Bethany Neilens

Let’s be real: when we first heard about Google Ads, we thought it was some sort of wizardry. Like, “Oh, so you mean, I can pay Google to magically show my funny t-shirts to people who actually want to buy them?” Sign me up. But let’s just say, we weren’t exactly ready for the chaos and joy that would follow.

Our mission is simple: to create cool, quirky designs that make people laugh and raise awareness for disability rights. But here’s the thing about being a small business: you’re doing a million things at once. And marketing? Well, it was always like, “I’ve worked in the field for years. Socials first. Google? I’ll get to that… eventually.” But we quickly realized that Google Ads was that missing ingredient in our marketing soup—without it, we were just kind of floating around in the e-commerce ether.

Here’s how Google Ads transformed our brand, and how it could work for you too (if you haven’t fallen down a marketing rabbit hole like we did).

Clicking? Pretty Cool

If you’re not familiar, CPC stands for “Cost Per Click,” which basically means every time someone clicks on your ad, you pay a fee. Seems simple enough, right? Well, it’s not exactly “Google Ads for Dummies” level easy.

We threw a budget at it, threw some keywords into the mix (like “funny disability shirts” and “empowerment apparel for disabled folks”—which, by the way, we highly recommend you use), and then… No one clicked.

After a solid panic attack, we took a step back, researched a little more (aka Googled everything), and realized we needed to adjust our targeting. And by “adjust,” I mean, we needed to stop throwing spaghetti at the wall and actually pay attention to what Google was telling us. Spoiler alert: that actually worked.

The Magic of Targeting a Niche Market: Finding Our People

One of the best things about Google Ads is that you can be super specific about who sees your ads. I’m talking about targeting your perfect customer, not just any random person who happens to be online.

Google lets you get deep into the weeds, “Oh, you want to target people who are into disability advocacy and also enjoy sarcastic t-shirts? Check. You want to exclude people who only like motivational quotes about overcoming adversity? Double check.”

Once we figured out how to fine-tune our targeting (including location, age, interests, and even browsing history), our ads started showing up in front of the right people. And those right people? They clicked. They laughed. They bought. And suddenly, we felt like we were finally speaking to our audience in a way that wasn’t just throwing our clothes out into the void and hoping they would land on someone’s lap.

Let’s Talk Results: More Laughs, More Sales

Okay, let’s talk numbers. Because at the end of the day, we’re all in this for more than just laughs (though, let’s be real, we do enjoy the giggles).

Once we got our Google Ads game together, we saw our traffic increase significantly. It was like we were suddenly in front of a whole crowd of people who loved what we were doing. And the best part? We didn’t have to shout to be heard.

We also saw an increase in conversions (aka, people actually buying stuff) Was it all smooth sailing from there? No, of course not. But Google Ads helped us get our foot in the door and start turning clicks into change. And really, isn’t that what every small business dreams of?

TLDR;

Google Ads helped us go from clueless to “Wow, we’re actually making sales!” by targeting the right audience, writing funny ads, and learning from every click. If you’re running a disability humour clothing brand (or any small business, really), give it a try. It’ll be messy at first, but the results are totally worth it!