I was recently interviewed by a major online publication about vibe marketing.
And honestly, talking through it made me realize something: We’ve been doing this at Sanctuary the whole time. Our vibe isn’t accidental. It’s the most intentional thing about us.
Vibe marketing is about creating a specific feeling around your brand. It’s a consistent message that resonates deeply with only your specific target audience.
But here’s where it starts: You have to actually know your customers.
Not just their demographics. You need to understand their values. Their problems. Their needs. Their dreams. The cultural references that resonate with them. The aesthetics they’re drawn to. The communities they belong to.
You don’t want just any customer. You want YOUR customers.
And when you deeply understand them, everything changes. You stop trying to appeal to everyone. You speak directly to the people who matter.
Some people will walk right past. And that’s okay. Because the ones who stop? They’re YOUR people. And you’re solving real problems for them.
Bricks, Not Lottery Tickets
I told the interviewer that vibe marketing is about treating your campaigns and content less like standalone lottery tickets and more like bricks.
Each piece builds something. Compounds over time. Creates loyalty.
It takes commitment and patience. But the loyalty you build? It’s worth it.
It’s a long-term investment, not a quick win. And I think that’s what makes it sustainable.
When I was asked what type of business vibe marketing serves best, I said competitive markets. And honestly? We’re living proof of that.
Digital marketing agencies are everywhere. It’s one of the most crowded, competitive markets there is these days.
And I think in crowded markets, the answer isn’t to shout louder than everyone else. It’s to speak more clearly to the right people.
Differentiate yourself. Own what sets you apart. Own your “vibe”.
You’ll alienate some people for sure. But you’ll connect deeply with the ones who matter.
The company Liquid Death is a good example of this. Water is everywhere, yet they built a billion-dollar company. They’re intentionally targeting a very specific type of customer and fully committing to a vibe that appeals to them.
Our Vibe: It Starts With the Name
Let me share what Sanctuary actually means to us.
The definition of a Sanctuary is a place of refuge. A sheltered, protected place removed from the harsh realities of the world. A place where you can feel safe and work without anxiety or fear of failure. A person you trust.
That’s not marketing copy for us. That’s what we genuinely try to be.
And it appeals to a specific type of client. Someone who needs a trusted partner. A safe place. A real, hands-on approach that can be seen and felt. Someone who’s either been burned before by agencies that overpromised and underdelivered, or someone who just really needs to trust the specialists they’re working with.
Trust is part of the equation for our clients. They need to know we’re verified with real results and real history. We’ve been doing this since 2006. That’s not flashy, but it matters.
But there’s more to it than just trust.
Our clients are busy. Really busy. They need help and guidance with marketing and growing their business. That’s the bottom line. And we provide a strategy to do that using digital marketing.
We literally want to be a Sanctuary for our clients. Not just in name, but in practice. And we try to make every action flow from that promise.
We don’t look like a typical digital marketing agency.
And that’s intentional.
Most agencies in our space go glossy and technical. Sleek blues and grays. Generic stock photos of people in suits pointing at screens. Everything is polished to a high shine.
We’re headed in a different direction.
Our brand colors are orange and gold. Warm beiges and browns. Even black, used thoughtfully. We use images of wood grain and leaves. Natural textures. Organic elements.
Our logo is a hand-drawn circle—connection, collaboration, partnership. The strokes look like a yin-yang symbol. Two forces (our team and yours) are working together as one.
We mix handwritten fonts with clean, modern typography. Some of our design elements are almost artsy, messy brush strokes, hand-drawn. We choose warmth over polish. Real over sterile and technical.
Why? Because when you look at our website or our materials, we hope you feel something different than you’d feel looking at a typical agency. We hope we feel approachable, human, and real. We are an actual team of people, not a faceless corporation executing “deliverables.”
Our visual identity isn’t about looking expensive or high-tech. It’s about feeling like a refuge. A place that’s safe and with real experts who care deeply.
And we show you our people. Intentionally.
Go to most agency websites and you’ll see stock photos. Maybe a generic “leadership” page if you dig deep enough.
We do it differently.
Our people are front and center. Real photos. Names. Faces. Descriptions. Family Photos. The actual humans you’ll work with.
We share behind-the-scenes glimpses of how we work: Our team solving problems together, how we approach strategy, the real humans doing the actual work. We also show our team having fun and even being silly. Because this is what real humans do.
Why does this matter?
Because we’ve found that the clients who resonate with us want to work with real people, not a faceless brand. They want to know who’s on their team. They want to see the faces of the people solving their problems. They need and want that human connection.
When you’ve been burned by an agency before, or when you’re putting your trust in someone to help grow your business, you need to know there are real people on the other side. People who care. People who show up.
Our team is part of our vibe. Their expertise, creativity, and dedication to being helpful and human, and that’s what makes Sanctuary actually feel like a sanctuary.
We’re not hiding behind a corporate facade. We’re right here. Real people. And for clients who need trust in the equation, that matters.
We’ve worked to understand who we’re for.
We’ve spent years trying to understand our ideal clients. Not just what they do, but what keeps them up at night.
Marketing managers who are drowning in complex tactics but starving for real strategy and support. They need a partner who can help them build something sustainable, not just execute random, isolated tactics.
Many of our clients are overwhelmed. They know marketing matters, but they don’t have the time, resources, or expertise to do it well. They need guidance. They need execution. They need someone who pursues their revenue goals alongside them.
We’ve watched these struggles firsthand. And we’ve tried to design everything we do to address these specific problems.
This all comes together as our “vibe,” and it’s intentional.
We’ve learned we can’t help everyone.
We’ve turned down clients. We’ve even ended relationships when it became clear we weren’t the right fit. We have a relatively long list of business types that we can’t help.
Why? Because we’ve found we can only create real impact when we’re working with the right people on the right problems.
This isn’t about being exclusive. It’s about being honest. We know who we can help and how we can help them. And we’ve become more comfortable letting go.
We try to build with bricks.
Everything we create, we hope is a brick.
Our Academy with free content? Bricks.
Our social media posts? Bricks.
Case studies showing real revenue growth? Bricks.
This blog post? A brick.
We hope each one is drenched in our “vibe” so it all builds trust, demonstrates what we know, and creates momentum with people who connect with our approach.
We’re not chasing viral moments. We’re trying to build something that lasts.
The Hard Parts (And There Are Some)
The interviewer asked me about challenges with vibe marketing. Here’s what I shared:
Consistency is everything. Success takes commitment. It’s easy to lose patience. We’ve been at this for nearly 20 years, and staying consistent still requires discipline.
It’s hard to measure. You have to believe in it even when the metrics aren’t immediately obvious. People want results now. We try to show value by presenting real data and being transparent about what’s working and what’s not. But it requires faith in the long game.
If it feels forced, it backfires. “Being real” is trendy right now, and I think people can tell when it’s not genuine.
We try not to force it. Being helpful, human, and honest isn’t a tactic for us. It’s in our values: “Always Be Honorable.” “Be Selfless.” “We Are Sanctuary.”
But living your values consistently? That’s harder than it sounds.
Who We Hope We’re Right For
We work with established businesses in competitive markets that face specific challenges:
- You want to grow your organizing using digital marketing
- You’re tired of agencies that are “jacks of all trades” that overpromise and underdeliver
- You’re drowning in tactics, but don’t have a real strategy
- You feel like just another account number
- You need trusted digital marketing experts to execute and get real results
We try to solve these problems by being different. By being a true partner. By pursuing your goals alongside our own. By being transparent about what’s working and what’s not. By delivering consistently with excellence to earn your trust.
Who We’re Probably Not Right For
We’re probably not the right fit for:
- People looking for quick fixes
- Companies trying to reach everyone everywhere
- Organizations measuring success only in vanity metrics
- Anyone wanting an order-taker instead of a strategic partner
And we’ve learned to be okay with that.
If You Want to Do This, Too…
The foundation of vibe marketing is understanding. Really, deeply understanding your target audience.
Spend time here. Get this right. Because everything else flows from this.
Once you have true clarity about who your people are and what they need, commit to being active only where they are. Speak their language. Create content that solves their actual problems. Embrace an image that appeals to them. Build experiences that resonate with their values.
Let go of the rest. Most companies can’t be everything to everyone, and that’s okay.
Start small. Be consistent. Study brands you admire. Experiment in ways that feel genuine.
But always come back to this: Do you really understand your target audience and their needs?
Three Takeaways
- Vibe marketing starts with truly understanding your target audience. Not just who they are, but what they need, what problems they face, and what keeps them up at night.
- Everything you do should be done because it appeals to your people. Treat your campaigns and content like bricks that build trust and relationships. Be patient. The loyalty you create compounds over time.
- Focus on the right people, not all people. When you try to appeal to everyone, you end up resonating with no one. Know who you’re for, be honest about who you’re not for, and be completely at peace with that.
If you’re reading this thinking, “Yes, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for”—if a refuge from marketing chaos, a partner who shows up, and sustainable growth built brick by brick sounds right—you might be our people.
We’re not for everyone.
But if we’re for you, we promise to be all in.
That’s our vibe. That’s Sanctuary.