Etsy's New Bells and Whistles

I must admit I am a newbie to Etsy.  I have a shop and have been reading all the Etsy notices and information about using best keywords and Search Ads and other techniques that are available with a fee. 

My question to you is:   Have any of you used the Search Ads or other advertising promotions and have they made a significant difference in your sales levels?  How about the relevancy of keywords ... has changing your keywords and/or the order of listing them really affected your sales?

I'd love to hear what your experience is on Etsy and sales ... is it the
sluggish economy that has put the "yawn" on the buyer or are results dramatically different if we pay for these bells and whistles to flag down the potential customer?  I am concerned about taking advantage of this more intense holiday shopping time of the year and would love to receive your advice in this.