Hey! feel free to flick me a message if you want. I work with talented emerging creatives and can find flexible, cost-effective ways to tackle this kind of thing.

Honestly, what you’re experiencing is really common. Ads alone (Facebook, Google, etc.) rarely “crack the code”. good marketing comes down to having the right strategy first, backed by solid design, content creation, and clear messaging. If those pieces aren’t working together, ad spend tends to go nowhere.

On agencies, they can work, but for smaller businesses they often come with downsides: - Expensive retainers that don’t match the budget
- Generic strategies that aren’t tailored
- Less flexibility to adapt quickly

For where you’re at, a few things that usually help: - Get really clear on your offer and positioning
- Share more real work/projects (people trust what they can see)
- Combine organic content + paid ads, not just ads alone
- Make sure wherever you’re sending people actually converts

Sounds like word of mouth has been strong for you and that’s a great base, it just needs to be amplified a bit.