Lori Highby

Strategy is like a GPS device... it guides you toward your clearly defined end goal. Along the way, you may hit detours, and when that happens, it's crucial to dive into the data to recalibrate your path forward. I'm a firm believer that data should tell the story and inform what needs to happen next. Equally important is maintaining an active dialogue with your customers. Their world is evolving, and the more you understand how those changes impact their decision-making, the better you can adapt your strategy to align with their shifting goals.

Every year, I dive into the Edelman Trust Barometer, which emphasizes that trust is built through transparency, consistency, and positive experiences. Customers choose your product or service because they trust you to meet their expectations. TRANSPARENCY means being open about your processes, pricing, and mistakes, which builds credibility. CONSISTENCY reassures customers over time by aligning your messaging, service, and values. POSITIVE EXPERIENCES come from delivering on promises, meeting deadlines, and providing quality support—ultimately proving your dependability and reliability. Trust is fragile, but when nurtured properly, it becomes a powerful asset that keeps customers coming back.

To better connect with your ideal customer, it's essential to understand their mindset. The more you get inside their head, the easier it will be to create content that truly resonates with them. Here are some key questions to ask, either by speaking directly with trusted customers or by using a 3rd party to gather insights: - How did they find you? - Why did they choose to buy from you? - What problem are you solving for them? - What motivates them to solve this problem? - Where do they get their information? (Podcasts, social media, etc.) - Do they follow any influencers or experts online? - What bigger goal are they working toward? Answering these questions will help you craft more relevant and engaging content for your audience.

When creating an ICP or customer persona, consider having a 3rd party interview your top clients to better understand the pains you solve for them, how they found you and why they keep working with your business. Oftentimes, getting a 3rd party to ask these types of questions eases the conversation with that client and brings more transparency to the discussion.

When sending emails, keep track of who has opened your email and who has not. One tactic to improve your open rates is to resend your email, using a new subject line, to those who have not yet opened your email. This helps to get the attention of your audience with a new compelling statement while still providing the valuable information at the specific stage of the campaign that you are working to engage.

There are really only two reasons why someone clicks and opens an email. 1) The sender - If the recipient is familiar with the sender, that could influence their decision to open the email. However, if they are not, the next reason needs to stand out strong. 2) The subject line - This is the most powerful tool to encourage someone who is not familiar with your brand to open the email. As AI mentioned with the type of valuable, educational content that is included in your email - the subject line needs to capture the attention of the recipient, otherwise your email will not be opened. A simple search for "headline analyzer" will provide a number of tools and resources to help you craft compelling subject lines.