Will Microsoft Digital Marketing Center Be Your Next Marketing Hub?

There is no shortage of marketing software companies out there.  

With every new platform you take on, there are new user flows, processes, strategies, and mindsets to master before you can take full advantage of the platform and grow your business.   

But what if a company you’ve been familiar with since the birth of the internet offered a marketing software?  

Most who grew up with computers also grew up with Microsoft. It is the main platform used in schools of all grade levels, and there aren’t many people out there who don’t know their way around at least a few Microsoft products. Would this deeply-ingrained familiarization mean that we can welcome a Microsoft marketing hub with open arms and without a learning curve?  

Here is our chance to find out.  

Microsoft has recently started rolling out the Microsoft Digital Marketing Center, a marketing hub that consolidates and integrates all of your marketing assets so you can take care of it all on one platform.  

The Microsoft Digital Marketing Center is slowly rolling out to work out any kinks and now feels ready to extend the invitation to a small group of companies for trials. It’s currently available for trial and feedback with small businesses, and will soon be open for anyone to try.  

So, is Microsoft Digital Marketing Center right for your company?   

Image Credit: View of the Microsoft Digital Marketing Center Social Tab

What is Microsoft Digital Marketing Center?  

Microsoft Digital Marketing Center was created to assist small and medium business owners manage their digital marketing across all channels. DMC can integrate with your Google Ads, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram so there is no platform jumping. It’s a one-stop-shop to edit information, add content, or communicate with your audience across channels.   

Microsoft also is attempting to set itself apart from competitors by offering an Artificial Intelligence assist in various marketing practices. This is being tested so companies don’t need to manage marketing manually, and they can gain insights on how to optimize their strategy from machine learning. 

Microsoft Digital Marketing Center was created by the Microsoft Garage, a Microsoft team that thrives on innovation. This marketing hub is their newest baby – they have been testing with a chosen list of trial companies, and now they are open to testing further.   

Why should you care?  

There is something to be said for a familiar platform that easily integrates with your other tools. Do you already use Microsoft office for your documents, email communication, and reporting? Then this is a great way to keep all of your business, communication, and marketing efforts under one roof. We all know how frustrating it can be to have two platforms that just won’t communicate with each other. This setup may in time cut down on interoperability issues as all efforts fall under one platform.   

You are probably familiar with Microsoft office – so the design will be familiar and the interface may be easier to navigate. No starting from square one to navigate the basic features of the platform.   

The major difference between DMC and its competitors right now? It’s currently free to use. Because it’s a new product, you can sign up to use the platform for free. The only things you would have to pay for is social and search ads, which you would pay for either way. So, if you are interested in a low risk-potentially high reward marketing hub, this would be a great way to save money while having access to a good platform.   

Image Credit: View of the Microsoft Digital Marketing Center Ads Tab

What does it offer?  

Integrated marketing with a familiar face  

Their goal is to combine all of your marketing platforms into one. If you currently pay for multiple software subscriptions, you might be able to let those go with Digital Marketing Center. Digital Marketing Center is a central platform to not only monitor the results of your marketing efforts but also edit and manage them.   

That means you can manage social media without logging into your different feeds. You can answer messages, publish posts, create social ads, and find reports without switching windows.  

Having this integrated system creates new organization in your efforts and your mindset. When you can see efforts from various platforms in the same report, you may identify new trends, patterns, and connections to act on. This integration can ultimately lead to a more all-encompassing, consistent message across your social and search platforms.  

Digital marketing management, with a healthy dose of AI  

There is an AI assist to minimize any manual setting of budgets, timelines, keywords, ad creation, and more. While the AI is in its testing phase, it can help streamline all of the time-consuming marketing efforts and helps tracking and reporting.   

This is a more controversial aspect of the platform among marketers. While some argue that the time saved is valuable, others press that the best strategies are made by human minds. Many marketers have landed on the opinion that it’s a fine line between streamlining campaigns and making impersonal campaigns, but one that is possible to walk with the Digital Marketing Center setup. For example, while a marketer may not trust AI to create engaging ad copy, they may appreciate the automated budgeting strategy.  

SOME OF THE AREAS WHERE DMC ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CAN ASSIST YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY ARE:  

• Keyword strategy for Google Ads 
• Bid management for Google Ads
• Creation and design of Google Ads
• Budget optimization across platforms  
• Image ad suggestion  
• Autocomplete ad text  

What is the rollout timeline?  

Digital Marketing Center is currently available for trial and feedback with small businesses.  

If you are interested in testing out the new offering, you can fill out this short questionnaire to see if you can get that early access. You will get $100 credit for bate-testing and get a jump on an exciting new platform.  

Microsoft stepping out of its wheelhouse may be a game-changer for S2M businesses looking for an affordable CRM. If you need help evaluating and organizing your marketing strategy, reach out to our team!