Eager to know how digital marketing can revolutionise your business? Stay with us as we guide you through everything you need to know about digital marketing and its cost.
Before we delve into deeper topics, let’s have a look at what digital marketing is and what it offers to businesses in Malaysia.
Digital marketing is important for businesses because it enables them to utilise the Internet to reach potential customers globally.
You might be wondering why is it important for businesses to be aware of the costs of digital marketing. It’s the key to making well-informed financial decisions and budget allocations. Besides, it is also the lifeblood of a business, without it, the heart or brain of a business cannot function.
Which Marketing Strategy Should Businesses Opt For?
Marketing isn’t just about throwing in some cash and resources to get guaranteed results.
It is necessary to consider your business goals and target audience. For instance, if your target audience is active on social media, your go-to strategy would be social media marketing.
Alternatively, if your business is in a highly competitive industry, SEO would be a superior choice for you to distinguish yourself in the vast sea of search engine results.
New to SEO? Check out our Ultimate SEO Guide for Beginners to get started! When you’re ready to go beyond the basics, look for a trusted and experienced SEO services provider in Malaysia to help you turn rankings into real business results.
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Types of Digital Marketing Channels
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to digital marketing. What works for others might not be the best fit for your business.
So, you should familiarise yourself with the types of digital marketing channels available before making the decision.
Let’s have a look at today’s prominent digital marketing channels!
Website Marketing
A website serves as the intersection point where all your digital marketing efforts converge, potentially addressing the majority of your business objectives. It is the cornerstone for clearly and effectively presenting your brand identity, products, and services to your audience.
Given that approximately 60.66% of web traffic is now generated from mobile devices, having a responsive, mobile-optimized website is crucial.
At VeecoTech, we understand this essential shift in user behavior and specialize in crafting websites that deliver exceptional experiences on both desktop and mobile devices.
Our web design service focuses not only on visually appealing designs but also on functionality, user experience, and seamless responsiveness. Partner with us to ensure your website effectively engages visitors, drives conversions, and amplifies your overall digital marketing strategy
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
This strategy is the process of making your site better optimised for search engines such as Google and Microsoft Bing. It increases your website visibility in those search engines whenever people are looking for products, services, or information on certain topics of your expertise.
The more visibility you have on the search results page, the more likely people are going to click on your website. The ultimate goal of SEO is to attract audiences and potential customers and clients without relying on paid ads (PPC). SEO takes a holistic approach in the sense that the content that you publish or campaigns you carry out matters and is key to driving traffic.
Ready to turn your website into a traffic magnet? Team up with a results-driven SEO company in Malaysia that knows how to make every click count.
Content Marketing
Let’s talk about content marketing because it’s more than just posting blogs and social updates. In my experience, content marketing is one of the powerful tools for building long-term trust with your audience.
It delivers real value through blogs, newsletters, social media posts, and more. Done it right, it positions your brand as an expert, keeps you top-of-mind, and nurtures customer relationships before, during, and after the sale.
Why does it work so well? Because great content does more than attract clicks. It drives engagement, generates leads, and influences buying decisions in a way that ads alone often can’t. It’s an internal strategy that quietly earns customer loyalty and pays off in retention and brand authority.
Here’s a real example:
I worked with an SME client who wanted to break into the Malay-speaking market after years of focusing solely on Chinese-speaking audiences.
With our RankRise Growth SEO strategy — built heavily around localised content marketing — they went from getting just 20 leads a month to over 60. That’s 3X growth, simply by speaking directly to a new audience with content that resonated.
Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)
Pay-per-click advertising or PPC is an advertising method that helps businesses reach more Internet users through paid ads. Essentially, it’s where businesses pay a fee each time their ads are clicked.
PPC can bring great returns if it is working as intended, the advertising fee would be insignificant as the clicks are worth more than the cost. They usually appear on social media platforms, websites, and search engines. So, it’s a great way of reaching a wide audience of potential customers across different demographics
Another form of PPC that’s popular among marketers is search engine advertising. Marketers will be able to bid for ad placements. They would appear at the top of search engine results as sponsored links.
Email Marketing
Email marketing strategy should by no means be confused with the likes of spam emails.
It remains one of the most effective digital channels because it allows businesses to reach potential customers and prospects with interest in their brand or products and services.
Businesses can also curate their marketing messagesto a specific list of customers and subscribers, which builds brand loyalty. It can cost from RM1,500 to RM15,000, depending on the email list size, industry nature, email design, and so on.
Credit: Business.com
Social Media Marketing
There is an estimated record of 4.7 billion people worldwide using social media. This whopping figure in itself is an indicator of how effective it will be in today’s society if it’s well-executed.
Similar to content marketing, this strategy helps build brand awareness and social credibility. As you delve deeper into this strategy, it could help you acquire leads, or act as a platform for direct marketing or sales.
SMS Marketing
Text message (a.k.a. SMS or short message service) is also a means for companies to send the latest information about promotions or to reel in potential customers.
For example, telecommunication companies have been known to use SMS marketing to inform their customers of the latest deals and promotions.
Credit: SMS archives
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How Business Size Affects Digital Marketing Costs
For SME (small and medium enterprises) companies, their focus is mainly on determining their target audience and providing a great customer experience. So, they would prioritise efficiency in terms of cost, meaning they prefer to get maximum benefits at lower costs.
Smaller businesses usually have smaller budgets than middle or bigger businesses. However, compared to traditional marketing, digital marketing is still accessible at a lower start-up cost. The average cost of digital marketing for SMEs is RM3,000 to RM 50,000.
So, if you’re a small business owner, you’ll still be able to achieve outstanding results within your budget.
And as for, large companies, their focus will involve Customer Relationship Management (CRM) remarketing at every opportunity. Their objective is to maintain positive relationships with their clients and digital marketing helps them to develop more personal connections with their clients, as well as boost sales by communication through SMS or email marketing.
Large companies will have a significantly higher amount of funds for paid advertising. Aside from that, they can also spend on digital marketing tools to help increase their conversion rates. Therefore, their digital marketing costs would be vastly different than that of smaller companies.
Pricing models used by digital marketing agencies in Malaysia
Credit: Qualtrics
Here are a few prominent pricing models used by digital agencies in Malaysia.
Hourly Rate Model
Hourly rate is one of the most common pricing structuresused by agencies worldwide. However, it’s not as celebrated in Malaysia. It works best for marketing campaigns that need to be completed within a short timeframe.
Digital agencies that utilise this model charge their clients on an hourly basis. For example, if their hourly rate is RM200, then the total cost for a 10-hour campaign would be RM2,000.
This model is usually used for projects that can be executed quickly at a lower cost. If your project spans longer, this pricing model would be unsuitable.
Project-based Model
Digital marketing agencies that utilise project-based models charge their clients based on projects. It’s great for businesses that are looking to hire an agency for one-time projects without spending a lot of resources.
If it’s an extensive project, this pricing model would be ideal as you would get to make amendments along the way, if there are any. Furthermore, you’ll be informed about the project expectations, costs, and date of completion.
However, there is a possibility of your project getting outsourced to a third party such as freelance marketer for services ranging from graphic design to SEO audits.
Retainer-based Model
This strategy can be divided into 2 parts: a monthly retainer with a specific amount of hours and a monthly retainer with exact deliverables.
The hourly retainer approach would be to have an agreement on the number of hours of work with the agency that you’re hiring. For example, if the SEO service in Malaysia is 50 hours per month, you will be charged a monthly fee of RM10,000, at RM200 per hour.
On the contrary, marketing deliverables are a different form of the monthly retainer. There would be a set monthly expectation of outcomes. Most digital agencies would charge their SEO clients a typical rate of RM3,000 for services such as keywords audit and creation of links.
So if you’re a business owner, it would be advisable to opt for agencies offering monthly retainer rates as you can plan for your monthly budget allocation. However, if you can’t afford to spend on digital marketing monthly, this pricing model might not be suitable for your business.
Recent Trends in Digital Marketing Pricing
Understanding the cost of digital marketing in Malaysia is essential for businesses aiming to enhance their digital presence. The pricing can vary widely depending on your business model and goals.
However, to give you a general idea, here’s a breakdown of typical price ranges when working with a digital marketing agency. Here, let’s just focus on the top 3 digital marketing types: social media marketing,
Cost of Social Media Marketing in Malaysia
For starters, you can focus on essential content management, mainly for platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Prices usually range from RM 1,200 to RM 2,000 per month. These packages often include basic community engagement, monthly performance reports, and competitor analysis.
Mid-range packages, priced between RM 2,000 and RM 5,000 per month, offer a more comprehensive service. They often include product photography, moderate ad management, video reel production, and management of additional platforms such as TikTok, XiaoHongShu, LinkedIn, and more.
High-end social media marketing packages range from RM 6,000 to RM 12,000 per month. These are designed for businesses with ambitious marketing goals, larger advertising budgets, and a focus on maximizing return on ad spend (ROAS). Services often include advanced ad creation with A/B testing, professional on-site video shoots, and extensive content production such as animated graphics and high-quality reels.
Cost of Search Engine Optimisation in Malaysia
How about SEO pricing plan in Malaysia? Our experienced SEO specialists have broken it all down in this detailed guide: How Much Does Your SEO Really Cost? — feel free to check it out!
Just like social media marketing, SEO pricing varies depending on what services the SEO company in Malaysia offers and the goals you’re aiming to achieve. In Malaysia, SEO services typically range from RM 900 to RM 10,000+ per month.
If you’re curious about our rates — VeecoTech’s RankRise Growth Plan starts at just RM 2,899/month! It’s an all-in-one SEO solution designed to grow sustainable organic traffic and boost your visibility, even in today’s AI-powered search landscape.
Cost of Pay-Per-Click Advertising Cost in Malaysia
One of the best things about PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising? You control how much you spend — whether it’s a little or a lot, your budget directly influences your results.
If you’re hiring a PPC agency, you’ll typically pay a one-time setup fee and a monthly management fee. Costs vary depending on the type of campaign, the number of keywords you’re targeting, and your total ad spend.
Management cost for entry-level packages generally ranges from RM 1,500 to RM 3,000 monthly. Great for startups and small businesses. These usually include campaign setup, basic keyword research, limited ad groups, and monthly performance reports.
While mid-range packages are priced around RM 3,000 to RM 5,000 per month. These plans cover multiple campaign types, unlimited keyword targeting, more ad groups, and include A/B testing for better performance.
High-end PPC packages are ideal for businesses aiming for high ROAS and aggressive growth. These packages are priced at RM 3,500 and above and come with advanced keyword strategies, cross-platform campaigns (Google, Bing, YouTube, etc.), in-depth competitor analysis, frequent optimizations, and ongoing strategic consultations — perfect for brands with higher ad budgets.
Maximizing ROI
Credit: Meme Creator
How do you figure out which digital marketing agency is the right fit for your business to maximise your ROI?
Pricing is undeniably an important factor that affects your choice. However, you want to be wary of agencies that claim to be able to able to provide unrealistic results at a lower-than-average price.
Those agencies are in fact, more costly than agencies that offer services at higher price ranges. The reason for that is that you’re spending your resources on a service that offers mediocre results.
Therefore, you should reach out to credible marketing agencies and enquire about their strategies, pricing structures, business approach, and performance tracking metrics.
Here’s an example of a successful case study of how My Adore, a leading Malaysian importer of international beauty products, was able to maximise its ROI after signing up for digital marketing services.
They opted for a Facebook conversion and web traffic campaign for their online store. The Return on Advertisement Spend was 4.73 times, the number of conversions was 123, and the click-through rate was 1.92%.
Conclusion
Before signing up for digital marketing services, thorough research is essential. Consider your specific business objectives, target audience, available budget, and anticipated ROI to make informed decisions.
While digital marketing is invaluable in today’s competitive landscape, ensuring you don’t overspend beyond your revenue is critical for sustainable business growth. Effective financial planning will help your business thrive in the long term.
Ready to unlock your business’s full potential with digital marketing? We, the top-notch SEO agency in Malaysia will help you select the ideal strategy and tailored package to maximize your ROI. Let VeecoTech guide your journey forward—because your success is our mission!
FAQ
What’s the Difference Between Freelancers and Agencies?
Organic marketing can significantly contribute to the growth of your business by increasing brand visibility, attracting targeted traffic, and building trust with your audience. Unlike paid advertising, organic marketing focuses on creating valuable content and optimising it for search engines, helping you establish a sustainable online presence.
There are pros and cons in both of these choices, and it depends on the qualities you’re seeking in the party you choose to hire.
For example, an agency might be more costly but they have more resources and manpower to manage your project. On the other hand, freelancers excel at the skill sets that you’re looking for, as they are professionals that have been honing said skill sets for years.
Are SEO and SEM the same?
Even though both SEO (search engine optimization) and SEM’s (search engine marketing) objectives are to increase a website’s visibility on search engines, they still have differences.
SEO and SEM both target different search results. SEO focuses on the enhancement of webpages to improve their organic search results ranking. On the other hand, SEM focuses on using paid ads to get the sites to rank on top of SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).
Furthermore, SEO takes a longer time than SEM to show results. SEO efforts may require up to 3 months to 2 years to achieve significant improvements in terms of ranking, whereas an SEM campaign would be able to increase traffic within hours.
Lastly, SEO is more costly than SEM in the short run. Although SEO doesn’t require costs per engagement, it still requires a lot of time and effort. The company that hires an SEO agency would need to invest in content writers, SEO specialists or even SEO tools. Once the SEO starts to achieve organic visibility, companies can receive tons of traffic at no extra cost, which in turn makes it highly profitable in the long run.
Is SEO better than PPC?
SEO (search engine optimization) and PPC (pay-per-click advertising) are much like the two sides of the same coin, where SEO is the unpaid side and PPC is the paid side. One should not have the mentality of “SEO vs. PPC” as they complement each other. Having both of these channels work simultaneously would deliver excellent results, as long as your budget allows.
Why is there such a range of SEO prices?
Search engine optimization encompasses a wide range of strategies. Some are effective and quick to show results, whereas some that are more intensive would require weeks or even months to fully take shape. Like all the other marketing services, the cost of SEO is dependent on which agency or freelancer you choose to hire and the complexity or difficulty of the optimization you require.
To learn more about VeecoTech’s SEO packages, click here for the full guide
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