BT has launched a digital advertising platform that will allow SMEs to run their own marketing campaigns across Google, Facebook and Instagram.
BT’s Digital Marketing Hub will allow businesses to create, publish and track campaigns across the platforms. BT says he solution is designed to save time for overstretched business and will provide an all-in-one platform for advertisers. The data on the campaigns across different platforms will feed into a single dashboard, and artificial intelligence will be deployed to give businesses automatic recommendations around the best keywords, ad copy and media spend to include in their campaigns.
The Marketing Hub also allows small businesses that do not have a website to be able to create their own through the platform.
According to the IAB, 40 percent of the 5.9 million SMEs in the UK are not using paid digital media advertising, and BT is hoping that they can bring them on board with this new platform.
Chris Sims is BT’s managing director for its SoHo (Single/Small Office, Home Office) unit. He said the new platform has been designed with small businesses in mind.
“Small firms are the backbone of the UK economy, so it’s vital that they’re equipped with the
digital tools and support they need to help their business reach new heights. They can reach a much bigger audience by using the power of digital advertising, but many lack the time money, and confidence to do this effectively,” Sims said, “Our new Digital Marketing Hub has been designed to give small businesses peace of mind that their online advertising campaigns are reaching the right customers, in the right place, at the right time.”
BT plans to roll out additional features for the platform, including ecommerce functionality and additional AI capabilities in the coming months.
In a survey carried out by BT in partnership with Small Business Britain, 55 percent of small businesses said that digital marketing was the area they most needed support with.
“The BT service has been a gamechanger– it’s easy to use, it’s flexible and it’s opened my eyes to new areas we can advertise in,” said Mike Southern, director and co-founder of Stage-ed, a business that works to introduce drama as part of learning in school, “We’ve been involved in the process right from the start – the BT team are experts in how to optimise activity and it’s been a real learning curve. Our campaign has turned enquiries into conversions and that, for us, is gold dust.”
BT will work with small businesses to tailor the level of support they need, this can range from set-up support or a fully outsourced digital marketing strategy.
