Marketing support can be a one-off project, a monthly retainer or an hourly arrangement. The cost depends on the work you need, the channels involved and who takes responsibility for getting it done.
At M8 Studio, digital marketing starts from NZ$750 a month, covering strategy, campaign management and advertising creative within the agreed scope. Media spend is a separate budget. A wider brief needs its own conversation and quote.
That gives you one real starting point. It does not make NZ$750 the right price for every business or a national agency benchmark.
Start with the job, then compare the fee
“We need marketing” can mean several things. You might need a direction, a website, a campaign or someone to take ongoing ownership of the work.
A project fee suits a defined piece of work with a finish line. A retainer suits work that needs regular attention, such as managing campaigns, making new ads and adjusting what happens after people click. Hourly work can suit a bounded task, provided you agree what is being done and how much time is authorised.
Paying monthly is useful when there is useful monthly work to do. The proposal should explain that work.
What should a marketing retainer include?
Ask for responsibilities and deliverables in ordinary language. What happens at the start? What happens in an ordinary month? What changes when performance calls for a different approach?
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Who is our day-to-day marketer? | You should know who understands the account and makes decisions. |
| Is advertising creative included? | Campaign management and making the ads can be separate jobs. |
| What can you change on our website? | A campaign may reveal a problem after the click. |
| How will enquiries or sales be measured? | Reports need to connect with the action the business wants. |
| What falls outside the fee? | Extra channels, video production and larger website work need clarity. |
| How do we review or end the arrangement? | Know the commitment and access arrangements before starting. |
There is no need for every provider to include the same things. There is a need for you to understand what you are buying.
Keep the service fee and media budget visible
The money paid to a marketer is different from the money paid to an advertising platform. A proposal that shows one combined figure should still explain the split.
For an illustrative example, NZ$900 in management and NZ$1,200 in media would be NZ$2,100 before any other agreed costs or applicable tax. Those figures are an example calculation, not an M8 package or a recommended budget.
Why separate them? Because you need to know how much reaches the advertising platform and what work supports it. Increasing one does not automatically increase the other.
A larger agency or a smaller studio?
An agency may bring several specialists and capacity across a broad brief. A smaller studio may give you a closer working relationship with the person responsible for the work. Neither structure guarantees the better result.
At M8, you work directly with Husain, with trusted specialists involved when a project needs another skill. The point is continuity: someone who understands the business and follows the work through.
If you are weighing the models, our agency, freelancer and in-house comparison explains where each can fit.
What should you spend first?
If your offer is unclear, begin by sorting the direction. If people are reaching the site but cannot understand or enquire, the website may deserve the first investment. If those foundations are ready, a focused campaign may be the next move.
You do not have to buy every channel at once. Ask the marketer to recommend an order, explain the reason and identify what would make them change that recommendation. That tells you more about their thinking than a large package comparison table.
A marketer in your corner.
Advice from M8 Studio, bringing strategy, websites, creative and digital advertising together.Meet your M8
