Lori Kirksted

The leader in science of reading solutions, Lexia provides professional learning and curriculum solutions to 6.5 million K-12 students and their 600,000 educators at more than 22,000 schools nationwide.

• Under my Senior Management, the Content Marketing team defined the official blueprint for national campaigns, ultimately resulting in $17.6 million in new business opportunities in 2023.
• Launched the transformative "All For Literacy" initiative—an enterprise-level, multimodal thought leadership campaign strategically positioned to establish Lexia as the foremost authority on the Science of Reading. Includes the highly successful "All for Literacy" thought leadership podcast, which quickly surged into the top 5% of all B2B podcasts. Garnering an impressive 5,000 downloads within a mere week, this achievement underscored the resonance of our content.
• Spearheaded the company-wide Cross-Functional Content Board, propelling the formulation of thought leadership strategies and content marketing claims, shaping the organization's narrative.
• Member of the Strategic Marketing Leadership Team, actively contributing to high-level decision-making and strategic direction.
• Orchestrated a seamless alignment of cross-channel content with precise business objectives, nurturing distinct customer segments while expediting decision-makers' progression through various sales cycle stages.
• Governed and developed the maturity model for a content center of excellence comprising four content managers and a diverse pool of over 30 contracted writers, videographers, and copy editors.
• Demonstrated agile leadership by expanding the MarTech stack to cater to the evolving demands of both demand generation and sales teams.
• Assumed the pivotal role of Project Manager, overseeing all strategic Content Marketing initiatives, including those executed by our dedicated team members.

A full-service content marketing agency providing the most impactful, creative and scalable content marketing services and technology solutions to organizations across the globe.

• Team Leadership: Directly managed a team of 8 content marketing managers with a combined portfolio valued over $5 million. Achieved minimal churn & exceeded up-sell goals in multiple consecutive quarters.
• Strategy Development: Supported my team's collaboration with clients to understand their goals, target audience, and overall marketing objectives.
• Client Communication & Retention: Maintained regular communication with clients, providing updates on campaign progress, discussing performance metrics, and addressing any concerns or feedback.
• Content Planning: Worked with various editorial teams of content creators, writers, designers, and videographers to plan and produce various types of content, such as blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, and more. Includes ensuring proper briefing for all strategic projects.
• Project Management: Supported the team's content workflow, ensuring that content was produced on time and met the required quality standards. This involved coordinating with different teams and stakeholders to ensure smooth execution.
• SEO Optimization: Incorporated search engine optimization (SEO) techniques into content to improve its visibility on search engines. This included team trainings on keyword research, on-page optimization, and other SEO best practices.
• Content Distribution: Developed strategies for distributing and promoting content across various channels, including social media, email marketing, influencer outreach, and more.
• Content Strategy Optimization: Developed systems dor tracking and analyzing the performance of content marketing campaigns using tools like Google Analytics. Continuously evaluated the effectiveness of content strategies and made adjustments based on data as well as changing trends, audience behavior, and client feedback.
• Industry Knowledge: Stayed up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in content marketing, digital marketing, SEO (including Google updates), and relevant client-specific industries to bring innovative ideas to the table.

More than a clothing and accessory brand, CAVATA merged commerce with purpose. Through collaborations with musicians, artists, and community leaders via interview series and live events, CAVATA championed the importance of the arts in our public schools.

• Branding: Launched a nationally recognized music and art-inspired apparel brand with zero outside funding. Created mission and vision statements, logo, and tagline #CreativityTakesCourage
• Business Development: Developed and sustained strategic partnerships with organizations like the Ernie Boch Jr. Music Drives Us Foundation and the Boston Music Awards.
• Content Strategy & Execution: Developed content marketing strategy centering on customer advocacy with user-generated content contests and interview series with local and national cross-genre artists and brand ambassadors. Scheduled and managed the work of a team of external interviewers, writers, and videographers.
• Event Marketing & Management: Lead organizer for all live events (average 6 per year) including pitching, planning, and implementation of vendor relations, on-site logistics, and venue contracts/riders

• Client Communication: Primary point of contact for all customer-related inquiries playing a pivotal role in maintaining high levels of client satisfaction, loyalty, and long-term partnerships. Typically fielded over 50 calls of varying urgency per day.
• Client Onboarding: Guided clients through the initial stages of engagement, explaining services, setting expectations, and ensuring a seamless transition.
• Issue Resolution: Troubleshot and resolved client issues, escalating complex problems to relevant teams while keeping clients informed of progress.
• Order Management: Processed client orders, tracked deliveries, and ensured timely fulfillment of products or services, keeping clients updated on order status.
• Client Advocacy: Championed client needs within the company, collaborating with internal teams to ensure clients' expectations are met and exceeded.
• Problem-Solving: Identify challenges or potential issues, proactively addressing them to prevent escalations and maintain client satisfaction.
• Data Management: Maintain accurate client records, interactions, and relevant information in databases or customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
• Crisis Management: Handle challenging situations or client escalations with professionalism and diplomacy.