Create brand guidelines: Step 1 of the marketing loop

Marketing has changed. With AI now able to generate content at scale, and with prospective students (and their parents) consuming information across dozens of channels, your institution’s brand needs to be stronger and more consistent than ever before.

That’s why the first step of HubSpot’s new Loop playbook is Express - getting crystal clear on who you are, how you communicate, and how you show up in the world. For schools, colleges, and universities, this starts with a solid set of brand guidelines.

Why brand guidelines matter more than ever

In the past, you could rely on a handful of marketing campaigns and an admissions brochure to set the tone for your school. Today, your brand is expressed through:

Email campaigns and social posts
Website content and blogs
Admissions events and open days
Conversations with prospective students and parents
AI-generated content, if you’re starting to experiment with it

Without clear guidelines, your messaging can quickly become inconsistent, leaving your audience confused and your brand diluted. Worse still, if you are using AI tools without a defined “brand voice,” you risk producing content that feels robotic or “off-brand.”

Clear brand guidelines act as your north star. They ensure that whether it’s a social media update, a prospectus, or an AI-drafted email, your audience always recognises and trusts your institution’s voice.

What to include in your brand guidelines

When we help schools and colleges develop guidelines, we recommend covering five essentials:

Ideal Customer Profile (ICP): Who are you speaking to? For an independent school, that might be parents weighing up several options. For a college, it might be prospective students exploring different pathways. Knowing your ICP keeps your communications relevant and focused.
Voice and Tone: Define the style of your communications. Should your tone be formal and authoritative, warm and supportive, or a mix depending on the channel? This helps staff, agencies, and even AI tools stay consistent.
Visual Identity: Logos, colours, fonts, and photography styles - all the design choices that make your school recognisable.
Messaging Principles: A set of rules for how you communicate. For example:
- Be clear and jargon-free
- Always focus on student outcomes
- Lead with empathy and trust
AI Style Guidance: This is new, but essential. As marketing shifts into the AI era, create a “style guide for AI” so that prompts and outputs reflect your school’s brand. This should cover clarity, voice, and even “what not to do”.

Practical steps to create your guidelines

If your school or college doesn’t yet have a full set of brand guidelines, or if they’re due a refresh - here’s a simple process:

Gather input: Bring together voices from marketing, admissions, and leadership.
Define principles: Agree on what your institution stands for and how it wants to be seen.
Document examples: Show “on-brand” vs. “off-brand” messaging so that staff know the difference.
Think AI-first: Don’t just write guidelines for humans. Write them so that AI tools can also follow them.

Bringing guidelines to life

Brand guidelines shouldn’t sit in a PDF on a shared drive. They should be used every day:

Share them widely with staff, agencies, and contractors.
Apply them to all channels - from emails to event collateral.
Test your content: is it reaching the right audience? Does it “sound” like you?
Review and update regularly as your brand evolves.

When used well, brand guidelines help every team member, from admissions officers to marketing managers, feel confident that what they produce strengthens your school’s reputation.

Getting started with HubGem

At HubGem, we work with schools, colleges, and universities to help them express their brand clearly and consistently, building the foundation for long-term marketing success. As part of our marketing strategy services, we help education organisations:

Define their ICPs
Create brand and style guides (including AI-ready voice and tone)
Apply these guidelines across admissions and marketing

Because once you’ve nailed Express, you’re ready for the next stages of the Loop: Tailor, Amplify, and Evolve.

Ready to define your brand?

If you’d like support creating AI-ready brand guidelines that help your institution shine, get in touch with our team.

Final thought: By taking the time to “express” your brand clearly, you give every future campaign a solid foundation. This is where lasting differentiation begins - and where your Loop really starts to gain momentum.

Amy Martos

A Senior Marketing Executive at HubGem. I’ve been part of the team since October 2023. I began as a Marketing Executive and quickly progressed into my current role, fuelled by my passion for business and marketing and my ability to hit the ground running. With a degree in Business & Marketing and a background in sales and hospitality, I combine strategic expertise with a people-first approach. At HubGem, I play a key role in delivering a wide range of internal and external marketing initiatives, from campaigns and events to content creation and brand development. My focus is on driving engagement, raising awareness, and supporting the growth of our company while continuously expanding my own knowledge in a fast-paced, innovative environment. Outside of work, I’m a proud mum of two energetic boys. We love spending time outdoors, exploring nature, and making lasting memories together. Personal growth and wellbeing are also central to who I am, and I bring that same mindset of continuous learning and balance into my professional role.