The Digital Dose - February edition

28 Feb

Your regular dose of no-nonsense digital marketing advice and observations.

Are you listening to users, or just trusting the experts?

Dave Patterson, Founder

Over the years, I've organised, observed or managed numerous user testing sessions. It gives you a pretty good sense of what will work and what won't, so the temptation is to skip testing and just do an 'expert' review.

Why bother with user testing at all if you've got 'experts' to hand and its something that's been done many times before?

Fortunately, my local council helped answer that one. They received feedback that a nearby path was notoriously slippy in icy conditions. So, they dutifully sent along experts, who (as they'd no doubt done a 100 times before) assessed the steps and put some excellent rails on either side.

Unfortunately, as any actual user would tell you, the steps themselves are, by some quirk of atmospheric thermodynamics (if that's a thing), rarely icy. It's the path just below the steps which is lethal in winter...and needless to say, it still is.

If you can test, do. It's interesting, insightful and almost always pays for itself many times over.

Are you talking to your audience, or just yourself?

India McLean, Operations Director

When was the last time you really put yourself in your customer’s shoes? Many digital profiles - especially websites - are built from an internal perspective.

But here's the problem: the way you label your services, pages, or even your navigation might not make sense to your target audience.

Ever tried searching for a service only to be met with jargon you didn’t understand? That’s what can happen when your website doesn’t speak the language of your users.

Let’s say you sell high-quality headphones. You might have a page titled “Acoustic Audio Solutions” or “Premium Sound Devices.” To you, those titles might seem fitting. But would your audience search for them? Chances are, they’re looking for simple terms like “best noise-cancelling headphones”. That disconnect could be costing you visibility and potential customers.

If you want your website to truly resonate, make sure the words you use match what your audience is actually searching for; your product names and descriptions should meet your users where they are, not where you think they should be.

After all, it’s customer needs that should guide your website, not your internal lingo.

Are you helping the algorithm do its job, or just getting in its way?

Tamsin Butt, Digital Marketing Analyst

When was the last time you gave your ad account the breathing room it needs to perform?

Many people make the mistake of over-managing their accounts – constantly tweaking settings, shifting budgets, or swapping out creatives without letting the algorithm catch up.

Here’s the thing - paid ad platforms like Google and Meta are driven by machine learning. Like any system, they need time to gather data, test variations, and optimise for results. If you’re making frequent changes, the algorithm can’t stabilise – and you’re left with inconsistent performance, higher costs, and a lot of frustration.

Let’s say you launch a new campaign and adjust the targeting, bids, or budget every few days. While you might think you're “fine-tuning,” what you’re really doing is hitting the reset button every time. That disrupts the algorithm’s learning phase and slows down the progress you’re trying to make.

The fix is to trust the process. Once you’ve made changes, leave your account alone for a while to allow the algorithm to gather data, learn, and optimise. A good rule of thumb is to wait at least 7 days before assessing performance or making further adjustments

Remember, ad algorithms are designed to adapt – but only if you give them the time and space to do so. The key to strong, scalable results isn’t micromanagement - it’s patience.

After all, sometimes doing less is the smartest thing you can do.

Are you making the most of Instagram’s new grid, or getting left behind?

Charlotte Cottenham, Social Media Manager

Meta’s shift to portrait-oriented posts took many by surprise – with creators, businesses and social media managers (like myself) scrambling to revise and create new content to fit the new 4:5 ratio.

While these changes might feel abrupt, they’re nothing new. Social media constantly evolves - that’s just part of the game! The key is not to panic, but to see this as a great opportunity to create more engaging content that stands out.

If you’re unsure where to start or what to do with your current content, I’ve got you covered. Here’s my quick guide on how to get your profile Insta-ready.

Quick fix for current content:
To fix your current posts - which have likely been cropped and skewed - follow my steps in the video.

Optimising new content:
To make the most of the new format, your content should prioritise high-quality photos and graphics.

To make life easier, I have created an easy to use template in Canva for your future designs.

With more space to work with, consider where you put the key elements of you design or photo, focusing key information in the centre of the frame.