Cost per inquiry by industry
An "inquiry" here is what Meta reports as a messaging conversation started: a WhatsApp, Messenger or Instagram DM chat that came from an ad. It is not a sale. Recruitment ads that some clients ran in the same accounts are removed, because those messages came from job seekers.
| Industry | Cost per inquiry | Typical monthly ad budget |
|---|---|---|
| Home cleaning services | RM2.70 – 3.40 | RM3,700 – 7,500 |
| Motorcycle dealer (sales & service) | RM4.10 – 4.80 | ~RM1,600 |
| Women’s fashion retail | RM6.40 – 10.40 | RM6,500 – 9,100 |
| Brow & cosmetic tattoo studio | RM7.40 – 9.50 | RM2,500 – 4,200 |
| Wellness & feng shui consulting | RM7.40 – 12.50 | RM950 – 1,900 |
| Restaurant (Thai BBQ) | RM7.60 – 16.60 | RM2,900 – 3,400 |
| Hair & scalp-care salon | RM13.20 – 16.30 | RM5,600 – 9,200 |
| Paint & flooring contractor (Penang) | RM14.50 – 17.70 | ~RM600 |
Source: Meta Ads Manager, Ventopia-managed accounts, Apr–Sep 2026. Total: RM236,530 spent, 33,530 inquiries, RM7.05 average. Ranges are monthly lows and highs, not a guarantee.
Two patterns stand out. Services people book often and quickly (cleaning, motorcycles) are cheap per inquiry. Higher-ticket or considered services (salon treatments, contractors) cost more per inquiry, but each one is also worth more.
How much budget do you need?
We recommend at least RM1,500 a month in ad budget, paid directly to Meta. At our RM7.05 average that is roughly 200 inquiries a month, enough data to see which ads work within a few weeks.
You can start smaller. Our smallest account, the Penang contractor, spends about RM600 a month and still gets around 36 inquiries. A motorcycle dealer spending about RM1,570 a month gets roughly 340 inquiries at RM4–5 each.
Rough maths: monthly budget ÷ your industry’s cost per inquiry = inquiries per month. Then ask how many of those your team can actually reply to and close.
What an agency charges on top
Ad budget and agency fees are two separate things. At Ventopia, Facebook & Instagram management starts at RM3,000 a month (design, copywriting, ad management, an account manager and monthly planning), or RM5,000 a month with one professional shoot. Our F&B Growth Plan is RM5,888 for 3 months. Prices exclude 8% SST. There is no lock-in contract.
When you compare agencies, compare what the fee includes (who makes the creative, how often they report) and ask for real cost-per-inquiry numbers from your industry, not just likes and reach.
What actually lowered the cost
From the campaign-level data across these accounts:
- Creator and blogger content was the cheapest. A plus-size fashion blogger try-on ad cost RM2.97 per inquiry; an influencer recommendation for the Thai BBQ restaurant cost RM3.67.
- Low-barrier offers pull inquiries. The restaurant’s RM9.90 promotion ran at RM2.35–2.45 per inquiry; a motorcycle dealer’s RM1-deposit campaign brought in 536 chats.
- Video beat a single image for the same offer. A salon’s "first visit RM129" offer cost RM8.29 per inquiry as a video and RM15.05 as an image, about 45% cheaper.
- Optimising for messages, not engagement. Campaigns set to the messaging objective cost less per inquiry than mixed engagement campaigns (for example RM4.82 for the restaurant).
Example: a JB restaurant halved its cost per inquiry
A Thai BBQ restaurant in Johor Bahru kept its budget at about RM3,400 a month. Between April and September 2026 its cost per inquiry fell from RM14.62 to RM7.64 (−48%), and monthly inquiries rose from 235 to 443. The changes were the ones above: influencer content, a RM9.90 promotion and messaging-objective campaigns.
See all cases, the cost table and our packages on the Facebook ads page.
Facebook Ads Agency Johor Bahru →