Rhino Digital Media Brings New Advertising to Old Businesses

By Jay Hipps, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Company Offers a Specialized Approach to Reaching Smartphone Users

Not that long ago, the first step in advertising a business was purchasing a display ad in the local telephone directory. Today, however, a smart phone is the go-to information resource for many people, which leaves lots of companies at the mercy of search engines. Without online savvy, it is difficult for any business to rise to the top of those rankings, no matter how many keywords they load into their websites.

The need for a smart approach to online marketing is exactly what Hacienda's Rhino Digital Media is trying to fill. Founded in 1995 as Rhino Media, the company reinvented itself in 2013 to "get out of old school, traditional marketing and advertising and become an organization that was on the cutting edge of online and digital marketing," says Casey Lewis, the company's president. "We will take a client, rebuild their website into what we call a smart website using a product called HubSpot, and that will allow us to monitor, manage, and enhance their lead generation online through an automated process." The company's recent move into expanded facilities on Stoneridge Drive in Hacienda is evidence that their approach is working.

Their website, at rhinopros.com, provides insight into their methods. E-books and white papers covering tantalizing topics like "How Inbound Marketing Drives Real Results" are offered in exchange for a user's name and e-mail address. A blog reinforces the message with articles on similar topics, like "6 Website Redesign Terms Every Business Owner Needs To Know."

"The idea is that we can optimize blog articles, site pages, and so forth, all of which are designed to bring you into the site, provide you with some helpful and useful information, and to nurture you along in what we call the buyer journey, to bring you from a consideration to a sale," says Lewis.

The same approach is used for Rhino's clients. "We act as a virtual marketing department," he says. "You can hire us and you don't have to hire a bunch of marketing people. We can do everything from the general graphic design work, the web site development, the blog and content writing development, white papers, e-books, and so forth."

Both Lewis and his customers are pleased with the outcome. "Most of our clients are entering into their second year with us as an inbound marketing agency, and we are seeing great, great results." He relates the tale of two Central Valley pest control companies that saw their yellow page directory advertising becoming increasingly ineffective, but "are now receiving daily leads from their Internet presence."

Rhino's best-performing account is Coral West Dental, a practice in Coralville, Iowa, which has increased its traffic and ROI tenfold. "They're getting between 40 and 50 new patients a month now," he says. "Our other clients are doing well but Coral West is off the charts."

Lewis says his company, which also employs his two sons in addition to several other employees, is finding a niche in helping established businesses transition into the world of digital marketing.

"I would say our quintessential business owner has been in business for a while, and they've been doing things in a traditional manner that used to work but it's not really working any more," he says. "They're a little frustrated and they don't know what to do."

That is where Rhino Digital Media enters the picture. "What we do is sort of complicated simplicity," Lewis says. "There's a lot of pieces to this thing to make it all work, but... once they see it in action and they've seen a few live examples, it's pretty easy to understand."

Photo: Pictured staff of Rhino Digital Media, an online marketing company, located at 5980 Stoneridge Drive

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