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BT has launched a digital advertising platform to make it easier for small businesses to run their own digital marketing campaigns.

BT's Digital Marketing Hub gives SMEs the tools and support to create, publish and track their digital advertising across Google, Facebook and Instagram. Businesses can create ads and run multichannel marketing campaigns with the results fed into a single analytics dashboard.

The launch follows a survey by Small Business Britain, in partnership with BT, that found 74% of small firms increased their use of social media to promote their business online. BT also found 40% of UK SMEs in the UK aren't using paid digital media advertising.

Developed with feedback from more than 1500 companies, the hub has been designed to help those that often lack the time, resources, confidence or skills to start or boost their own digital ad campaigns.

Artificial intelligence is used to provide recommendations relating to the best keywords, ad copy and media spending to include in campaigns. There is also the option to create a bespoke webpage to direct potential customers to.

The platform is charged to businesses through a service fee, which is applied to each campaign on a pay-as-you-go basis. BT has also built a team to provide an optional managed service as part of a pay-as-you-go offering, with a choice of "Essential" or "Premium" levels.

Chris Sims, BT's managing director for its SoHo (single/small office, home office) unit, said: "This is a pivotal time for small businesses across the country, after a really tough couple of years. 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. 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 is taking a phased approach to the platform development, with additional features including increased AI optimisation capabilities and ecommerce functionality planned for later release.