Social networks have become a de facto standard among internet users today. In fact, the likes of Facebook, Twitter and many others have become an integral part of life today that they have become a need for businesses while people from all walks of life depend on these technologies to stay connected with one another and to keep abreast of what is happening around them.
Businesses and brands have used Facebook and YouTube to gain better advantage over their competitors so much that some theories are claiming that Facebook could determine the failure and success of a particular brand.
Social Media is affecting majority businesses
The popularity of social networks is growing at an uncontrollable rate with Facebook reportedly having almost 1 billion accounts. In this context, it becomes extremely important that businesses are linked through social networks which they could then leverage on the user base which could count up to millions while being available not only within the country but throughout the world too.
As an expert in the area of internet development and marketing, Advertising.com.my has the expertise and experience to help our customers leverage on the power of social media. Whether it is for branding or to run promotions or to launch a marketing campaign, Advertising.com.my is able to help our partners reach out to their potential customers in every possible way through social media.
We assist you from conceptualisation to executions and maintenance
We will be able to help you in advising the best campaign moving forward, conceptualisation of the model and strategy as well as propose affordable and economical methods to advertise.Advertising.com.my works very closely with media owners where we will be able to assist you in finding and determining the best spaces for your advertisements and the most suitable ways to place them so that they will be expose to the best and most accurate target group at the most appropriate places.
As the digital advertising industry grew by leaps and bounds, so has Advertising.my where we rode along this wave to become a leader in this industry. Over the years, we have employed some of the best experts and animators in the industry to design and create cutting edge and award winning animation videos for our clients.
Today, our portfolio includes short films, documentaries and 3D (3-Dimensional) walkthroughs of spaces and online videos where we have worked with major media corporations like Media Prima Berhad, who operates the largest television and radio stations in Malaysia.
Facebook Marketing in Malaysia
Marketing using the likes of Facebook is one of our main services where we have collaborated with major corporations around the country in deriving the most impactful and effective campaigns using this media. Today, Facebook is by any means the biggest thing that has happened to the world of marketing in recent years. It has almost 1 billion accounts which mean that Facebook possesses one of the most attractive options for marketing.
With billions spent on advertising in Facebook each year, this is an option that any business should consider in your marketing campaigns and strategies. As we have been collaborating with our partners in online advertising for more than a decade, we are more than ready and equipped to help you better leverage on this social media.
You must be aware that Facebook marketing on the outside looks very simple but is a highly sophisticated process as it involves using the right messages and speaking out to the right target group in the most appropriate time.
We help you to further expand your reach by capitalizing on all the elements and options available through Facebook. On top of that, we will help you to engage them more effectively to ensure that your campaign is not a one-sided effort.
Twitter Marketing is as important as Facebook Marketing
Another facet of social media marketing is through the use of micro-blogsite Twitter. While Facebook allows all types of interaction and engagement between its members, Twitter is a more focused and another effective option which must be considered in order to fully utilize the power of the internet in your marketing campaigns.
Our past records speak for itself where there has been many collaboration between Advertising.com.my and major corporations from the public and private sectors and several types of businesses. As an expert in the area of online advertising, we have incorporated marketing in social media and more specifically in Twitter in many of our clients’ campaigns.
Our team of social media experts and professionals have worked with our clients in conceptualizing and deriving the most effective programmes to ride on the Twitter wave. From there, we ensure that only the best and highly impactful strategy is conceived where we have created a buzz to ensure a strong following for our clients.
One of our most successful campaigns in Twitter is those that involve new product launches, rebranding of products and such. On top of that, you will find that repositioning and enhancing of corporate image are also very appropriate efforts that can use this mircoblogging service.
Maximize the marketing potential in social media
Social media has been seen as the game-changer in the marketing world over the past few years. When it comes to driving engagement and collating clicks on social networks, the challenge is never ending.
Social media the only way forward for marketing
Opportunities in Social Media
When social media first emerged, it experienced what is known as the organic peak. This is where everyone was scrambling to ride on this bandwagon. Unique contents and engaging platforms were created so that users were all able to get involved.
After that, social media becomes more mature. It is no longer about letting it grow on its own but more like customizing what it should be like. This is known as the paid period. As a business (or marketer), you start to consider paying social networks to engage your customers.
You begin to learn about the cost of using Google Adwords, Facebook Ads and such.
This is where the trick is, to make adjustments into making customized campaigns in social media. If your campaign has been using social media for some time, the old tactics will not work anymore. In fact, the organic method where you use simple SEO or free platforms will be quite useless.
Transition period
This means that you now have to morph these new methods into your business KPIs. They have to be more focused on trying to drive clicks and conversions to you.
Rule of thumb
The most obvious social network would most likely be Facebook. Between 2009 and 2012, it was the most organic platform for any marketer. If you know what the people like to read or view, coupled with some creativity, you can easily build a large audience and if you are good in this, it is free.
This would however start to decline around 2014 onwards. Likes were no longer as high as it was because people are no longer as easily amused. In fact, it must now be more suitable for what they want instead of what they need. If you sell water, it does not move automatically.
People need water, but they must want it bad enough to buy your brand.
Hence, organic campaigns can no longer operate the way it did. In fact, you need to learn how to pay for such initiatives. To do so, you need to identify the 3 different growth of social networks.
- The Early Adopters – You target those who like to be the earliest to try out a product. If you know who your customers are and their willingness to try new things, this is your market. Test the waters if a new social network comes up before paying anything for marketing.
- The mainstreams – Twitter falls into this category. You have ready customers who are willing to try anything they read on the network. Because of its popularity, it will be quite expensive.
- Mature networks – You will find Facebook and YouTube in this category. This is by far the costliest. The potential is limitless. You get to reach your current and potential customers so easily, it can be effortless.
How about the cost?
Is social media marketing expensive? How much does it cost as compared to traditional media? These are common questions business owners tend to ask as the cost might cut into their bottom lines.
Getting to the bottom of digital marketing
Digital marketing is not something new. Every marketer today claims to have some experience in digital marketing but that is only as true as when it is proven.
With the availability of technology and internet platforms, new opportunities have opened up for business and brand owners. It is easy to find the information you need but knowing how to use them to benefit your campaign is something else entirely.
Knowing which social media platform works for you in Malaysia would mean you must first understand what the whole craze is all about.
Understanding social media marketing
The term social media means online communities and platforms. In social media marketing, you want to use these platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and others with the intention to build relationships and engage with your customers both current and future.
Social media, if used correctly can be extremely impactful for brands to reach out and connect with a wider target audience while building more awareness for the brand.
In Malaysia, there is a growing trend for digital marketing, particularly in using social media. Since 2020, the amount spent on digital ads has overtaken traditional channels.It is expected that digital ad spending would make up 60% of the total of Adex in 2020. This would be somewhere just over RM6 billion.
Managing Social Media
If your brand has an online presence, then it is imperative to manage your accounts in the respective social networks. Here, you would need to carry out the primary tasks that include:
- Monitoring activities in your account
- Posting and sharing of content
- Responding to comments, both positive and negative
Your aim with your social media is to be as engaging as possible. You want your followers to know that you are always active. This can be done via a proper social media management plan.
A social media management plan is imperative to ensure that your brand is always present on the internet, most importantly among your followers. Without a sound management plan, it leaves an impression that you are dormant on the internet.
The moment your followers feel that you are dormant, your business will suffer.
In order to do this, you might need the help of certain tools that can help you along the way such as automated platforms that can assist in activity monitoring and scheduling of your posts.
Social media management is NOT Social Media Marketing
Often, marketers confuse social media marketing with management. While they are always used interchangeably, there are actually some very big differences that separate them from each other.
It is very risky not to understand the difference between the 2 as it would mean more expenses that might not bring the returns you desire.
- Social media management is all about managing your social media accounts that cover the processes like responding to comments, posting content and such.
- On the other hand, social media marketing entails using platforms to help you get to your marketing objectives, particularly in enhancing your brand image and customer engagements.
- This involves activities like running ads, online campaigns, engaging with your followers and creating content.
It must be noted that businesses need to master both social media marketing and management in order to succeed in creating a strong online presence. If you are starting out on this, it would be best to start with marketing and then management comes later.
Riding on the importance of social media in Malaysia
Malaysia, like other developing economies across the world, has a thriving and growing marketing industry. Social media is one of the most widely used applications among users. Your business will benefit from social media because they can:
- Enhance your brand awareness – Use social media to tell your brand story and what you are involved in. Create content that tells the stories and responds to comments to clarify any doubts or queries. Over time, your brand becomes stronger.
- Lead generation – It is very common for businesses across Malaysia to use Facebook to generate leads. When you are connected within a community of the same interest, you have access to potential customers who have direct access to you (and vice versa).
- Customer relationship – Perhaps the most powerful tool that social media gives you would be in building customer relationships and as a result, better customer satisfaction.
- Loyalty – Social media can definitely be the platform to build brand loyalty for your customers. When you have content that relates to them and you respond in a timely manner, your customers will surely return for repeat purchases.
Getting started on social media marketing
It would be extremely useful to know the first steps in social media marketing which should be as below:
Goals and target
In any marketing campaign, defining the goals and target market is always the first step more so if you are using social media.
As you want to measure the success (or failure) of your campaign, you need to have goals that you want to achieve. Would it be to increase your current sales, generate leads, or increase your brand awareness?
From there, you will then determine who your target market is whether they are working adults in the Klang Valley, rural folks in Kota Bahru or low-income earners in Selangor.
Then you can go to the next step, Planning.
Setting up your social media profiles
Setting up your social media accounts is very important because you want to create one which reflects your brand identity.
You need to decide which social media you will be involved in and then create a similar profile with the same image (logo or product).You must ensure that you create a suitable-looking profile and you must include business information as well.
Take note that your contact information is crucial here. Visitors to your social media account will want to know how they can contact you after scrolling through your page.Make sure that you have your website address (that links them directly to your website), business address, telephone number, WhatsApp Business number and email address so that they can easily reach you.
Content that works for you
From here, you need to create content that works for your brand. Bear in mind that you should have content which are:
- Informative
- Interesting
- Relatable
In simple terms, your audience should be intrigued and wants to view your content. Use as many images or videos as possible as users respond more positively to them.
Try not to be too focused on your own content. It is always good to share related information about other businesses to show that you are active on social media.
Engaging your followers
This is the crux of social media marketing. Post questions or content that drive engagement. When your followers respond, it means that they are interested.
The onus is then on you to respond in return. This shows that you care about their thoughts.
Keep track of your campaign
Once you have done all the above, you need to monitor the progress of your efforts. Use the data you collected to give you insights into what to do next.
No one gets it right the first time and you can use this data to fine-tune your next step.
Website Advertising in Malaysia
In the last decade, a lot has been said about website advertising. While many other platforms like social media and messaging apps have taken over digital marketing, the popularity of websites has not deteriorated much.
With a higher internet penetration rate in Malaysia in the last 3 years, there will surely be more customers searching the internet for information. If your business is on the internet (more significantly on social media), then it is extremely crucial to have a website that promotes your business information.
In 2019, the internet penetration rate in Malaysia is at 87.55% and this has since grown to almost 89% in 2022. Such growth shows a healthy trend that internet users are steadily increasing in Malaysia. The reason for this mostly is because:
- Access to devices – subsidies and installment plans have enabled more Malaysians to have access to internet devices such as smartphones, laptops and other gadgets.
- Cost – The cost of internet data services has become more affordable as demand increases.
- Content – The internet has become one of the biggest sources of content for users across the country with all types of apps available.
That said, it is only normal that websites continue to be the go-to platform among current and potential customers. Your brand must have a website if you intend to engage your customers. Your social media should direct traffic to your website so that they have access to more information. After all, websites can provide you with:
- Better reach – With websites, you are almost certain to reach the right target market since the ads that drive them to the site are based on their demographics and personal traits.
- Response – On your website, you can actually drive better response time where you can engage your visitors to join your email list, a subscription list or to download an e-book which is a common strategy.
- Cost – If done properly, you would be able to drive a lot of traffic to your website. This can be translated into thousands of impressions every day. When used together with other platforms, you have an integrated campaign that is highly cost-effective.
Cost of social media marketing in Malaysia
There are several ways to embark on social media marketing in Malaysia. The easiest way is to engage an advertising agency which would be quite straightforward or you can opt to use freelancers.
Social Media Marketing Cost using Advertising Agencies
The process is simple and outright. You speak to a representative from an advertising agency with a digital department. The more established the agency, the more expensive it would be.
They will develop the social media marketing plan for you with data analytics and measure of success. For around RM4,000 per month, you should enjoy:
- Design of paid ads
- Creation of 2 to 4 content monthly complete with images or graphics.
- Ads on major social media like Facebook and Instagram
- A signed contract would be required, usually for 6 or 12 months minimum
- Creativity subjected to the agency
Such a contract would mean you will be tied to the agency for the duration. It is also a more expensive option.
Social Media Marketing Cost using Advertising Freelancers
This is a much cheaper option as you will engage actual practitioners in digital marketing. For around RM500 per month, you should enjoy:
- Ads on social media platforms like FB, IG
- Creation of 2 to 4 content monthly complete with images or graphics (similar to agencies)
- Paid ads
- Less formal communication usually with a single freelancer
- Contracts involved but usually for a shorter term of 3 months or less
While this might be a much cheaper option, some freelancers might not be as ‘expert’ as they claim to be. Hence, it is a chance that you would have to take.
Social Media Marketing Cost with Advertising.com.my
As an agency started with the digital marketing revolution, we have your business interest in mind and we are committed to ensuring that your brand enjoys maximum leverage in the digital platforms (especially on social media).
At only few thousands per month, your business will enjoy:
- Customized ads on social media platforms like FB, and IG to your requirements
- Creation of 2 to 4 content monthly complete with images or graphics (similar to agencies)
- Paid ads
- Less formal communication usually with a single freelancer
- 3 months contract with extensions possible
- A dedicated account manager tasked to understand your brand’s direction and messaging
- Dashboard which is customized for you
Note: Please be aware that the cost of Facebook ads tends to change all the time. This means that there will bound to have a huge variance in the price of ads which depends largely on which industry your business is in.
In some cases, they use the bidding process which will ensure better visibility of the ad to the social media segment.
