta. This means showing specific ads to people who visited your site or added an item to their cart but didn't buy. This is often the most profitable campaign you will run.
4. Once you have enough sales (ideally 100+), create 'Lookalike Audiences' on Meta. This is where Facebook finds millions of new people who look just like your existing customers. This is how you truly scale.

This phased approach minimises risk and ensures you're building your business on solid ground, rather than just gambling on ads and hoping for the best.

Finally, you'll need to answer your questions about getting help...

You asked about hiring help, result-oriented contracts, and recent graduates. These are really important questions.

What to look for in an agency or specialist? Look for proof, not promises.
-> Case Studies: Do they have real, detailed case studies for other ecommerce businesses? Not just "we got great results", but what did they do? What was the return on ad spend? If an agency has experience in a similar niche, that's a huge plus.
-> Expertise on a Call: Get on a discovery call with them. Do they ask smart questions about your business, your margins, your customers? Or do they just give you a sales pitch and promise you the world? Tbh, in paid advertising, you can't promise specific results. There are too many variables. If someone guarantees you '10 sales', I'd be very wary. A good expert will talk about a clear process and strategy, like the one I've outlined above.
-> Reviews: What do their other clients say? Are they happy with the communication and the approach?

What about result-oriented contracts? I'd strongly advise against this. As I said, no one can guarantee results. An agency offering a 'pay for 10 sales' model will likely do one of two things: 1) Price the fee for those 10 sales so high that they cover their risk and you overpay massively, or 2) Use shoddy, short-term tactics to hit the target that don't build a sustainable business for you. The standard and fair model is a fixed monthly retainer or a percentage of ad spend for the management of the campaigns. You are paying for their time, expertise, and a robust process, not a guaranteed outcome.

Should I hire a recent graduate? To be brutally honest, no. Not for this stage. You don't have a simple execution problem; you have a foundational strategy problem. You need an experienced head who has seen this exact situation hundreds of times and knows the playbook to fix it. A recent graduate might be great for running campaigns once the strategy is set and working, but you need an architect right now, not a bricklayer.

I hope this detailed breakdown gives you a much clearer picture. It's not a quick fix, but a methodical process. By focusing on your website and trust first, then moving into controlled ad testing, you give your lovely handcrafted products the best possible chance of finding success online.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you in a table below to make it easier to digest:

Putting a system like this in place requires expertise and a lot of hands-on work. It's a full-time job to manage and optimise ad campaigns properly. This is, of course, where working with a specialist can make a huge difference, helping you avoid costly mistakes and get to profitability much faster.

If you'd like to chat through this in more detail and see how we might be able to help you implement this strategy, feel free to book in a free, no-obligation consultation with us. We can take a proper look at your website and give you some more specific pointers.

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh