Posts Tagged ‘Articles’
Lesson 18 – Admit You Don’t Know Everything
Back in the early 2000’s, marketers were beginning to understand the importance and dynamics of search engine optimization (SEO). Certainly it was all new to us but our clients were starting to hear and read about it too. There were lots of theories and approaches and everyone thought theirs was the best. The real drive…
Read MoreThe Do’s and Don’ts of Working With Media
College Basketball Hall of Fame Coach John Wooden once famously said, “Confidence comes from being prepared.” Just like Coach Wooden prepared his teams for success, media training can help prepare you to speak to the media or give a public presentation about your company. Our at-a-glance do’s and don’ts will give you the confidence to…
Read MoreLesson 17 – Change is Good, But Not Always
Through relationships developed while in Iowa, we got the opportunity to work with a family auto dealership in Pella. The Vander Waal family had recently purchased Ulrich Ford and was considering changing the name to help the community know it was now their family business. They retained Callis to research the market and help them…
Read MoreLesson 16 – Try New Things
Back in the early 2000’s, our founder and current CEO had gotten much more involved in the construction business, moving to Des Moines to run one of Septagon’s companies. He wanted to try new things. While he was away, our team never missed a beat, keeping our clients happy while adding new ones. While he…
Read MoreLesson 15 – Never Stop Learning
The marketing and advertising industry has been driven by the changes in technology which have made what we do harder and easier, but definitely more effective and more measurable. We’ve had to learn it from scratch, which we did, and that hasn’t stopped. It’s the same in every industry, including senior living. One of our…
Read MoreLesson 14 – Things Change
As we approached the turn of the century and the year 2000, there were some people who believed that all the computer systems in the world that were in use at that time would crash when their internal clocks hit 1/1/2000. Apparently, they had not been programmed to function after that date. Frankly, people were…
Read MoreLeveraging Lightweight Videos in Your Marketing
Video is one of the most effective ways to reach audiences and share your content. It is visual, personal and captures the attention of viewers. Digital and social media platforms continue to prioritize video, but it can be difficult to produce videos due to the time and investment needed to create one. So how can…
Read MoreLesson 13 – Evolve and Innovate
One of the exciting things we’ve enjoyed at Callis over the past 35 years has been experiencing the digital revolution of media firsthand. When we started, everything we did was by hand. No computers. No internet. No technology. Today, everything we do is digital and technology is driving marketing more and more every day. We…
Read MoreLesson 12 – Diversification Can Be Good
In 1998, we were rolling along and running very smoothly. We had an excellent, well-seasoned team and were well-positioned for growth. One day, one of our clients came to us with the idea to partner with them on a student planner. This wasn’t one of our traditional partnerships where we form a strategic alliance with…
Read MoreLesson 11 – Pray About It
In the late ’90s, one of our clients asked if we could design and manufacture a product that they could sell to their customers to commemorate their 50th anniversary. I really think they could have built it themselves but staying true to their business and products, they wanted someone else to do it. What an…
Read MoreLESSON 10 – IF YOU WANT SOMETHING BAD ENOUGH…
For many of our agency staffers who grew up in Sedalia, they’ve been going to the Missouri State Fair since they were kids. Some showed livestock there. Some worked there and others just enjoyed all the many things you can do there. Simply put, we love the fair! Once our agency proved that it knew…
Read MoreThe Importance of Planning When Developing a Website
An often overlooked but critical part of the website development process is planning. Before creating a design or writing any code, there should be an in-depth planning process to ensure that the website meets all user needs. Benefits of including planning early in the website development process: Identify all business needs Identify all user needs…
Read MoreLesson 9 – Marketing Works
This may go without saying, but we know that marketing works. Over the years, when the right and appropriate approach and budget were put into place, we saw the results first hand, and our clients did too. We also saw them in our own marketing efforts. Back in 1993, we were actively doing direct mail…
Read MoreLesson 8 – Learn the Business
One of our goals with every client relationship is to learn their business. Obviously, we need to understand the specifics about their products and services to be able to promote them, but it goes well beyond that. We always want to know what their long-term objectives are so we can help them achieve them. Do…
Read MoreLesson 7 – Know Your Team
As our agency grew, taking on new clients, looking at new opportunities, and selling new projects, finding new people to join us became paramount to our success. When you’re a small business, every employee has to be an A player, and we had them, and we added more of them as we needed them. We’re…
Read MoreOur Favorite Super Bowl Commercials of 2022
The Super Bowl is always one of the biggest nights in advertising, and this past Sunday was no different. It was a great game that kept us watching until the very end. Along the way, we enjoyed the show and made note of some of our favorite commercials. As always, it’s hard to pick favorites…
Read MoreLesson 6 – Carve Out a Niche
Throughout our agency’s history, we have ebbed and flowed in and out of certain markets and industries, based on our clients, always looking for the opportunity to identify and expand on a niche. One of those niches was economic development, working with cities and chambers of commerce around Missouri to help them tell their stories.…
Read MoreLesson 5 – When Opportunity Knocks
When opportunity knocks, answer the door. The year was 1991. We were feeling the pinch of suffering growth pains. Things were going pretty well but we were struggling in some ways and we lacked the resources and expertise to continue to grow. We started looking around at ways we could strategically move forward. We had…
Read MoreLesson 4 – Stay Connected
Over the years, our founder and leader has preached the importance of relationships, whether that be with associates, clients, vendors, media, community or industry partners. Our business is really all about people and frankly, you just can’t have too many friends. Through time however, people move. They relocate. They change jobs and move to different…
Read MoreLesson 3 – Accept Help
Back when we were just getting started, in the late 1980’s, there were people who wanted to help. Some came to work with us and gave us all they had. Some gave us business doing new and exciting projects when they didn’t have to. Some helped us learn things that we never would have even…
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