AMB330 Week 2 Tutorial – Digital Audit (Assessment #1) Comprehensive Notes

Acknowledgement of Country

  • QUT recognises the Turrbal and Yugara peoples as First Nations owners of the lands where the university now stands.
  • Respect is paid to Elders, lores, customs, creation spirits and the continuing role of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples in QUT’s places of teaching, research and learning.

Tutorial Overview

  • Week #2 tutorial for AMB330 Digital Optimisation.
  • Agenda:
    • Introductions
    • Assessment #1 briefing
    • Digital audit: analysis of platforms
    • Digital audit: analysis of content

Introductions & Industry Tutors

  • Tutors leading the practical sessions:
    • Kaitlyn Gillies-Swan – Director @ Oh My Digital – ks.gillies@qut.edu.au
    • Daniel McGowan – Head of Digital Marketing @ Inspired Design Australia – dw.mcgowan@qut.edu.au
  • Ice-breaker prompts for students:
    • Name
    • Study program / major
    • Aspirations to become a digital marketer?

Assessment #1 – Digital Audit (Weighting not stated)

Core Task

  • Conduct a digital audit of three active digital offerings used by the client; one must be the website.
  • Offerings may include website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, EDMs, apps, etc.
  • Use the supplied “Digital Audit” template.
  • Analyse, do not merely describe. Benchmark against theoretical frameworks and current industry standards presented in lectures.
  • Provide a rating 1\,\text{(terrible)} – 10\,\text{(perfect)} for every audit criterion and justify each score with scholarly and industry references.
  • Include links, screenshots, graphs and images in an Appendix; appendix items aren’t word-counted nor individually marked, but must be cited in-text.

Mandatory Criteria Columns (template)

  • Analysis of platforms – Rating
  • Analysis of content – Rating
  • Analysis of organisational voice – Rating
  • Analysis of user engagement – Rating
  • Analysis of three individual pieces of content – Rating

Marking Rubric (HO2.1 excerpt)

  • High Distinction (>8.49 pts)
    • Perceptive discussion of 3 offerings incl. website.
    • Critical, discerning analysis re appropriateness & effectiveness.
    • Seamless integration of accurate academic + industry research.
    • Original insights with evidence (e.g., screenshots).
  • Distinction (7.49–8.49) … thorough analysis with purposeful research.
  • Credit (6.49–7.49) … effective analysis justified by relevant research.
  • Pass (4.99–6.49) … some reference to research; analysis partially developed.
  • Marginal Fail (2.0–4.99) … identification of offerings but superficial treatment.
  • Fail / Low Fail / NE – scant or no relevant analysis/research.

Digital Audit – Analysis of Platforms (Criterion 1)

Key Analytical Questions

  1. User–platform fit
    • Who actually uses the platform? • Are they the client’s target customers?
  2. Content requirements
    • Format, length, posting frequency norms. • Does brand content meet them?
  3. Platform functionality
    • Unique features (Stories, Reels, Shops, Groups, etc.). • Is each feature leveraged effectively?

Example Demographic Data

  • Facebook (AU, June 2025)
    • Total users: 22\,700\,000 (≈82.7\% of population)
    • Women: 52.4\%, Men: 47.6\%
    • Largest age segment 25–34 yrs (≈5\,800\,000 users)
    • Biggest gender gap 65+ yrs – women lead by 1\,100\,000.
  • Instagram (AU, July 2024)
    • Users: 14\,294\,000 (≈52.1\% of population)
    • Women: 56.6\%, Men: 43.4\%
    • Largest segment 25–34 yrs (≈4\,300\,000 users)
    • Largest gender gap 35–44 yrs – women lead by 1\,200\,000.

Best-Practice & Feature References

  • Facebook best practices: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/134641900522571
  • Instagram best practices: https://creators.instagram.com/blog/best-practices-for-creators?locale=en_GB
  • Facebook feature list: https://www.facebook.com/help/918592541485077
  • Instagram feature list: https://about.instagram.com/features

Learning Check – Critiquing a Weak Platform Analysis

  • Sample list for “Escape Travel” simply enumerates channels & vanity metrics (likes, followers).
  • Issues highlighted:
    • Mostly descriptive; lacks alignment to target, content norms, or strategic use of features.
    • No linkage to theoretical models or data-driven benchmarks.
    • Concluding comments (e.g., “Fails to adequately convey UVP”) aren’t tied to evidence.
  • Take-away: scoring rubric rewards analysis, not description.

Digital Audit – Analysis of Content (Criterion 2)

Customer Decision Journey Stages & Info Needs

  1. Awareness – broad interest; desire for inspiration, problem recognition.
  2. Consideration – comparison, education, social proof, detailed specifications.
  3. Purchase / Decision – pricing, urgency, trust signals, checkout UX.
  4. Advocacy / Loyalty – community building, user-generated content, referral incentives.

Content Audit Process (Required)

  • Sampling: Select 10–20 pieces of content per platform.
  • Spreadsheet variables (example fields):
    • Basic info: URL, date, word count/length
    • Author / creator
    • Buyer-journey stage targeted
    • Content type & format (blog, reel, landing page, etc.)
    • Metadata health (title, meta-description, H1) & on-page SEO cues
    • Rich-media presence (images, video, CTA)
    • Performance metrics (backlinks, shares, sessions, reach, etc.)
  • Provide screenshot of the completed Excel sheet in Appendix.
  • Summarise patterns: group by journey stage → derive the implicit strategy.

Strategy Mapping Prompt

  • What dominant stage does existing content serve? Are there gaps? (e.g. over-investment in Awareness; missing Decision nudges.)
  • Evaluate whether each platform’s feature set is aligned to the stage (e.g., TikTok for Awareness via short-form storytelling; website product pages for Decision).

Classroom Illustration – Bioglan Facebook Example

  • Students asked to decide which journey stage(s) the sample post targets and infer underlying strategy.

Critiquing a Weak “Digital Strategy” Statement

  • Vague claims like “inspire wanderlust” (Awareness) or “connect and communicate” (Consideration) need:
    • Clear linkage to journey stage.
    • Measurable tactics (e.g., carousel ads, lead magnets, remarketing flows).
    • Supporting data (audience research, content performance, industry benchmarks).

Class Activity – Budgy Smuggler Audit Practice

  • Platforms provided for live analysis:
    • Website: https://budgysmuggler.com.au/
    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BudgySmuggler/
    • Twitter: https://twitter.com/budgysmuggler
    • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@budgysmuggler_/
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/budgysmuggler/
    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/budgysmuggler
  • Task: assign 1–10 ratings for each audit criterion and justify.

Audit Criterion Recap & Rating Matrix (Template Reminder)

  • Analysis of platforms – how well each channel aligns to target, format norms, & features.
  • Analysis of content – journey-stage coverage, depth, consistency.
  • Analysis of organisational voice – tone, brand personality consistency, cultural resonance.
  • Analysis of user engagement – reactions, shares, comments, CTR, dwell time; community management quality.
  • Analysis of three individual content examples – micro-level critique encompassing copy, visuals, CTA, SEO, compliance.

Practical & Ethical Considerations

  • Cite data sources (e.g., NapoleonCat statistics) using APA or Harvard as required.
  • Respect copyright: appendix images/screens must comply with Section 113P exception; no further public redistribution.
  • Customer journey expectations vary by industry – always contextualise (e.g., travel, FMCG, B2B SaaS differ).

Closing & Q&A

  • Students encouraged to ask clarifying questions on:
    • Interpreting rubric language
    • Choosing representative content samples
    • Locating credible industry benchmarks
    • Balancing word-count with depth of analysis