What RJM does

RJM (legal name R.J. Michaels, Inc.) is a privately held, full-service marketing and advertising agency headquartered in Jackson, Michigan. Founded in 1980 by Robert Michaels, the firm operates from a five-person core team led by President Donovan Cronkhite since 2017. The agency serves community-focused organizations across four primary verticals: community banks, senior living communities, K-12 schools, and tourism/destination marketing organizations. Within those verticals, RJM operates as agency of record, virtual marketing department, or project-based partner, with execution spanning website development (CMS, custom databases, ecommerce, integrations), digital marketing (Google Ads, programmatic, social platforms, Bing), SEO, branding, video production, graphic design, and marketing strategy. Its differentiating commercial instruments are the SMART Goals Guarantee program, which places a percentage of retainers and project fees at risk against mutually agreed outcomes, and the Certified Community Program, a productized certification offering for tourism venues.

The company's revenue model is professional-services based, combining multi-year agency-of-record retainers with project-fee engagements priced to scope. Customer acquisition is consultative and direct, executed through the company's website, industry association participation (Community Bankers of Michigan, MACVB, MCAN), awards publicity, and a four featured case-study portfolio (daVinci Schools, Broadmead, Cell Block 7, Krupa's Boat Mart). The firm draws on MCAN agency network membership to extend capacity beyond its in-house staff for specialized skills and to participate in national industry award competitions (MANNY Awards, Herbruck-Fritsche). RJM has served over 400 businesses across the United States during its 40+ years of operation, with primary geographic concentration in Michigan and the broader Midwest. Distribution is exclusively direct, with no marketplace, reseller, or OEM channels; the business is entirely founder- and partner-owned with no disclosed external institutional investment.

Name

RJM

Legal name

R.J. Michaels, Inc.

Website

https://rjm.marketing

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RJM is a privately held, full-service marketing and advertising agency in Jackson, Michigan, serving community banks, senior living communities, K-12 schools, and tourism organizations through agency-of-record, virtual marketing department, and project engagements across digital and traditional channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing & Advertising Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

CRM Strategy, Implementation & Managed Services (MPAAAIAD)

Keywords

• Marketing agency services
• Digital advertising
• Website development
• Brand strategy
• Search engine optimization

Headquarters

HQ city

Jackson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Marketing & Advertising Services: RJM generates revenue through retainer-based agency agreements, project-based engagements, and virtual marketing department partnerships. Revenue streams include website development, digital marketing campaigns, SEO services, branding, video production, design, and strategy services. They work on both retainer and project fee arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RJM is a full-service marketing and advertising agency delivering website development, digital advertising, SEO, branding, video production, and graphic design to community-focused organizations. They operate as agency of record, virtual marketing department, or on individual projects for clients in community banking, senior living, K-12 education, and travel & tourism. Their proprietary Certified Community Program certifies tourism workforce employees with hosted testing, training, and marketing collateral.

Product overview

RJM is a full-service marketing and advertising agency founded in 1980, providing a comprehensive suite of marketing services rather than a software product. Their core offerings include Website Development, Digital Marketing (across Google Ads, programmatic, Facebook, Instagram, and Bing), SEO, Marketing Strategy, Branding, Video Production, and Graphic Design. They specialize in specific industries including Senior Living, Community Banks, K-12 Schools, and Tourism/Destination Marketing. Their services are delivered through a team of specialists including copywriters, designers, and developers, with offerings ranging from individual project-based work to ongoing agency-of-record partnerships with guaranteed results based on SMART goals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Website Development Custom website design and development services including CMS solutions, custom databases, ecommerce functionality, third-party integrations, and custom programming with award-winning design. Targeted at businesses needing full website builds or rebuilds.
• Digital Marketing Digital advertising services spanning Google Ads, programmatic media, Bing, Facebook, and Instagram, executed under RJM's SMART Goals Guarantee program. For organizations seeking paid digital acquisition and campaign management.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Holistic SEO service covering content development, technical website improvements, link building, business strategy alignment, and comprehensive reporting. For organizations seeking organic search visibility growth.
• Marketing Strategy Marketing plan and strategy development starting with discovering goals and challenges to inform messaging, creative, media placement, and results measurement. For organizations needing strategic marketing direction before execution.
• Branding Corporate branding services including logo design, messaging development, and positioning that shapes every interaction with a brand. For organizations establishing or refreshing their brand identity.
• Video Production Video production services including TV spots, corporate video, digital advertising, drone footage, and animation for various marketing channels. For organizations needing broadcast, digital, or branded video content.
• Graphic Design Graphic design services for collateral, digital marketing, trade show exhibits, vehicle wraps, and design executions across channels. For organizations needing print and digital creative assets.
• Senior Living Marketing Marketing services specifically for senior living communities including Life Plan/CCRC, Assisted Living, and Independent Living facilities, with focus on occupancy rate optimization and audience-specific messaging.
• Community Bank Marketing Marketing strategy and execution services for community banks covering brand building, farm loans, commercial lending, and digital marketing with compliance-friendly messaging. For community bank executives seeking to differentiate from large national banks.
• K-12 School Marketing Marketing services for K-12 schools covering school of choice enrollment marketing, brand development, parent and student communications, and community event support. For public, private, and charter schools competing in school of choice environments.
• Tourism Marketing Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) and CVB marketing services including visitor bureau promotion, attraction marketing, and the Certified Community Program. For DMOs, CVBs, museums, and tourism attractions needing destination branding.
• Certified Community Program An affordable turnkey certification program for hotels, restaurants, and tourist venues that certifies employees as local tourism experts, including an online testing website, ongoing hosting, training manual, scripts, and supporting marketing collateral.

Quantifiable outcome

• daVinci Schools: 64-student enrollment increase; $500,000+ in new funding; nearly 5:1 ROI on marketing investment
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers30 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Community Bankers of Michigan (CBM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2020RJM entered a formal strategic partnership with the Community Bankers of Michigan to provide expert guidance in further developing CBM's marketing programs and enhancing their social media presence. CBM is a 250-member trade association serving community banks throughout Michigan. RJM had been a Gold Associate Member for several years before deepening the relationship to serve Michigan's community banking industry more comprehensively.
• Marketing Communications Agency Network (MCAN)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerRJM has been a member of MCAN for nearly their entire existence (since 1980). MCAN is a network of advertising agencies from across the United States that meets regularly to share new ideas and best practices. Membership allows RJM to expand beyond their own staff and bring specialized resources and skills to clients.
• Michigan Association of Convention and Visitors Bureau (MACVB)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRJM is an annual participant in the MACVB Education Conference, representing their tourism industry expertise and maintaining visibility within Michigan's tourism marketing community.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• BVK: Milwaukee-based independent agency with a strong healthcare and senior-living marketing specialty. Directly comparable to RJM's senior-living vertical expertise and shared Midwestern base.
• True North Custom: Specialty agency focused on healthcare, financial services, and community-focused verticals. Closest niche-specialist peer to RJM's banking and senior-living verticals, though more digitally native.

Direct peers

• Brogan & Partners: Birmingham, Michigan-based full-service ad agency founded in 1984, comparable in age and regional focus to RJM. Serves similar Mid-market and community-oriented clients across branding, digital, and media.
• MMGY Global: Large U.S. agency network specializing in travel, tourism, and hospitality marketing. Directly comparable to RJM in the destination-marketing / CVB vertical that RJM highlights as a core specialty.
• Hanon McKendry: Michigan-based creative agency serving Mid-market and enterprise clients with branding, digital, and content services. Comparable in scale and regional orientation to RJM.
• Laughlin Constable: Milwaukee/Detroit-based full-service advertising agency with similar mix of brand, digital, and media services. Closest regional peer to RJM in terms of Midwestern community-business clientele and full-service agency structure.
• Empower Media Group: Cincinnati-based independent, woman-owned full-service media and marketing agency. Comparable to RJM as an independent, multi-discipline agency serving regional and national clients.
• Fairly Painless Advertising: Holland, Michigan-based independent agency of comparable size to RJM, offering branding, web, digital, and video services. Directly comparable in scale, regional Michigan footprint, and small-shop full-service model.
• Lewis Communications: Birmingham, Alabama-based full-service agency with deep community-banking and community-focused vertical expertise. Closest functional peer to RJM's community-bank vertical specialization.

Regional players

• Campbell Ewald: Historic Detroit-based full-service agency with national reach. Operates in the same Michigan creative/advertising market as RJM but at much larger scale, making it a regional incumbent rather than direct same-size competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCEtq_BOAxXlGtUfEFG1gbMg
• Xx.com/marketing_rjm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RJM