If Everything Is for Everyone, You’re Talking to No One

Posted on by Reece Smith

One of the most common challenges I see in marketing is when a business tries to appeal to everyone.

It usually comes from a good place. You want to grow. You want more customers. The logic starts with the idea that they can help everyone, so why not target everyone? The broader the message, the bigger the net, the better the outcome… right?

But in reality, when you try to market to everyone, you often end up resonating with no one.

People need to feel like you’re talking directly to them

We’re living in a world of short attention spans and people who have been marketed to their whole lives. If someone lands on your website, sees your ad, or reads your email and can’t tell within a few seconds if your offer is meant for them, they’re already gone.

We scroll. We skim. We make decisions quickly.

So your message needs to stop people in their tracks and say, “Yes, this is for you. I understand what you’re going through. Here’s how I help.”

When you try to water your message down to reach a broader group, you lose the specificity that actually creates connection and trust.

Clarity creates confidence

It might feel counterintuitive, but narrowing your audience doesn’t limit your opportunity. It actually opens the door to stronger, more aligned customers, the kind who are easier to work with, quicker to say yes, and more likely to refer you.

Clear messaging attracts the right people. It also helps your team focus, simplifies your sales process, and leads to better long-term growth.

In contrast, vague messaging often leads to low-quality leads, wasted time, and frustration… Both for your marketing team and for your prospects who don’t know if what you offer is relevant to them.

Examples matter: generic vs. targeted messaging

Let’s look at a few side-by-sides. Here’s what broad messaging sounds like:

  • “We help businesses grow”
  • “Customized solutions for your needs”
  • “We’re here to support you every step of the way”

Now compare that to messaging with real clarity:

  • “We help eCommerce brands turn abandoned carts into sales through automated email flows”
  • “We build websites for law firms that need to rank locally and convert leads fast”
  • “We manage Google Ads for HVAC companies that want more high-quality service calls without wasting budget”

The second group doesn’t try to appeal to everyone, and that’s exactly why it works. It helps the right person say, “Yes, this is what I’ve been looking for.”

You can still serve a variety of clients; just don’t speak to all of them at once

Here’s the part that brings people relief: Narrowing your message doesn’t mean narrowing your entire business.

You can still work with different industries. You can still take on a variety of projects. But your marketing, which is the way you communicate and the way you show up offline and online, should speak directly to the customer you want most.

Because when you speak to everyone, you blend in. But when you speak directly to your ideal client, you stand out.

Ask yourself:

  • Who is my ideal customer?
  • What do they care about?
  • What problem are they actively trying to solve?
  • What language do they use to describe that problem?

Then look at your website, your social media, your emails, your ads… Are you answering those questions clearly and directly? Or are you trying to be everything to everyone?

Final Thought

The businesses that grow with intention are the ones that get clear on who they’re serving and why. They don’t try to be the solution for everyone. They focus their efforts and speak directly to the people who need what they offer.

Because at the end of the day, great marketing isn’t about casting the widest net… It’s about casting the right one.

If you’re ready to tighten your message, clarify your audience, and build marketing that works, let’s talk.

Building a Strong Brand Identity in a Digital-First World

Posted on by Marija Vidanovic

We’re living in a digital-first world, and like it or not, your brand’s first impression is almost always happening online. Whether someone discovers you through your website, Instagram, a podcast, or a random Google search, they’re forming opinions fast—like, within seconds fast.

So, how do you create a brand identity that’s not only consistent but also powerful enough to stand out in the scroll? It’s not just about having a pretty logo or a trendy color palette. It’s about being intentional—every click, scroll, and interaction should feel like you.

Start With Clarity (Because Confused People Don’t Convert)

Before you dive into design, you need to define who you are. This is where a lot of brands skip a step. They jump into visuals without fully understanding their own essence.

Ask yourself:

  • What do we stand for?
  • Who are we here to serve?
  • What do we want people to feel when they interact with us?

Clarity creates consistency. And consistency is what builds trust.

Your Visual Identity Should Tell a Story

Your colors, typography, logo, and imagery aren’t just decorations—they’re storytellers. When used with intention, your visuals can communicate emotion, values, and energy in a matter of seconds.

Best practices:

  • Choose a color palette that reflects your brand’s tone (calm, bold, playful, premium).
  • Use typography that aligns with your voice—modern, classic, minimal, expressive.
  • Stick to a defined style for photography and graphics. This creates a cohesive look across platforms.

Brand Voice Matters (Even More Than You Think)

Words are powerful. The way you write captions, product descriptions, emails, and website copy all adds up to your brand’s personality. Whether your tone is friendly and fun or refined and authoritative, make sure it’s intentional—and stick to it.

Pro tip: Create a tone-of-voice guide your team can use. Include examples of how you sound (and how you don’t).

Be Consistent Across Channels (But Tailor for Each One)

This is where strong digital brands shine. Your audience should recognize your voice and style whether they’re reading your newsletter or scrolling through TikTok. That said, don’t just copy-paste. Context is everything.

Here’s how to think about it:

  • Instagram: Visual storytelling with bite-sized messaging.
  • LinkedIn: Thought leadership and value-driven content.
  • Website: Clear, easy-to-navigate experience with strong brand visuals and copy.
  • Email: Personal, direct, and aligned with your overall tone.

 

Think Beyond Design—Experience is Everything

Your brand isn’t just how it looks—it’s how it feels to interact with you. A clunky website, confusing navigation, or inconsistent response times can break the brand experience no matter how beautiful your visuals are.

Ask yourself: Is every touchpoint with my brand seamless, intuitive, and aligned with who we say we are?

Keep Evolving, But Stay Rooted

A great brand doesn’t stay static—it evolves. But evolution doesn’t mean inconsistency. As your brand grows, your identity can adapt without losing its soul.

Check in often: Are we still aligned with our mission? Do our visuals still reflect our energy? Are we resonating with the people we’re here to serve?

Final Thoughts

In a digital-first world, your brand identity is your storefront, your handshake, your first “hello.” It’s the foundation of every impression you make. The more thoughtful, intentional, and consistent your identity, the more trust you’ll build—and trust is the currency of modern branding.

Show up like you mean it. Online and everywhere.

Why the Future Belongs to Those Who Create Their Own AIs

Posted on by Chris Jenkin

In 2023 alone, over 10,000 startups launched “AI-powered” tools. But peel back the curtain, and you’ll find that most of them had something in common: they were just wrappers. A polished interface built around an OpenAI or Anthropic API. Useful? Absolutely. Sustainable? Not even close.

At gotcha!, we’ve used these models too. We’ve integrated GPT into our products like g!Stream™ and g!Chat™. And there’s no denying the initial power and ease of using someone else’s intelligence. But let’s be honest: renting intelligence is not the same as owning it. And as with any rental, you’re only one price change or policy shift away from losing your edge.

But I learned early on, back in 2012, that if I wanted to control the quality, I had to be the manufacturer. That’s why we’re not stopping at wrappers. We’re building our own AI.

The Wrapper Era: Useful but Fragile

It made sense at first. Developers needed fast wins. Investors wanted to see AI on the roadmap. The result? A tidal wave of startups launching thin layers over the same handful of APIs. Products like Jasper, Notion AI, Copy.ai, and countless vertical-specific tools (for legal, real estate, coaching, etc.) flooded the market. They brought short-term productivity gains and investor buzz—but under the hood, they were all powered by the same brains.

The problem? When everyone uses the same model, the only differentiator is UX and prompt engineering. That’s not a moat. That’s a race to the middle. When the cost of switching is low and the intelligence isn’t yours, the competitive advantage is fleeting.

There’s also another reality: the AI API providers are evolving their own platforms. They’re not just your vendor; they’re also your competitor. That’s not a game you win by playing it safe.

Owning the interface is not the same as owning the intelligence.

Most companies today feel like they’re innovating because their app can write an email or summarize a report. But the underlying intelligence, memory, and logic? That lives elsewhere—on someone else’s infrastructure, tied to someone else’s roadmap, pricing model, and vision.

Let’s draw a parallel: in the early days of web hosting, renting a server was revolutionary. But today, enterprise players build their own infrastructure for scale, performance, and control. AI is heading the same direction.

When you’re renting a server, you risk downtime. When you’re renting someone else’s mind, you risk obsolescence. Who wants a wrapper when being the source is more viable?

Introducing gia™: Our Own Brain.

Enter gia™, our General Intelligence Assistant. It’s not a chatbot. It’s not a help desk interface. It’s the foundation of an intelligent, evolving business operating system that understands context, memory, tools, workflows—and most importantly—goals.

Gia will become the connective tissue between our retail products, clients, data, and internal teams. It’s designed to reduce friction, increase accuracy, and eventually perform key tasks autonomously—under human supervision when necessary.

Here’s how we’re building it:

Foundations

We’re training and deploying open-source models like Mixtral, LLaMA, and eventually our own fine-tuned variations. These models are run locally on high-performance GPU workstations. This allows us to:

  • Maintain sovereignty over our intelligence
  • Control latency and performance
  • Protect sensitive data
  • Reduce recurring cloud costs

The hybrid model also lets us blend local inference with APIs (like OpenAI, Claude, Google Gemini) when needed for specialized use cases. But the core intelligence lives with us.

Connective Tissue

Gia connects to the tools we use every day: Google Workspace, Slack, Stripe, SEMrush, QuickBooks, HubSpot, Zapier, internal dashboards, and more. It doesn’t just access data. It interprets it, acts on it, and orchestrates workflows across platforms. This turns our data from a static archive into a dynamic engine of action.

Memory and Feedback

One of the key limitations of API-wrapped AI is memory. Gia uses vector databases and embeddings to retain long-term memory of interactions, preferences, workflows, and company context. This gives us a truly personalized AI that gets smarter with use.

We’re also integrating a human feedback loop to continuously fine-tune its behavior—like training an employee over time.

Personality and Agency

Gia adapts to the user. It responds differently to our product manager than it does to a developer or an executive. It respects workflows, roles, and company logic. It’s not a generic chatbot—it’s an evolving digital teammate with a defined purpose, voice, and decision-making structure.

At the center of gia is our Human Intelligence / Artificial Intelligence framework—HI/AI. We believe AI must work with people, not instead of them. AI handles the volume. Humans handle the nuance.

This system allows us to:

  • Set escalation thresholds when AI confidence drops
  • Route decisions based on business logic or ethics
  • Ensure oversight, control, and accountability

Gia isn’t replacing our team. It’s extending it.

Why Most Companies Won’t Do This

Most companies won’t take this route—not because it isn’t possible, but because it’s hard. Building your own AI system means investing in infrastructure, research, experimentation, and failure. It means hiring or training real AI engineers, not just prompt designers. It means thinking like an OS architect, not a product manager.

It also means resisting the temptation to settle for good enough. We’ve seen too many teams stall after deploying a wrapper that “does the job” but stops learning.

But here’s the truth:

The difficulty is the barrier to entry. The complexity is the value.

Companies who push past the UI layer and down into model logic, data orchestration, and workflow integration will build something far more powerful than a single product—they’ll build a capability.

What This Means for Our Clients

The implications are huge. As we build gia into our own ecosystem, our clients will benefit from:

  • Autonomous change management across all website, hosting, and marketing systems
  • AI-generated campaigns that launch based on customer behavior, seasonality, or sales signals
  • Predictive analytics that guide decision-making before issues arise
  • Integrated customer experience enhancements, from reviews to SEO to content and support

Gia will manage tasks, answer questions, anticipate needs, and evolve—just like a trusted team member. And unlike most AI tools, it won’t be generic. It will learn your industry, your business, your market.

Publishing Our Research

When asked by a recent industry leader, “Do you publish your research?”—we took it as a challenge.

Starting this quarter, we’ll begin releasing:

  • Our architectural stack for GIA and why we chose each tool
  • Our approach to managing local vs. cloud-based inference
  • Real examples of use cases, from SEO automation to client communication
  • Our agent logic framework for delegating tasks to AI and measuring effectiveness

We’re not doing this to signal virtue. We’re doing it because we believe the real AI future will be open, composable, and company-owned.

Our roadmap for gia includes:

  • Fine-tuned industry-specific personas for clients in law, healthcare, retail, and manufacturing
  • Creating content map and topic clusters for targeting search (Google, Bing, as well as voice and AI)
  • A modular plug-in system for clients to enable or disable features like billing, reporting, or marketing
  • Integration with internal analytics to enable quarterly performance reviews by AI
  • Real-time voice-to-action interfaces and browser-based execution agents

We want to build an AI that becomes so ingrained in your company, it’s unthinkable to operate without it—just like your best employees.

As the landscape shifts from hype to reality, the companies that win will be the ones who went deeper—not just faster.

They’ll be the ones who built internal AI systems that:

  • Understand their business
  • Own their intelligence
  • Adapt to their workflows
  • Improve with time

That’s what we’re building with gia™. Not a chatbot. Not a wrapper. A system. A mind. A partner.

Let others rent intelligence. Let them race to build prettier wrappers.

We’re building the future.

Marketing Should Make You Money, Not Just Look Good

Posted on by Reece Smith

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen companies treat marketing like it lives in its own little world, totally disconnected from sales and business development.

They see it as “brand awareness” or something they know they need, something that makes you look more “real”, but not something that drives revenue.

Let me be blunt:
 If your marketing isn’t helping you sell, it’s not doing its job.

That doesn’t mean your marketing needs to be pushy or aggressive by any means. But it should be doing the work behind the scenes. It should be warming people up, answering questions, and having a funnel that does its job in getting in front of the right people before your sales team even steps in.

Good Marketing Makes Selling Easier

Before someone ever fills out a form or hops on a call, they’ve already done the research. They’ve Googled you. Scrolled through your website. Checked your social media. Maybe clicked an ad or read a blog post.

That’s your chance to make an impression before the conversation ever starts.

If your marketing is aligned with what your sales team is saying, that prospect already understands who you are, what you do, and why it matters. There’s a level of trust and familiarity that turns cold leads into warm ones.

And when that happens, that first sales conversation?

It becomes ten times easier.

Content Is a Sales Tool

Think about how often your team has to answer the same exact questions over and over again.

What’s included?

How does this work?

Why should we choose you?

This is where strong content matters.

A solid landing page. A well-written blog post. A simple case study. These tools pre-answer those questions. They reduce friction, build trust, and move people further down the funnel… all before your sales team gets involved.

Less explaining means more time selling, and more time selling means more deals closed. That’s real ROI.

Stop Posting Just to Post

There’s a big difference between having an active presence and having an intentional one.

Social media isn’t just about filling a calendar or checking a box. It’s about staying top of mind.

Even if someone isn’t ready to buy right now, your content keeps you in their orbit. It keeps your brand familiar. And when the timing is right? You’re already on their radar.

The same goes for email. If you’re just blasting out generic newsletters or aimless updates, you’re missing the point. Your emails should be helpful. They should guide people toward the next step. If they aren’t doing that, they’re just adding to the noise.

Sales and Marketing Are on the Same Team

If your sales team is grinding every day, cold calling, following up, and trying to close, but your marketing team is disconnected from the process, you’re leaving money on the table.

Marketing should be the fuel behind your sales engine. It’s not just about pretty graphics or catchy captions. It’s about strategy. Alignment. Support.

Everything your marketing team does should make your sales team’s life easier. It should be creating opportunities, warming up leads, and reinforcing your brand story every step of the way.

Ask Yourself This

If all your marketing stopped today… Would your sales pipeline take a hit?

If the answer is no, then something’s off. Because marketing isn’t just about making you look good… It’s about helping you grow.

It’s about turning visibility into opportunity, curiosity into conversion, and connections into customers.

And when you treat marketing as a growth engine, not just a creative one, that’s when things start to shift.

Ready to build a marketing strategy that supports your sales goals?

Let’s talk. Because good marketing doesn’t just get attention. It closes deals.

 

The Human Factor: Understanding How Different Audiences React to Your Online Content

Posted on by Michael Jenkin

In digital marketing, there’s a temptation to think purely in numbers: click rates, impressions, conversions. But behind every statistic is a person—a unique individual with their own perceptions, experiences, and biases. Understanding how different demographics respond to your advertising and website content is not just helpful; it’s essential.

Same Media, Different Reactions

Have you ever wondered why the same ad might excite one audience but completely repel another? It’s because advertising doesn’t exist in a vacuum—it interacts with the viewer’s values, cultural background, age, and personal experiences. For instance, an energetic, trendy social media ad might resonate powerfully with younger generations but leave older demographics feeling alienated or confused. On the flip side, detailed, feature-rich content about retirement planning might captivate an older demographic while appearing dull or irrelevant to younger viewers.

The key takeaway here? The effectiveness of your content relies heavily on the alignment between your messaging and your audience’s worldview.

Why Demographics Matter

Understanding demographic influences means appreciating more than just age or location. It means diving deep into lifestyle preferences, cultural sensitivities, economic status, and even personal aspirations. These nuances can drastically alter how your message is received.

For example, millennials might value authenticity and social proof, gravitating toward brands showcasing genuine customer stories. Gen Z, however, might seek out brands aligned with social causes and personal identity. Meanwhile, older consumers might prioritize reliability, familiarity, and straightforward value propositions.

By acknowledging these distinctions, your marketing becomes more than targeted—it becomes meaningful.

Bridging the Gap: Creating Universal Appeal

While targeting your ideal demographic is important, it’s also valuable to recognize universal themes that transcend specific demographics: trust, emotional connection, clarity, and authenticity. Crafting content that embodies these elements can widen your appeal across diverse audiences.

However, be cautious—while universality helps, generic messaging does not. Effective marketers master the balance between broadly appealing themes and carefully tailored nuances.

Engaging Your Audience: Strategies for Better Connections

Here are key strategies to help you better connect with your varied online audiences:

-Segment Your Messaging: Tailor your content to the specific demographic you’re addressing. Personalization isn’t just powerful—it’s expected.

-Leverage Data Thoughtfully: Use insights from analytics to understand how audiences are engaging with your content, and refine your messaging accordingly.

-Prioritize Emotional Intelligence: Recognize the emotional triggers of your audience and use these thoughtfully in your messaging. People don’t just buy products—they buy feelings and transformations.

-Test and Adapt: Use A/B testing to see how different segments respond to variations in your ads or web content. This iterative approach continuously improves relevance and effectiveness.

-Listen and Respond: Monitor social media conversations, customer feedback, and reviews to genuinely understand and respond to your audience’s preferences and pain points.

Utilizing your Messaging

Advertising shapes perceptions, evokes emotions, and influences behavior. Recognizing how diverse demographics uniquely interpret your media is the cornerstone of impactful digital marketing.

By engaging with empathy and attempting to understand your audience beyond the analytics, you can transform passive viewers into active participants in your brand story.

Remember: impactful marketing isn’t about speaking loudly—it’s about speaking meaningfully.

User-Generated Stories: Making Your Customers Part of the Brand

Posted on by Marija Vidanovic

A while ago, I stumbled across a short video shared by a small brand I follow. It wasn’t high-production, it wasn’t scripted—and honestly, it wasn’t even edited that well. But what it was was real. A young woman talking about how their product helped her regain confidence after a rough patch. It was raw. It was moving. And I watched the whole thing. Twice.

That’s when it really hit me: No marketing campaign—no matter how polished—can match the power of a story told by someone who’s lived it.

As creative professionals, we spend hours shaping the perfect message. We fine-tune our visuals, wordsmith every sentence, and carefully map out every customer touchpoint. But sometimes, the most impactful voice isn’t ours—it’s the customer’s.

Why User-Generated Stories Work

User-generated stories aren’t just another trend. They’re emotional proof that your brand is doing something right. When a real person takes time out of their life to share their experience, that authenticity cuts through the noise like nothing else can.

People trust people more than they trust brands. It’s that simple. And in an age where everyone is skeptical of overly-produced messaging, UGS (user-generated stories) bring back something we all crave: honest connection.

Let’s Be Real: It’s Not Always Easy

Encouraging people to share their stories takes more than asking them to tag you in a post. You have to create a brand that’s worth talking about. One that invites people into something bigger. Something meaningful.

You also have to make it easy for them. One of the most powerful campaigns I’ve seen was a “Share Your First Win” challenge for a small fitness brand. It wasn’t about perfect bodies or crazy before-and-afters. It was about real people. Real effort. Real growth. The stories poured in—and each one was a celebration, not just of the product, but of the person using it.

How to Weave User-Generated Stories into Your Brand

Here’s where creativity meets strategy. Don’t just wait for great stories to show up—create space for them to happen.

  • Branded Hashtags – Create one that invites people to share something specific. (#MyFirstWin, #WithRecore, #PoweredBy____)
  • Spotlight Customers Regularly – Feature one a week on your socials, website, or newsletter. Not for marketing—but for connection.
  • Ask Meaningful Questions – Instead of “Tell us about your experience,” try “What’s one moment that made you feel proud since using our product?”
  • Celebrate the Person, Not Just the Product – Make the story about them. Your brand is just the backdrop.

 

The Story Within the Story

A few months ago, we worked with a client who was struggling to differentiate in a crowded space. Their product was solid, their messaging was fine—but something was missing. During one of our check-ins, a customer sent them an email sharing how their service helped them rebuild their life after a major setback. It was deeply personal.

We asked the customer for permission to share it, and with a little editing and their full blessing, we turned it into a video testimonial. That one story—unscripted, heartfelt, and real—generated more engagement than anything else they’d posted in months. People saw themselves in that story. It wasn’t just marketing. It was the connection.

Final Thoughts

Your customers don’t need to be influencers or professional storytellers. They just need to be heard.

When we give people the mic, when we invite them to be part of the narrative, we turn our brands into communities. We shift from broadcasting to belonging. And honestly? That’s the kind of storytelling that sticks.

Because in the end, branding isn’t just what you say about your company. It’s what people say when you’re not in the room. So why not make them part of the story?

Let them write it with you.