1. What a beauty inquiry costs in JB
An inquiry here means a customer starting a private chat (WhatsApp, Messenger or Instagram DM) from the ad. Numbers are from our own Meta ad accounts, April to September 2026, with recruitment ads taken out.
| Business | Cost per inquiry | 6-month average | Monthly ad budget | Inquiries a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brow & cosmetic tattoo studio | RM7.40 – RM9.50 | RM8.17 | RM2,500 – RM4,200 | about 415 |
| Hair & scalp-care salon | RM13.20 – RM16.30 | RM14.57 | RM5,600 – RM9,200 | about 530 |
| All 9 Meta clients | RM2.70 – RM17.70 | RM7.05 | RM600 – RM9,200 | — |
Monthly ranges. Ad budget is paid to Meta and does not include our management fee.
Why the gap? The two shops sell different things. The tattoo studio sells one clear service, while the salon sells many treatments and spent heavily on Chinese blogger store-visit videos, which cost more per chat (see section 3).
2. Brow & cosmetic tattoo studio: more inquiries for less
- Cost per inquiry fell from RM9.53 to RM7.39 by July 2026.
- Monthly inquiries rose from 349 to 549 by August.
- Budget stayed in the RM2,500–4,200 range a month: 2,494 inquiries in six months.
The studio sells one clear service with a visible result, which suits short message ads: show the finished brows, state the price, invite a chat.
3. Hair salon: what made the same budget work harder
The salon’s budget rose from about RM5,600 to over RM9,000 a month and the cost per inquiry stayed at RM13–16, so more spend did not make each inquiry dearer. Inside the account, some ads were twice as cheap as others:
| Ad | Cost per inquiry |
|---|---|
| English ad (June) | RM7.31 |
| RM129 first-visit offer, video | RM8.29 |
| Main video ad (Malay) | RM11.30 |
| RM129 first-visit offer, single image | RM15.05 |
| Chinese blogger store-visit videos | RM17.38 – RM25.75 |
| Men’s scalp-care ad | RM17.48 |
Campaign-level figures from the salon’s Ads Manager export, Apr–Sep 2026.
- Video beat a single image by about 45% on the same offer.
- English and Malay ads brought cheaper chats than Chinese blogger videos. Blogger videos still earn their place for trust, but judge them on bookings, not cost per chat alone.
- A fixed entry price (RM129 first visit) gives people a reason to message now.
4. What to copy for your beauty business
- Use the messaging objective so customers can ask price and book in chat.
- Lead with one first-visit price, not a full menu.
- Make the main ad a short video: before and after, the treatment, the shop.
- Run the same offer in each language your customers speak and compare.
- Keep hiring ads separate. They also bring messages, from job seekers, and will make your customer numbers look better than they are.
- Reply fast. A chat that waits hours rarely turns into a booking.
- Refresh creative every few weeks so the same people don’t tire of one ad.
Our Facebook ads plans
Management starts at RM3,000 a month (RM5,000 with a monthly shoot). Ad budget is paid directly to Meta; we recommend at least RM1,500 a month.
Cost table for all 9 industries, more cases and plan details are on our Facebook ads page.
Facebook Ads Agency Johor Bahru →