The verdict in three sentences
In this illustrative example, a Singapore based maker of spraying and mapping drones invests 23,400 SGD over 4 months (18,000 SGD of media and 5,400 SGD of management) and gets 81 demo requests, 18 completed demos and 6 sales at an average of 42,000 SGD. Cost per completed demo lands at 1,300 SGD and cost per sale at 3,900 SGD, against 252,000 SGD of revenue. What made the difference was not budget but country targeting, English landing pages written for plantation managers, and calling back every request within one business day.
Starting point and campaign structure
The fictional company employs 30 people in Singapore, designs mapping and spraying drones, and sells mostly to oil palm, rubber and durian plantation operators in Malaysia and Indonesia, plus a few agricultural cooperatives in Thailand and the Philippines. Before the campaign it relied on regional trade shows and distributor referrals, about 3 demos a month (assumption). One constraint shaped every ad: drone operations and aerial pesticide application are regulated country by country, by CAAS in Singapore, CAAM in Malaysia and the relevant aviation and agriculture authorities elsewhere. Ads and landing pages therefore describe permits and operator training accurately and never imply that spraying is unrestricted.
| Ad group | Example searches | Average CPC, 2026 ballpark | Budget share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plantation spraying drones | palm oil spraying drone, plantation drone spraying | 3.20 to 4.40 SGD | 35% |
| Mapping and crop health | plantation mapping drone, multispectral drone agriculture | 2.40 to 3.30 SGD | 30% |
| Service providers and contractors | drone spraying service equipment, buy agricultural drone Malaysia | 2.60 to 3.60 SGD | 20% |
| Brand and generic category | company name, agricultural drone manufacturer Asia | 0.80 to 2.00 SGD | 10% |
| Remarketing | site visitor audiences | 1.00 to 1.60 SGD | 5% |
Hobby drone, cheap drone and drone pilot course searches were excluded in week one, since they brought consumer and student clicks with no buying intent. The campaign targeted Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore, with lead forms carrying a PDPA compliant consent notice.
Month by month results
| Metric | Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Media spend (SGD) | 4,500 | 4,500 | 4,500 | 4,500 | 18,000 |
| Clicks | 1,300 | 1,450 | 1,600 | 1,650 | 6,000 |
| Average CPC (SGD) | 3.46 | 3.10 | 2.81 | 2.73 | 3.00 |
| Demo requests | 14 | 19 | 22 | 26 | 81 |
| Completed demos (on site or video) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 18 |
| Signed sales | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
CPC falls 21% between month 1 and month 4 thanks to negative keywords and better quality scores. Click to request conversion reaches 1.35%, and one demo in three turns into a sale.
Before and after
| Metric | Before the campaign (assumption) | After 4 months |
|---|---|---|
| Demos per month | 3 | 4.5 on average, 6 in month 4 |
| Cost per demo request | Not measured | 289 SGD (23,400 / 81) |
| Cost per completed demo | Trade show cost, not attributed | 1,300 SGD |
| Acquisition cost per sale | Not measured | 3,900 SGD |
| Revenue attributable to Google | 0 SGD | 252,000 SGD |
| Revenue to spend ratio | Not measured | About 10.8 to 1 |
With an assumed 32% gross margin, the 6 sales generate about 80,600 SGD of margin, more than three times total spend. For the managing director, the most useful number is cost per completed demo, because it turns marketing into a predictable purchase.
Mini case study
Illustrative example, not a real client: Wei Ling, commercial director of this Singapore drone maker, wants 10 demos a month. At 1,300 SGD per completed demo she needs about 13,000 SGD of monthly spend including management, but plantation searches in Malaysia may cap out. She adds Vietnamese and Bahasa landing pages in phase two and builds SEO service pages to capture demand without paying for every click. If one demo in three keeps converting, 10 demos a month means about 3.3 sales, roughly 140,000 SGD of monthly revenue.
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FAQ
What Google Ads budget suits an agricultural drone maker in 2026?
In this illustrative example, 4,500 SGD of media a month plus 1,350 SGD of management produced 81 demo requests in 4 months. Below about 2,000 SGD a month across five countries, data is too thin to optimise.
What is a reasonable cost per demo?
The example shows 1,300 SGD per completed demo for a drone selling at 42,000 SGD on average. As long as cost per sale stays under 10 to 15% of the selling price, the campaign pays.
How long before the first sale?
Here the first sale lands in month 2, but you need 4 months to judge the campaign. Plantation groups often buy around budget cycles, with 2 to 6 month decisions.
Can we advertise drone spraying across Southeast Asia?
Yes, but every ad must match the rules of each target country, which differ between CAAS, CAAM and other regulators. Link to official sources and have your regulatory lead approve 100% of the copy.
Can SEO replace Google Ads?
It complements it: well ranked service pages capture part of the 6,000 paid clicks in this case at no cost per click. Allow 4 to 6 months for clear results.
Get found by the clients who are searching for you. Start with a visibility audit at 100,000 FCFA (about 152 EUR), credited against setup if you start within 30 days, then a Traffic Engine plan sized for your markets with a weekly report on your demo requests. Traffic Engine. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
