When Should I Start Using Ads?

You’ve launched your store. You’ve got a few sales. And now you’re wondering…
“Is it time to start running ads?”

It’s such a common question—especially from new store owners who’ve poured their savings (and maybe a little heart, soul, and credit card debt) into getting their business off the ground. You probably used that money for product, setup, photography, and inventory—all the things you needed to get up and running.

Here’s the hard truth: you’re not going to earn that money back quickly. And that’s okay.

This week on the podcast, I sat down with Inner Circle social media coach and podcast producer Melissa Davies to unpack this question—to give you a clear, realistic roadmap for when (and how) to start using ads.

Spoiler: it’s probably not yet. But that’s actually a good thing.

You’ve already done the hardest part

If you’ve launched, sold a few products, and gotten 5-star reviews, congratulations—you’ve already proven your concept.

Your products work.
People are buying at full price.
That’s proof there’s a market for what you sell.

Now you just need to grow it—and that doesn’t require ads right away.

Why ads might not be the next step

When most store owners start ads, they expect instant sales. But ads don’t work like a vending machine—you don’t pop in $50 and get a sale back.

They take time, data, and consistency.
And they’re expensive to learn.

It’s not unusual for a single sale from an ad to cost $30–$40, depending on your product price and margins. So before you jump in, make sure you’ve done everything you can organically.

Step 1: Understand your sales funnel

Before you spend a cent, you need to know where you stand. In the Inner Circle, every member builds their Sales Funnel, which shows three key numbers:

1. Audience (Top of Funnel)
   How many people know your brand exists?
   
2. Traffic (Middle of Funnel)
   How many have actually clicked through to your site?
   
3. Conversions (Bottom of Funnel)
   How many of those visitors buy?

If you’re doing great organic marketing, your social posts should reach at least 100,000 impressions per month. Of those, only 1–3% will click through to your site—that’s roughly 1,000–3,000 visitors per month.

And of that traffic, 1–2% will buy. That’s normal for ecommerce.

So if you’re getting steady sales but not enough of them, you don’t have a conversion problem—you have a traffic problem.

If you want to go deeper on this, listen to:

• 🎧 Episode 159: The Powerful Work That Will Get You To Your Goals
• 🎧 Episode 176: Behind the Scenes of a Six-Figure Sales Funnel

Step 2: Grow your sales organically

Before you pay for traffic, maximize what’s already working.

Collaborations

If you sell dog products, for example, partner with other dog brands or influencers who share your audience but sell something different—like treats, beds, or photography.

Do a trade:

• You feature them in your posts and emails for a week.
  
• They feature you to their followers in return.

It’s free, authentic, and gets your brand in front of new, qualified people.

I used this exact strategy to get her first 100 sales—check out this episode to hear all about it:
🎧 How To Use Collaborations To Get Traffic and Sales

Email Marketing

You can’t scale without it.
Email can easily drive 30–50% of your total revenue if you do it consistently.

Here’s your quick checklist:

• Add a popup that offers 10% off, a gift with purchase, or early access.
  
• Send one email per week—short, visual, and easy to scan.
  
• Four days later, resend that email to people who opened or clicked but didn’t buy (with a new subject line). This “second send” often performs best!

Create Monthly Events

Once a month, run a “mini campaign” that gives people a reason to buy:

• A restock or limited run (“only 12 left!”)
  
• A small gift with purchase
  
• A waitlist launch
  
• A fun giveaway

You don’t have to discount heavily—just create urgency, exclusivity, or scarcity.

Those three motivators—“Buy now because it’s special, limited, or about to disappear”—are gold for conversion.

Step 3: When you’re ready, add ads strategically

Once your organic growth is steady and predictable, then you can start ads. But skip the “purchase conversion” ads for now—they’re expensive and risky.

Instead, start with:

• Brand Video Ads: short, engaging clips that show what you sell and who it’s for.
  (Learn how in Episode 162: Build A Massive Audience With A Brand Video.)
  
• Engagement Ads: get more eyes on your best-performing content.
  
• Traffic Ads: use the “view content” goal to drive clicks affordably.

Only when your traffic, funnel, and conversions are solid should you move up to purchase conversion ads—and only if you’re ready to invest for the long term.

I recommend budgeting $40–$50 per day for at least a few months. Ads aren’t a “quick hit”—they’re a long-term learning investment.

The takeaway

If you’re growing organically, getting sales, and building your audience—you’re doing everything right.

Focus on what’s working.
Refine your funnel.
Collaborate, email, and create reasons for people to buy.

Ads will make sense later—when they can amplify what’s already proven to work.

Until then, build your foundation. It’s the smartest money you’ll ever save.

RELATED LINKS:

The Powerful Work That Will Get You To Your Goals

Behind the Scenes of a Six-Figure Sales Funnel

Build A Massive Audience With A Brand Video

How To Use Collaborations To Get Traffic and Sales

Make your website a lead generating machine