Atomicdust Wins Best Marketing Firm in St. Louis for the Fifth Year in a Row
We got some nice news recently—Atomicdust has been named Best Marketing Firm in St. Louis by Small Business Monthly. The cherry on top? It’s the fifth year in a row we’ve gotten the honor.
Honestly, we’re excited every time this happens. As a St. Louis marketing agency, we just show up every day trying to do good work for people we like. This year’s awards got more than 50,000 individual votes, so the fact that thousands of folks in our community think we’re doing okay at it? That means a lot. Thank you!
We started Atomicdust with a pretty simple idea—make smart, beautiful work that actually helps people and that we can be proud of. Our simple philosophy has stuck around: To know truth. To make beauty. To do good.
Sounds a bit lofty when you write it out like that, but it’s how we approach every brand we build, every website we design, and every marketing strategy and campaign we put together.
The World Keeps Changing (And That’s Okay)
One of the perks of being named Best Marketing Firm is getting featured in an upcoming issue—and they asked us an interesting question: What’s the smartest thing your company did in the last year?
The last couple years have been wild for marketing. AI tools popping up everywhere, social media algorithms doing their mysterious thing, zero-click searches impacting website traffic, evolving privacy rules, and everyone’s expectations shifting faster than marketing teams can keep up with.
And our response to those changes is also our answer to SBM’s question: We’ve learned to roll with it. Even when new tech makes us wonder if what we do today will matter tomorrow. But here’s the thing: good marketing has always been about using creativity to solve real problems. The tools change, but that part stays the same.
I think thinking like this, that it’s never figured out, makes our work that much more effective.
Why People Work With Us
We’ve always thought of ourselves as a design agency that helps folks stand out without being loud about it. Strategy comes first—then we make it look good.
And luckily, that approach seems to have worked. When we hear from clients why they chose to work with us, or why they referred us to a friend, or why they want to hire us again for another project, we usually hear one of a few things:
- We listen to what they’re trying to accomplish and don’t impose our solution—instead, we build the best version of their genuine selves
- We don’t overcomplicate things and we’re honest when something isn’t working
- We build things that work, not just stuff that looks pretty
- We’re ourselves, and that makes it easier for clients to be themselves when they’re partnering with us
Mostly, we just try to help businesses connect with their people in a way that feels real and meaningful to people.
A Decade-Plus of Being on the List
We first made Small Business Monthly’s list way back in 2011. Since then, the St. Louis business community has been generous enough to keep us around.
This five-year run at the top spot (2020-2025) has been unexpected. What makes it special is knowing that our clients, other business owners, and people we bump into around town are the ones voting.
Big thanks to Small Business Monthly for giving local businesses a place to get recognized. They’ve been championing St. Louis companies for years, and we’re grateful to be part of that story.
If you’re looking for a St. Louis-based agency to help with your brand, website and marketing—especially one that won’t overthink your project or oversell you on stuff you don’t need, let’s talk.
Check out some of our work, drop us a line or sign up for our newsletter if you want marketing tips without the jargon.
