Solved: Is My Ad Budget Too Low? Where Should I Focus My Ads?

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out and sharing your situation. It sounds like an exciting project getting your custom jewellery business off the ground! I'm happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance based on your questions, especially around getting started with ads and that initial budget.

Getting a new online business going, particularly for something personal and handcrafted like custom jewellery, has its challenges. You've got the website built, which is a massive step, so well done on that. Now, thinking about how to get people to see it is where the paid advertising comes in.

Let's talk about that budget first...

Okay, let's be straight about the £500-£600 budget for paid advertising. To be honest, it's pretty tight. Like, really tight. Think of paid advertising as needing a certain amount of fuel to get the engine running and collect enough data to know what's working. With £500-£600, you're essentially putting a teacup of fuel into a car that needs a full tank just to leave the driveway.

In our experience running campaigns, especially for new businesses or in competitive areas, we typically recommend clients start with a budget of at least £1,000 to £2,000 *per month*. This allows for enough ad spend to:
- Get a meaningful volume of clicks or impressions.
- Run multiple ad creatives and target different audiences properly.
- Allow the ad platforms' algorithms enough data to learn and optimise.
- Have some budget left for retargeting, which can be crucial.
- Get results that you can actually analyse statistically.

With £500-£600 *total*, you're probably looking at running ads for maybe a week or two before the budget runs out, depending on how much you spend per day. It's unlikely you'll see a significant number of sales from this, especially with a higher-consideration purchase like custom jewellery. The main goal with this budget will be to get some initial traffic, see how people interact with your site, and get *some* very early data on potential costs (like cost per click or cost per landing page view).

So, is it *worth* running ads with that amount? Yes, if your expectation is to gain some early insights and learning, rather than expecting a massive return or lots of sales. Think of it as dipping your toe in, not launching fully.

Where should you focus your efforts?

You've mentioned thinking about Denmark, the UK, and the US. Trying to run ads in all three countries with £500-£600 is, frankly, not a good idea. You'll spread the budget so thin that you'll get negligible data in each place, and it'll be impossible to figure out what's working anywhere.

You absolutely need to pick just *one* market to focus on initially. Since your site is only in English, the UK might be a slightly easier starting point for conversions than Denmark, even though you're based there. The US is a massive, expensive, and very competitive market, so I'd definitely put that on hold for now with this budget.

Within your chosen market, where should you post/run ads? For a visually-driven product like custom jewellery, aimed at your target demographic (urban women 25-45), Facebook and Instagram (Meta Ads) are likely your best bet. These platforms are great for reaching people based on demographics, interests (like jewellery, fashion, specific brands, art, etc.), and behaviours. You can showcase your pieces with beautiful images.

Google Search ads are another option, targeting people actively searching for terms like "custom jewellery", "handmade necklace", "design own ring", etc. However, these keywords can be competitive and potentially expensive per click. For your budget and product type, Meta Ads often allows for more visual appeal and broader reach within your target demographic, which might be a better starting point for discovering who responds best.

And yes, image ads are completely fine! Don't feel pressured to make videos if it's not your strength, especially when starting out. High-quality images are *paramount* for jewellery. Invest time or a little budget into getting the best possible photos of your custom pieces – different angles, close-ups, maybe on a model or display. A stunning image is far more effective than a poorly made video.

What else might you be missing?

Beyond the ads themselves, the most critical piece, especially with a limited ad budget, is your *website conversion rate*. You could drive 100 visitors to your site with ads, but if the website doesn't convince them to design or buy, that budget is wasted. Every visitor needs to count.

Think about your website from a visitor's perspective.
- Are the images absolutely stunning and high-resolution? For jewellery, this is non-negotiable. People need to see the detail and quality.
- Is the custom design process intuitive and easy to use on desktop and mobile? Test it thoroughly.
- Are the product descriptions persuasive? Do they highlight the craftsmanship and the uniqueness of designing their own piece?
- Do you build trust? As a new business selling bespoke items, people need reassurance. Consider adding:
-> Customer reviews or testimonials (even if just a couple to start).
-> Clear contact information.
-> 'About Us' page showing the passion behind the brand and teh goldsmiths (maybe photos?).
-> Information about materials, process, shipping, and returns.
-> Security badges if relevant for payments.
-> Links to any social media profiles or places you might also sell (like Etsy, if applicable).
- Is the site fast to load? Slow sites kill conversion rates.

We've seen campaigns fail not because the ads were bad, but because the website couldn't convert the traffic. With your budget, you need your site to be performing as strongly as possible from day one.

Another thing to consider is the customer journey for custom jewellery. People designing their own piece isn't usually an impulse purchase. It might take multiple visits to the site before they commit. This is where retargeting (showing ads to people who visited your site) becomes important, but you'll need a decent volume of site visitors first to make this viable, which again, circles back to the budget.

Here's a quick overview of some key areas to focus on:

You've done good initial research, but implementing it with a small budget requires laser focus and realistic expectations. The data you get from this initial spend will be your guide for what to do next, even if it's just confirming that you need a larger budget or that your website needs adjustments before running ads again.

Navigating these early stages, especially with budget constraints and testing different markets and ad types, can be tricky. Getting expert input can sometimes help accelerate the learning curve and avoid costly mistakes. We work with businesses at various stages and could offer more tailored guidance based on a deeper dive into your specific product and target audience.

If you'd like to discuss your situation in more detail and see how we might be able to help you plan your next steps more effectively, we'd be happy to book in a free consultation. It's a chance to chat through everything without any commitment.

Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh