Port Douglas specialist helps local businesses stand out online
MARKETING GUIDANCE
BUSINESS FEATURE
For Douglas Shire business owners, marketing often sits at the bottom of a relentless to-do list. But as AI changes how people find local spots, staying visible matters. When daily operations take over, strategy feels like a luxury, yet local guidance can quickly turn a headache into real results.
Enter Sasha Mason, founder and marketing strategist at Port Douglas-based agency Local Lab Digital.
Sasha brings over two decades of marketing experience across advertising agencies, education, and small business.
She specialises in helping booking-based businesses - from tour operators and accommodation to tradies, health, and beauty - cut through the noise and attract a reliable flow of customers.
The inspiration for Local Lab Digital came while Sasha and her family were travelling around Australia in a caravan.
“I kept finding fantastic local businesses that were just really hard to find or hard to understand online,” Sasha explains.
“Some of the best places we went to, we only found because a local or fellow traveller told us about them. Their websites and listings didn’t do them justice.”
After settling in Port Douglas, she launched Local Lab Digital to solve that exact problem.
Strategy before tactics
Rather than jumping straight into setting up social media ads or designing a new website, Local Lab Digital takes a strategy-first approach.
“A lot of businesses come to me sure they need a new website or more ads. Sometimes they do, but often the real problem is somewhere else,” Sasha says.
“Before recommending a new website, ads, or anything else, I work out what’s actually holding the business back and where marketing will make the most difference.”
Once that’s clear, Sasha puts the right support in place, which can include websites, search, advertising, social media, email and practical help with AI.
“Not every business needs all of it. I’d rather do the few things that will bring in bookings than spread the budget across everything.”
How AI is changing local discovery
Sasha points out that customer search habits are undergoing a major shift away from simple keywords.
“People now ask AI tools detailed questions based on their exact situation, like 'Which Port Douglas reef tour suits a family with young kids worried about seasickness?',” she explains.
If your website and listings don’t spell out who you help, what problems you solve and what makes you different, AI tools are far less likely to recommend you
Sasha works with owners on everything from using AI in their own marketing and getting their business found by AI tools, to what customer reviews reveal about why people buy.
Her focus is on helping busy operators prioritise what matters and solve real business problems, whether that means showing them how to do it or handling it for them.
“At the end of the day, my goal is to take the guesswork out of marketing so local owners can focus on running their business,” says Sasha.
To learn more about how Local Lab Digital can help your business stay visible and grow, visit locallabdigital.com.au.
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