rustmedia

Meet rustmedia -- full service agency specializing in digital and social media marketing serving small and midsize businesses.

__Number of employees:__ 14

__Location:__ 301 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

__Phone number:__ 573-388-3464

__Your company is brand new -- three months, how is it going?__

Gary Rust II, Director

__Gary Rust II:__ "Since we started rustmedia in November, we have engaged more than twenty clients. Most are owners of small and midsize companies with small marketing budgets seeking to create a print and digital presence to grow their business.

"Today, local businesses are investing in websites, social media campaigns, search advertising, video and other tactics to engage their consumers. But many don't have the time or resources to do it right.

"These are local stores, banks, realtors, institutions, churches and companies for whom hiring an online expert would eat most of their budget. In many cases, their marketing is all over the place and they seek professional help. In some cases, they did hire a full-time person who either didn't have the expertise or who left them in the lurch after a period of time. It's our job to manage a business' online marketing so that they can manage their business with confidence.

"We do this by partnering -- learning their business -- then creating and managing a strategic plan that positions their products and services more favorably over their local competitors, generating more sales and engagement."

__What are the jobs to be done?__

Steve Turner, Creative Director

__Shad Burner:__ "Our talented staff of more than fourteen people offer both affordable and comprehensive solutions, including -- strategic advertising, social media marketing, video and commercial photography, blog writing, search optimization, analytics, print and direct marketing. We are a full-service agency specializing in digital and social media marketing."

__How do you help smaller and midsize companies?__

__Steve Turner:__ "At the core of all local businesses is a good story. And we are excellent storytellers. The first step is always to identify and sharpen the message, using words, video and pictures to tell stories."

"We also recognize that stories always need to connect with a return on the client's investment. We do this with solid creative and strategic messaging. New technology, professional equipment, commercial studio space, in-house digital and print design allows us to offer a high return on small budgets. Creative concepts allow us to do it with impact.

"As a full-service agency, we share a passion for the power of big solutions that small and mid-size companies can afford."

Shad Burner, Sales director

__How do you help businesses through the digital process?__

__Burner:__ "It is our job to help clients solve business problems in a digital world. To do this, we have developed a thoughtful approach that starts with us partnering with a company to fully understand its business before offering solutions across all media. Our ability to attach a strategic and thoughtful approach to content has proved to give us an advantage over other media and agencies."

__Why is social media marketing important?__

__Burner:__ "Word-of-mouth and customer engagement are more prevalent than ever and interactive communities have an increasingly louder and more influential voice. Even if you are not online, your reputation is. Knowing only five percent of consumers click past the first page of Web search results illustrates the importance of search for businesses. There is a lot to learn. And how to navigate a digital landscape is important to today's marketing mix."

__Why focus on video as a core service?__

__Turner:__ "According to Nielsen reports, 90% of all web traffic will be video by 2014. YouTube is the second most used search tool online -- YouTube's owner, Google, being No. #1. Online video is also a powerful influencer of search results. All of this reinforces the importance for local businesses to use video to tell their story. We do it with good creative minds, shooting video with the same equipment used by major production houses to bring high agency production at main street pricing."

__What is the next big thing?__

__Rust:__ "We are structuring rustmedia for the next decade and beyond as a proven partner to local businesses. We help local businesses make the best use of media to engage their customers, whether through print, digital, Facebook or the next 'big' thing.