Today, agency Vice President Jim Shoemaker is at the shooting range with client DoubleStar, so media people from around the world can try out the Kentucky manufacturer's high quality tactical rifles.

Tomorrow, Cliff and Charlyn Callis will be on-site at the show, working with clients like Sierra Bullets and Brownells, visiting with prospects and cozying up to the press. This agency approach is no shot in the dark. Callis & Associates is recognized within the industry for our niche expertise, so we're working to leverage our reputation. You might say we're taking aim and firing at our target.

Step-Up Your Customer Service
Recently, agency President Cliff Callis flew back to Kansas City from an international trade show in Orlando on Air Tran, an airline that he had never flown on before. His apprehension to fly a new airline was quickly alleviated when a friendly curbside attendant opened his taxi door and offered to take care of his bags outside the terminal. While curbside service is not unusual, the way it was executed was. A smiling, friendly face, courteous conversation, follow through to the Nth detail, all of this from one attendant at the airport!

The lesson learned is, good customer service is easy to provide if you take pride in your work and are sincere in your actions. The result for the attendant at the airport was a nice tip. For the airline that hired him, it's great word of mouth advertising. For business, it could be a key to survival during this challenging economic climate.

Trade Shows are Powerful
Callis & Associates President Cliff Callis and Account Executive Amanda Cairer recently participated in Power-Gen International, a trade show focused on the power industry's latest trends and challenges, with agency client ProEnergy Services. Our job is to plan and execute the show so our client can concentrate on participants, so we've been working the past few weeks to confirm every detail, enhance the display, promote the event and set up and dismantle the booth.

Marking the event's 20th Anniversary, Power-Gen International was held Dec. 2-4 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. 17,000 industry professionals from 76 countries were in attendance.

Power-Gen International featured the world's largest industry exhibit floor with more than 1,200 companies. Those in attendance were able to learn from thousands of experts about the technology and trends on the forefront of the power industry's future.

SEO is Changing
One of the challenges in our business is to stay abreast of change and best practices as it relates to Search Engine Optimization, an area that continues to evolve. What's working today may not work tomorrow as search engines continue to scrutinize websites and online information. After e-mail, search is the second most popular online activity, with 70 percent of all net users searching on any day. What a market! What we're finding is that copy on a site is now more than ever driving search results. Changing content regularly, using some key meta tag strategies and utilizing external links are primary ways to boost SEO rankings. Want to drive more people to your website through organic searches? Contact Callis & Associates today.