How do you decide which platform to start with for a new client?

I have a new client coming in next week. Small budget, around $1,500/month. They sell handmade furniture online. No previous ad history at all.

I'm going back and forth between starting on Google or Meta. Google makes sense because there's clear purchase intent, people searching "buy handmade furniture online" are ready to buy. But the CPCs in furniture can be expensive and $1,500 won't go far.

Meta might be better for showing the product visually and building some awareness first. But the sales cycle could be longer and it's harder to prove ROI quickly.

My usual thinking is Google for high intent and Meta for discovery but with this budget I can only really do one properly.

How do you make this call for a new client with limited budget? Do you always go search first or does it depend on the product?

For that budget + handmade furniture, I’d usually start Meta first.
Reason is simple: Google in furniture is high CPC + messy intent (a lot of “ideas” and research clicks), so $1.5k/month gets eaten fast before you get enough data.

Meta lets you:

• test product-market fit fast
• see which styles actually get clicks/saves
• build retargeting pool cheaply

Then once you’ve got winners + some traffic, bring in Google Shopping/Search to capture demand.
Only time I’d start Google first is if it’s super high-intent niche with clear “buy now” keywords and strong margins.

With $1.5k/mo I usually don’t try split test both, you just end up starving both. For handmade furniture I’d start Meta first, build demand + retargeting pool with strong creatives, then layer Google once you see what actually sells. Search is great but in this niche CPC will eat you alive fast at that budget.
Meta gives you faster signal + cheaper testing.

try google shopping or pmax with long tail keywords only, meta takes too long to covert when budget is tight and you need fast sales.

With that budget I'd start with Google Search first, even if volume is lower the intent is much stronger and u can validate demand faster.

With a small budget I usually start where intent is clearest and fastest to track, but if CPCs are too high then Meta for testing creatives + retargeting often gives better room to learn before scaling search.

Google's intent is obvious for furniture, but that budget is gonna get eaten alive by CPCs so fast. for a new client with $1500, especially with visual products like handmade furniture, i'd lean meta. start with strong visuals and target interest groups. you can build some initial brand recognition and get people clicking before they're even thinking "buy now". it's not as direct as search, but you get more bang for your buck initially to at least get eyes on the product.

Id prob start Google first coz u wanna buyers not just likes, can always add Meta later for visuals when cash grows.

With his budget I think he should just start with Meta,but his consistency will be the key to his success here