304. AI and Agency Leadership – In Real Life, with Lori Highby

This episode of The Innovative Agency Podcast welcomes Lori Highby, CEO and Founder of Keystone Click, for an honest and practical conversation about what it really looks like to run a digital agency in the age of AI. 

 Lori shares how her and her team are weaving AI into daily operations, not just the flashy stuff, but the messy, behind-the-scenes realities most agencies aren’t talking about. She tackles how AI is rewriting the customer journey, reshaping content strategy, and forcing agencies to rethink their competitive edge from the ground up. 

 If you’re feeling uncertain or overwhelmed by the speed of change and wondering how your agency can lead instead of lag, this episode is for you.

What you will learn in this episode: 

 

• How AI is changing the customer journey long before a client is ready to buy

• Why your agency’s approach to search may be due for a tune-up

• The critical differences between AI-assisted content creation and truly original thought leadership

• Ways to audit and optimize your agency’s presence in AI-powered search platforms

• Why deeply niching your agency could be the key to standing out in the AI-driven era

• The day-to-day workflow shifts agencies are experiencing as their teams experiment with AI to gain efficiency and add strategic value

• Practical strategies to keep your team and your clients learning, sharing, and leveling up amid nonstop technological change

• The risks of rushing into full-scale AI automation for client deliverables

• Safeguards every agency leader should consider

Bio

 

A twenty-year veteran of marketing, branding and entrepreneurship—and Founder of the Milwaukee-based digital agency Keystone Click—Lori knows first-hand what it is like to be overwhelmed by options in the marketing world. As a young marketer, Lori found that when it came to digital marketing, she had to connect the dots herself, on the job. This learning journey gave her a lifelong passion for helping others sort through their own bewildering array of digital promotion options and find ones that work for them.

 Learning by doing gave Lori a unique passion to share the learning process with others. Over the years, she solidified a unique approach to digital marketing that specializes in educating clients as partners in the process. Lori and her team also emphasize that the basics of marketing are far more important than fads. “I tell clients, don’t worry about all the new stuff popping up,” says Lori. “Stick to the core values, and we’ll be fine.” In 2008, she founded Keystone Click to deliver digital marketing based on this conviction. She has since grown an eclectic team of talent who can manage every aspect of a client’s online promotion.

 Today, Lori balances her time between leading vision and sales for Keystone Click, and sharing her expertise in many marketing forums for curious, motivated professionals and entrepreneurs. Lori enjoys meeting her audience wherever they are at in their self- or business-promotional journeys. She teaches them how to connect their unique vision with the right tools, people and ideas to market it effectively online. Clients and event attendees alike prize her calm, no-nonsense approach, as well as the vast network of resources she can point them toward to accelerate their success.

 Lori received her master’s degree in business administration from Cardinal Stritch University. She speaks and blogs on the topics of social media, e-commerce, digital marketing and entrepreneurship. 

Resources:

 

• Website: https://lorihighby.com/ 

• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorihighby/ 

LinkedIn Business: https://www