SEDALIA, MO – Callis and the Missouri State Fair were recently recognized with multiple national marketing and design awards. Callis and the Missouri State Fair were awarded the prestigious “Best Marketing…
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When writing this, I’m in between a trade show and a plane ride home and wanting to share a nugget dug out of my last couple of days’ experiences. My…
The creators of the Back to the Future trilogy were on to something. At the risk of dating myself, the first installment of the three-part movie series debuted the year…
SEDALIA, MO – Callis Account Executive, Hannah Sartin, was recently recognized as one of Sedalia’s Top 20 under 40. The Sedalia Democrat’s Top 20 under 40 recognizes young individuals that…
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is the process of utilizing data to generate insights to improve performance and efficiency. The marketing industry is in the early stages of adopting AI, but...
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Every now and then, an ad comes along that just makes you feel good. Maybe it’s the imagery, or the product and the way it’s being used or maybe it’s…
At Callis, we’re proponents of research. For over 30 years, we’ve used research to build out and execute strategic marketing programs that deliver results for our clients, helping them build…
Rural America is more than just a place. It’s bigger than the Midwest and larger than the vast geography between our Nation’s coasts. Rural America is a mindset and a…
Approximately one fifth of our Nation’s population lives in what’s commonly considered rural America. Some of these people making up this portion of our country live in rural areas and…
SEDALIA, MO – Callis is pleased to announce that Dana Kelchner has joined its strategic marketing team as an Account Supervisor. Kelchner has nearly 20 years of marketing and communications…
Rural America is more than just a place. It’s a mindset and a way of life and it’s different than any other place in the world. In spite of some…
YouTube is a large and fast-growing website. It is the second most visited website in the world, outscored only by its parent company, Google. YouTube’s large reach and popularity make…
There are many different ways to leverage an event. You may choose to host an event, sponsor an event, or participate in some way as yourself or representing your business….
There is no doubt about it, we live in a fast-paced world. Trying to get, and keep, the attention of potential customers and clients can seem like an uphill battle….
You open your mailbox and see a postcard with your name on it. No, it’s not your favorite aunt sending warm wishes from Las Vegas, it’s a promotion from a…
We all look for ways to save time and money, and we want to get the most out of our efforts once we create something great. One way we can…
What do you do when looking for a new product or service? If you are like me and everyone else in the world, I start with a Google or Amazon…
Podcasts are continuing to grow in popularity with more and more active subscribers and listeners. According to MarketingProfs, nearly 30% of Americans now listen to at least one podcast on…
As social media continues to evolve, so does the challenge of producing organic content that performs well on social platforms. For the last year or so, the leading social platform,…
There are very few things that get my heart beating faster than sounding off a turkey call just before daylight and hearing the thunderous bellow of a gobble echo through…
I have grown up with social media since the popularity of AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) and MySpace. I have seen social sites rise and fall. The internet and cell phones…
It is amazing how one little word can change everything. Recently, I was coming out of a public bathroom and read the sign on the inside of the door, which…
LinkedIn has steadily grown since the platform launched in 2003 and has evolved into much more than a place to simply “find a job.” Today, LinkedIn has over 610 million…
New marketing technologies and opportunities often result in a shift in marketing investments. Unfortunately, it seems that traditional PR has drawn the short straw in some cases, as it seems…
As a new mom, I have become a huge fan of convenience. I have always enjoyed shopping at stores, shops and malls, but now Amazon and online shopping have become…
Instagram is one of the fastest growing social media sites out there. With more than 500 million active users a day, and expecting to add almost 27 million more by…
In the ad agency business, no one is going to hire you just because you pick up the phone and ask them to. (If there is someone like that, send…
Quick, think of the fields that Amazon is a leader! If you are like me, you probably thought of online shopping, in-home assistants, technology solutions and streaming entertainment. These are…
What platform is your website built on? Not sure? You’re not alone. Yet deciding the answer to this question should be an important aspect of your next site build, because…
Have you heard of Reddit? Chances are you have, but may not have a good understanding of the platform, and the ways you can utilize it in your marketing program….
We’ve recently attended a few trade shows for the industries in which we work. One of note was the SHOT Show in Vegas. SHOT is an acronym for the Shooting,…
All of us have seen highly creative advertising that was imaginative. Remember Spuds MacKenzie? Many times however, that creative was just creative. It wasn’t strategic. It wasn’t built on data….
Influencer marketing is a form of marketing that focuses on creating strategic messages and delivering those messages to individuals that have influence over your target audience. An influencer can be…
Before we dive too deep into OTT advertising, I want to define what OTT is for those who are unfamiliar with the term. OTT or Over-the-Top television/media is the internet…
Content Marketing continues to grow in importance and it continues to gain larger and larger portions of the marketing resource pie, and for good reason–it works. In a recent Content…
SEDALIA, MO – Callis Integrated Marketing and client, Missouri State Fair, were recently recognized with a 2018 American Graphic Design Award, which was presented to Callis for the agency’s work…
The best explanation of what makes great advertising or messaging was given to me a long time ago but it still holds steadfast today. The most effective way to deliver…
Getting to know your social media followers is an important component of any successful social media marketing campaign. Market research allows us to get to know everything we can about…
Have you ever been fishing without any luck? Spent most of your day trying with nothing to show for it? I know I have. After days like that, I always…
Content marketing is a great way to drive quality traffic to your website, build brand recognition and awareness and position your company as a thought leader and industry expert. It’s…
SEDALIA, MO – Callis Integrated Marketing has recently promoted Kyle Meek to Digital Marketing Manager. As Callis continues to build their Digital Marketing department, Meek will take on new responsibilities...
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We know how difficult it can be to understand SEO. Understanding all the complexities of SEO is a full-time job. Unless you work in it every day, there isn’t enough…
In this day of digital, it seems like everything we touch as marketers has some form of digital component. Public Relations is no exception. Today’s successful public relations programs have…
The other day I was doing some basic maintenance on my lawn mower. Everything was going smoothly until I needed to remove a few pieces of hardware that were difficult…
SEDALIA, MO – Callis Integrated Marketing has added a new associate to their strategic marketing team. Lindsay Barnes has joined the Callis crew as a Social Media Account Coordinator. In…
It’s football season and for many people, that means lining up tailgate parties, picking fantasy league teams and making plans for Homecoming (which by the way started in Missouri at…
Planning is a vital component of a successful marketing program. A strategic marketing plan that’s executed well can drive growth for your company. It can help your company achieve a…
Niche marketing is the concentrated marketing effort to a unique and specific segment of customers. Often parts of larger, more broad customer groups, niche markets have a unique set of…
Recently we added Alexa to our home sound system. Although she sits inconspicuously in a couple different spots in our house, she stands ready to assist to play music, find…
We’ve recently been asked the questions “What is web accessibility?” and “Why is accessibility important?” from some of our clients and contacts. As an integrated marketing agency, it’s often a…
Recently, I watched the movie, Moneyball, again. In case you haven’t seen it, It’s a very entertaining baseball movie based on the concept of tracking everything and making decisions based…
If you’re managing a content marketing team you are likely well aware of the importance of content, and not just content, but really good content. But how can you lead…
Is Snapchat Right For My Business? Snapchat is becoming more and more popular. It’s a common social media platform with the millennial demographic and the older side of the next…
New customer leads can come from anywhere. I think most people would agree with me when I suggest that the best ones are referrals from family and friends. But more…
Recently a couple members of the Callis crew attended an AMI (Agency Management Institute) Digital Summit. AMI is a management consulting firm that specializes in helping marketing agencies like us…
At the beginning of the year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg publicly announced that Facebook would be making big changes throughout 2018. The overarching goal is to make Facebook more about…
Take a moment to reminisce on the year 1988, thirty years ago–George H. W. Bush is elected president, the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series, the cost of a…
The holidays were a great time to relax, unwind and watch some TV (since it was zero degrees outside). I really don’t ever do that but because of the conditions,…
Callis Wins Agri-Marketing Awards SEDALIA, MO – Callis was recently honored at the 2017 Region II Best of National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) Awards. The Best of NAMA awards celebrate and…
I’ve been thinking about writing about a business mindset for some time now. In fact, I’ve visited with my team about it on multiple occasions. But I’ve been holding off…
Customer Service Tips from Walt We Can All Learn From Walt I was fortunate to spend a day recently attending the Disney Institute’s Approach to Business Excellence seminar. As expected,…
Why Customers Buy What They Buy Effective marketing is about relevance. The better we can respond to and fulfill the needs of our customers and potential customers, the more effective…
Throughout the year, representatives from Callis attend and participate in industry events for the industries we work in. We talk to people, make connections and try to gain valuable insights…
Folks it’s here – tradeshow season. For those of us working in the Outdoor industry, planning for SHOT Show, ATA and the agriculture shows is well underway. Tradeshows provide a…
I was at a CMO conference this past week for the outdoor industry and a very provocative question was posed to the group. What if Facebook goes away? Hmmm. Interesting….
This summer, I experienced a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view the solar eclipse. With our office in central Missouri, just outside of Kansas City, we were in line for the path…
When I started in the advertising business 30 years ago, coming up with a name was easy; Callis Advertising. It really wasn’t that easy. I struggled to come up with…
If you live in the Midwest, you may have experienced a phenomena which swept through in July; the invasion of the Japanese Beetle, a relatively harmless but annoying little creature…
By now, many companies and marketing directors are already planning for 2018. Seems hard to fathom, but as it does each year, the next few months will fly by and…
Wait…what? You may be asking yourselves, “Did I read this title correctly?” Yes, you did. Corona said it perfectly in their popular marketing campaign “Find your beach.” Corona suggests finding…
Ad agencies can be called a lot of things; creative agencies, PR firms, marketing agencies, digital agencies, etc. Some agencies have specialties or focus in specific areas and that is…
Economic trends are cyclical and ever-changing. Business sales increase and decrease with changes in the market, industry and a wide variety of other factors. There will be ups and there…
Recently, a prospect used the word “overmarketing” in a new business call when describing what one of their marketing challenges was. I hadn’t thought about overmarketing for a while, and…
We operate in a digital world. As marketers, almost everything we do has some form of digital component. People are online now more than ever; at work, at home, on…
Callis has recently announced promotions within their creative department. Stephanie Lindberg has been promoted to Art Director and Tim Noland has been named Creative Director. Lindberg graduated from Missouri State...
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Cliff Callis, President of Callis Integrated Marketing, recently spoke at a marketing seminar for the IAFE (International Association of Fairs and Expositions) in San Antonio, Texas. Callis presented about the...
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I’ve got two boys, ages 3 and 5. They’ve got 5 cousins, ages 9 and under. When they all get together things get kind of wild, and loud. Recently, 6…
The holidays are here and many marketers are trying to finalize their plans for the winter trade shows. The cycle never stops, but now (or earlier) is the best time…
If you are in the outdoor industry, your thoughts and efforts are focused on the upcoming show season. Whether it’s the ATA, SHOT or any number of other trade shows,…
Even though Black Friday has come and gone, research shows that the remaining weeks of the year are still some of the best email marketing result producers…especially for last minute…
The conversation is going to happen with or without you. This is a fact and is also my standard response when people say they are afraid to get too aggressive…
We’re in the downward stretch of another calendar year. For many of us, 2017 planning is well underway. The landscape today requires Digital Marketing to be the heartbeat of a…
When you are a marketer, you must deal with perceptions, realities and alternatives head on. If you are a professional marketer in the outdoor industry, I would be willing to…
Content Marketing can be a very valuable marketing tool. Many businesses have found great success utilizing Content Marketing programs to tell their company’s story and build their brand. Content Marketing…
In this series, we’re looking at the types of content most effectively used at various stages in the sales cycle. Our first two posts discussed entertaining content – designed to…
Real Time Bidding, also called “Real Time Buying”, or “RTB” is an ad industry buzz phrase that’s been around for a few years now. If you haven’t figured out what…
Programmatic digital media is becoming more and more popular among marketers in the outdoor and agriculture industries because of the success many companies have had implementing programmatic digital advertising programs….
Hear this: shoppers turn to mobile first, yet most marketers still construct their messages with a desktop first approach, and later port it to mobile. It’s understandable. Mobile rapidly overtook desktop....
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In Breaking Down the Content Marketing matrix: Entertaining Content (Part 1), we took a look at several types of content that can be utilized to tell an entertaining story and…
Within the past few days, both Google and Twitter have announced changes to their services. These changes (some already implemented, others only announced) are fairly significant. Here’s a summary of…
At one point or another over the last year, you’ve probably heard the term “Programmatic Media”. Programmatic media uses sophisticated media software to negotiate and buy ads. Real Time Bidding…
If you haven’t added Instagram to your marketing mix, it is definitely worth considering. Currently, Instagram has over 400 million active users and those users stay active with 56% visiting…
SEDALIA, MO – Representatives at Callis Integrated Marketing will be presenting a seminar on Content Marketing at the 11th Annual POMA Business Conference coming up in Kalispell, Montana. The seminar...
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When I was kid, my dad always took me mushroom hunting. I would like to say that it was to spend quality time together, but in reality, it was more...
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Traditionally, new products in the hunting, camping and outdoor arenas are launched either at the SHOT Show, NRA Show, or Safari Club event. In reality, new entries into the market…
Everyone has heard the old saying… “This is really a people business.” This is certainly true with reporters and bloggers, who can be your best friends, and should be treated…
If you’ve ever been challenged to create organizational content, you know it can be a daunting task. Though creating great content (or great anything) is never easy, the first challenge...
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He was told in the 4th grade he was too stupid to learn anything. Thomas Edison. After being cut by his high school basketball team, he locked himself in his…
How brands communicate is changing. We now have access to a 24/7 digital mine of information – and at the heart of it all is content; compelling, relevant, useful and…
