In this episode:

Karen Vick is joined by Sarah Guilliot, a Seattle-based website designer, copywriter, and brand strategist, to unpack the essentials of copywriting and brand voice for service-based small businesses. With a background in UX and web design at companies like Microsoft, Amazon, T-Mobile, and GoDaddy, Sarah Guilliot shares her entrepreneurial journey and actionable tips for crafting copy that connects and converts.

• Sarah’s Career Pivot: From 20 years in corporate tech and design roles to launching her own business, including the Coach Lift Off service for coaches wanting an easy, all-in-one website and marketing solution.

• Copywriting 101:

  • What copywriting is—and isn’t.

  • The difference between content writing (blogs, social media) and copywriting (websites, sales pages, emails).

  • Why your website is not just a digital brochure.

• Brand Voice Essentials:

  • Why your copy should sound like you, not a robot (or a generic AI!).

  • How reading your copy out loud helps you catch awkward or stiff language.

  • The importance of consistency and authenticity across all touchpoints.

• Copy Misconceptions:

  • Common mistakes, like using old brochure copy or product descriptions as web copy.

  • Why your copy needs to fit its platform—social posts, blogs, or website pages all have different needs.

• SEO & Standing Out Online:

  • The balance between writing for people and ranking for search engines.

  • How being authentic and using real client language can boost your SEO naturally.

• Market Research Tips:

  • Using conversations and testimonials from real clients to inspire and refine your copy.

  • “Copy stalking”—a method for gathering actual phrases and words your audience uses.

• Coach Lift Off (Sarah’s signature program for coaches – details forthcoming in her network)

• EEAT by Google (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness): https://searchengineland.com/e-e-a-t-and-seo-392924

• “Copy stalking” concept credited to Mariah Coz

• Read Your Copy Aloud:

  Sarah's top tip—record yourself or read website/email copy out loud to spot unnatural or stiff language.

• Gather Customer Feedback: Review testimonials and set up discovery calls to understand the language your clients use when talking about your services.

• Customize for Your Audience: Adjust your brand voice to be true to yourself, while still clear and relatable to your customers—especially if you serve a multi-cultural/multi-lingual audience.

• Don’t Rely Solely on AI: Use AI as a draft or brainstorming assistant, but personalize and humanize all final copy.

• Repeat Key Info: It’s OK to reinforce core messages on different pages of your website—users might land anywhere!

Guiding Brands Podcast listeners can schedule a call with Sarah at https://www.sarahdesign.com/guiding, to get personalized insights about your brand.

You can also find Sarah on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sarahdesignagency

Listen to more episodes, subscribe, and leave a review at:
The Guiding Brands Podcast: https://guidingbrandspodcast.com

Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe and join us next week for more bite-sized branding & marketing wisdom.

Why emotional marketing—and authentic storytelling—bring donors and customers back, again and again.

In this value-packed episode of The Guiding Brands Podcast, host Karen Vick sits down with marketing leader Adam Ortman to reveal what truly makes your marketing, messaging, and fundraising campaigns unforgettable. Are you struggling to stand out amid the year-end rush or Giving Tuesday? Wondering how to build deeper connections and keep supporters coming back? Get ready for a practical, human-centric blueprint that’s tailor-made for service-based small businesses and nonprofits.

Join us to:

• Learn how to craft messages that resonate and inspire action

• Gain donor retention strategies that actually work

• Explore cost-effective ad tools (including step-by-step advice for beginners!)

• Discover easy, real-world ideas for showing appreciation and building community

• Hear why listening to your customers is the #1 growth strategy most organizations ignore

Small business owners, nonprofit leaders, and marketers—if you want marketing that’s mission-driven and heartfelt, you’ll find the advice and inspiration you need right here.

#emotionalmarketing #storytelling #nonprofitmarketing #smallbusinessmarketing #donorretention #marketingstrategy #GivingTuesday #digitalmarketing #brandconnection

In this episode of The Guiding Brands Podcast, Chief Guide Karen Vick welcomes Adam Ortman — consumer psychologist, CEO, and founder of Kinetic 319 Marketing, a Denver-based marketing and advertising agency rooted in consumer psychology. Adam shares his insights on leveraging psychological principles for more effective nonprofit marketing and fundraising, drawing from his experiences with clients ranging from big names like Nike, American Express, and the American Red Cross, to small and midsize nonprofits.

Key points discussed in this episode:

What is consumer psychology, and how does it influence purchasing, donating, and brand interaction? Why people give: The personal, emotional, and empathetic drivers behind donations of time, money, and support. The critical role of empathy—how people want to see themselves reflected in the causes they support. Common nonprofit marketing mistakes, including the “projection fallacy” (assuming decision-makers’ preferences reflect the wider audience) and “compassion fade” (how big numbers can actually decrease giving). The four pillars of trust: Authenticity, Empathy, Relevancy, and Consistency—for nonprofit and small business marketing alike. Practical steps for small businesses and nonprofits to discover what their audience actually cares about—through surveys, feedback, and focus groups. Harnessing the power of AI tools (like ChatGPT) to easily craft effective surveys and question prompts.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• Kinetic 319 Marketing: https://kinetic319.com/

• American Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/

• Google Forms (for easy customer/donor surveys): https://www.google.com/forms/about/

• Microsoft Forms: https://forms.microsoft.com/

• ChatGPT (for writing survey/interview questions): https://chat.openai.com/

  
  

Next steps & actions for listeners:

Ask your customers or donors what matters to them! Whether you use a formal survey, a quick email, or a simple conversation—dig deeper for specifics and look for patterns in their feedback. Chunk your goals into achievable milestones. When fundraising, share the big vision but highlight the realistic steps donors can help achieve. Focus your communication: Be authentic, empathetic, relevant, and consistent to build trust and stronger relationships. Don’t be afraid to leverage technology! Use AI tools to help you shape targeted questions and streamline outreach.

Subscribe for future episodes and more marketing and branding insight for service-based small businesses and nonprofits!

The Guiding Brands Podcast: https://guidingbrandspodcast.com

Leave a review & share this episode with a fellow nonprofit or small business owner who’d benefit from a bit of marketing psychology!