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Brand Guidelines: What are they, and why are they important?

Brand Guidelines: What are they, and why are they important?

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Written by Hannah O’Toole

Effective marketing is multi-faceted, relying on a number of different people, activities, and resources. However, no matter the size of the organisation, the budget, the objectives, or the timeframes, consistency is key to success. As such, your brand guidelines are the foundation on which all of your marketing activities should be built.

What are brand guidelines?

Put simply, brand guidelines govern how your business, services/products, and people are represented in everything that you do. They include rules for how the logo is used, the colours associated with your business, the types of images or videos published, and so much more. Each one helps to build the visual identity of your company and establish common themes across multiple marketing channels.

In addition to visual cues, your guidelines will help you to maintain a consistent tone of voice in all messaging. You can specify the type of vocabulary you would like to associate with the brand, as well as the emotional response you’re hoping to evoke in customers. This concept extends beyond digital or traditional marketing materials and can be incorporated into team induction or training events to ensure that the same brand consistency is reflected within all customer interactions.

Why are brand guidelines important?

First and foremost, there is a strong commercial case for maintaining brand consistency. Research suggests that coherent brand representation increases revenue by an average of 10-20%, reaching as high as 33% according to some sources.

This is partly because consistent messaging and design enables customers to recognise a brand with ease, reducing the number of touchpoints needed in the customer journey to convert. It also helps to build trust and loyalty over time, encouraging repeat business and increasing customer lifetime value. This is now more important than ever before, with consumers increasingly choosing to buy from brands they trust. Similar trends are forming in the B2B market, though further robust research is needed in the field.

Clearly defining what you want to say and how helps you to remain aligned with your company values, ethics, and goals. Brand guidelines ensure cohesive marketing materials and communications that accurately represent your business. This can be particularly useful when multiple employees, departments, or external agencies are collaborating, maintaining consistency even with several different parties creating assets.

Optimising your brand guidelines

Given the importance of consistency throughout your marketing, it is crucial to optimise your brand guidelines. Top tips include:

  • Understand and define your brand, positioning, values, and company mission.
  • Determine your target audience – you may need to create individual segments to target your marketing activities and maximise your budget.
  • Outline your desired aesthetic within brand style guidelines, including primary and secondary colours, fonts, types of images or animations.
  • Decide exactly how the logo should be used, including any rules regarding its size or spacing.
  • Define your tone of voice – should your brand be positive, supportive, or empathetic? Are there any specific words or phrases that resonate with your brand that you can include for clarity?
  • Create a protocol for how customer feedback/testimonials are used in marketing assets, as well as the process that should be followed to obtain their permission, where relevant.
  • Several brand guideline templates are available online or from marketing experts which can provide an excellent place to start.

Conclusion

Ultimately, brand guidelines are a comprehensive outline of your brand identity, including visual, verbal, and behavioural protocols. They should be applied to all marketing materials and channels to help shape and strengthen how the business is represented, build customer trust, and optimise operational efficiency across multi-departmental teams.

For expert support in assessing, rebuilding, or strengthening your brand, We Do Marketing offers comprehensive services designed specifically to your needs. We can provide a branding-focused workshop or deliver a full range of marketing services to establish meaningful brand guidelines and help you implement them with maximum impact. Find out more or contact the team today at https://wedomarketing.co.uk/contact/.

Written by Hannah O’Toole

Social Media Marketing Manager

Her day-to-day role at We Do Marketing consists of Social Media Management, Content Creation, Campaign Generation and Digital Marketing. She has worked in Marketing for the past 14 years, in many different countries and across a variety of industries. She has gained broad knowledge in all aspects of Marketing, from long term strategy and marketing plan to social media campaigns and content creation.

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Written by
Hannah O’Toole

Social Media Marketing Manager

Her day-to-day role at We Do Marketing consists of Social Media Management, Content Creation, Campaign Generation and Digital Marketing. She has worked in Marketing for the past 14 years, in many different countries and across a variety of industries. She has gained broad knowledge in all aspects of Marketing, from long term strategy and marketing plan to social media campaigns and content creation.

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Flying Iguana

Designing high quality branding to match a high quality service 

Flying Iguana

A Marketing Guide for Directors

A Marketing Guide for Directors

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Written by Hannah O’Toole

Introduction

For most Directors, the word marketing can be a difficult topic. On one hand, you know it’s the engine of growth; on the other, it can feel like a line item on the P&L that asks for too much. When the board asks about ROI, they aren’t looking for click-through rates or social engagement, they’re looking for a clear line of sight between marketing spend and return on investment. This can put Director’s into a tricky position.

The reality is that in today’s landscape, marketing isn’t just a department; it is your business’s most powerful tool for growth.

It’s time to move the conversation away from what marketing costs, and toward what it builds. This guide is designed to remove the jargon and provide a high-level framework for Directors to evaluate, manage, and maximise their marketing investment.

Let’s get started.

Aligning Marketing with your Business Goals

A common pitfall for many organisations is treating marketing as a separate activity, detached from the broader growth of the business.

To a Director, a campaign is only successful if it actively services the long term business plan and reflects positively on the profit and loss statement. This alignment requires a move away from “marketing for the sake of marketing” and toward a model where your marketing investment and resources are mapped against specific commercial milestones.

This is the first step that a Director needs to consider when looking at their marketing. Some examples of these milestones could be increasing market share in a new territory or driving up the average contract value.

Once your marketing is aligned with the overall business goals, you can then start looking at how to effectively measure this and present this back to the board in a way that is meaningful to them.

The Metrics That Matter

Strategic marketing is not one-size-fits-all; the metrics you track must be a direct reflection of your specific business goals. If your goal is immediate growth, then conversions and cost of conversions will be your main focus . However, if your goal is long-term market leadership, then reach and brand awareness become your most critical metrics.

As a Director, your role is to define which metrics are the most meaningful for your organisation at its current stage of evolution. However, these are not static benchmarks. As your business goals shift, your focus must evolve in tandem. Reviewing these priorities regularly ensures that your team isn’t just busy, but is strategically aligned with the shifting needs of the business.

Managing Your Marketing Resources

One of the most critical decisions a Director will face is how to resource their marketing activities. Strategic resource management isn’t just about filling seats; it’s about ensuring you have the right mix of high-level strategy and technical execution to meet your goals.
There are three primary models for resourcing for marketing functions, each with its own strategic trade-offs:

  • The In-House Team: This offers deep brand immersion and immediate proximity. However, the challenge for many Directors is the talent gaps and finding one person or team who are skilled to cover the wide variety of marketing activities such as social media management, web design, graphic design and SEO.
  • The Agency Partnership: This provides an immediate department of specialists. It allows you to tap into a broader collective intelligence and sophisticated toolsets that are often cost-prohibitive to own in-house. It’s a model built for scalability and high-level accountability.
  • The Hybrid Model: Many of the most successful organisations use a lean internal team to manage brand culture, while partnering with an agency for strategy, execution, data analysis, and specialised performance marketing.

As a Director, your focus should be on agility. Your marketing resource must be able to pivot as fast as the market does. Regardless of how you choose to source your marketing team, it is important to ensure that your marketing department is a scalable asset, not a fixed overhead that limits your flexibility.

At We Do Marketing, we don’t believe in a rigid, one-size-fits-all delivery model. We operate as a Chartered Marketer-led extension of your boardroom, providing the high-level strategy and technical execution required to get your marketing operations moving.

Depending on your current infrastructure, we offer two primary routes to growth:

  • The Fully Outsourced Marketing Department: For many organisations, the most efficient route is to let us take the wheel. We integrate into your business as your dedicated marketing team, handling everything from high-level strategic planning to daily execution.
  • The Hybrid Support Model: If you already have internal marketing resources but are finding talent gaps in your team, we provide the strategic layer and specialist support to elevate their output.

Conclusion

For most Directors, marketing can be a tricky business function to navigate. Marketing is either a drain on your resources or the driver of your growth. For the proactive Director, our guide is simple:

Align your investment with your commercial goals and build a resource model that can scale with your ambitions.

At We Do Marketing, we help Directors to focus on the areas that deliver the results they are seeking. Whether you need a fully outsourced department to take over or a strategic partner to elevate your internal team, we provide the Chartered-level expertise to make it happen.

Is your marketing strategy ready to deliver long term success? Book a free consultation with us today, and let’s start planning for your success together. 

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Written by Hannah O’Toole

Social Media Marketing Manager

Her day-to-day role at We Do Marketing consists of Social Media Management, Content Creation, Campaign Generation and Digital Marketing. She has worked in Marketing for the past 14 years, in many different countries and across a variety of industries. She has gained broad knowledge in all aspects of Marketing, from long term strategy and marketing plan to social media campaigns and content creation.

Get In Touch

Written by
Hannah O’Toole

Social Media Marketing Manager

Her day-to-day role at We Do Marketing consists of Social Media Management, Content Creation, Campaign Generation and Digital Marketing. She has worked in Marketing for the past 14 years, in many different countries and across a variety of industries. She has gained broad knowledge in all aspects of Marketing, from long term strategy and marketing plan to social media campaigns and content creation.

Get In Touch
7 Must-Have’s For AI Search Visibility

7 Must-Have’s For AI Search Visibility

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ai search visibility

Written by Denham Thompson

Search is Changing

AI isn’t going anywhere, and every day more and more people use it for searching, like they would a search engine. And this means organic clicks will go down. So what do we do about it?

“Gartner Predicts Search Engine Volume Will Drop 25% by 2026, Due to AI Chatbots and Other Virtual Agents.”

Gartner

The way humans and AI interact is more human than it is AI, as AI tries its hardest to understand human behaviour. And in turn AI platforms respond and provide data to users in the clearest way possible.

So, in order to increase your AI search visibility, you need to allow AI to fully understand your website and webpages in an efficient way. Most frontend techniques are aimed at how easy it is for the user to consume the information you are giving them. AI platforms will recognise that, and reward you for it.

SEO Foundation

Before implementing AI search visibility techniques, you should ensure your website’s SEO is in order. AI search tools rely heavily on search indexes, like Bing or Google to find information.

  • Crawlability: If search bots can’t crawl your site, AI assistants won’t know you exist.
  • Sitemap: Ensure your robots.txt is optimised and your XML sitemaps are up to date.
  • Backlinks & Authority: High-quality backlinks act as great trust signals.
  • Technical Health: Fast load times, mobile-friendliness, and security (HTTPS) remain basic requirements.

Once your technical foundation is solid, it’s time to optimise for AI.

1: Modular Structure

AI systems will always break down information in chunks, so it will do the same for your website. H1 & H2 titles act as a dividing line between two pieces of content. Your H1, meta title, and meta description should all align to the same topic or subject. This sends a strong signal to AI, telling it what the actual purpose of the page is. Here are some tips:

  • Meta Titles: Keep your titles clear and inline with the search intent of the page.
  • Meta Description: Avoid keyword stuffing. Clearly state the value or outcome of the page.
  • Headings: Don’t go for simple headings like “Features” or “Learn More”. Use more descriptive language. “5 Benefits of This Product” is great as it tells the AI there’s 5 benefits or features to this particular product. By using a more positive word like benefits instead of just the standard “features” you set a persuasive tone that highlights the page’s value rather than just listing dry facts. It also makes the content much more engaging for your human readers.

2: Content & User Intent

User intent is about what your users’ motivations are when they ask AI a question or run a search on Google. And you have to match that intent in your content.

Think about how people speak to AI compared to traditional search engines. They don’t just type a few fragmented keywords like “best SEO software”; they ask conversational, highly specific questions like, “What is the best SEO software for a small e-commerce business looking to improve local reach?”

To capture this visibility, your content needs to be deeply conversational and comprehensive. Anticipate the “why” and “how” behind a user’s query. If you are writing a guide, ensure it answers the core question immediately, but also addresses the natural follow-up questions a user might have.

3: Clarity Is Key

AI models, specifically Large Language Models (LLMs), rely heavily on Natural Language Processing (NLP) to parse and understand your content. If your writing is bogged down by industry jargon, overly complex sentence structures, or unnecessary fluff, the AI will struggle to extract the core value of your page.

Write in clear, plain language. Use the active voice to make your points direct and authoritative. The simpler it is for a human to read and comprehend your content, the easier it is for an AI to digest it, summarise it, and present it as the definitive answer to a user’s prompt.

4: Snippability

Blogs and articles are used to educate your audience. But they can also be an opportunity to get snippable content that then links back to your website as a source.

How can you accomplish this?

  1. Find articles on your website that are asking a specific question
  2. Underneath the blog title there should be; who wrote it (link to author page), and the date it was published
  3. Then your first piece of content should immediately answer the question asked in the title

The above will definitely increase your chances of getting snipped and sourced.

ai search visibility

5: Customised Schema

Schema markup (or structured data) is essentially a direct translation layer for AI. While AI is smart enough to read text, schema tells it exactly what that text represents without any guesswork.

Implementing customised schema, like FAQ, Article, How-To, Product, or Organisation schema, organises your data into a neat format. When an AI tool is pulling together an answer, a page with rich, customised schema is much more likely to be used as a primary source because the data is already categorised and verified by the website owner.

Home Page Schema Example:

    <script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "WebSite",
      "@id": "https://www.example.com/#website",
      "url": "https://www.example.com/",
      "name": "Example Company",
      "alternateName": "ExampleCorp",
      "description": "Your go-to source for industry-leading products and services.",
      "potentialAction": {
        "@type": "SearchAction",
        "target": {
          "@type": "EntryPoint",
          "urlTemplate": "https://www.example.com/search?q={search_term_string}"
        },
        "query-input": "required name=search_term_string"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Organization",
      "@id": "https://www.example.com/#organization",
      "name": "Example Company",
      "url": "https://www.example.com/",
      "logo": {
        "@type": "ImageObject",
        "url": "https://www.example.com/assets/logo.png",
        "width": 500,
        "height": 500
      },
      "contactPoint": {
        "@type": "ContactPoint",
        "telephone": "+4412227 742468",
        "contactType": "customer service",
        "areaServed": "UK",
        "availableLanguage": "English"
      },
      "sameAs": [
        "https://www.facebook.com/example",
        "https://twitter.com/example",
        "https://www.linkedin.com/company/example",
        "https://www.instagram.com/example"
      ]
    }
  ]
}
</script>

6: Format and Punctuation

It isn’t just about what you say; it’s about how it looks on the page. Formatting is crucial for AI extraction. Walls of text are difficult for both humans and bots to process.

Use bullet points, numbered lists, and data tables wherever applicable. AI models love extracting data from tables because the relationship between the data points is inherently structured. Proper punctuation ensures that NLP algorithms don’t misinterpret where one thought ends and another begins. Clean grammar and logical formatting create a frictionless experience for AI crawlers.

7: Hidden Data

AI visibility isn’t limited to the text on the page; it extends to the data living behind the scenes. This includes elements typically associated with web accessibility.

  • Alt Text: AI vision models are becoming standard in search. Highly descriptive alt text allows AI to “see” your images and serve them in multimodal search results.
  • Aria Labels: Ensure interactive elements on your site are properly tagged so AI understands site navigation and structure.
  • File Names: Before uploading an image or PDF, name it descriptively (e.g., “ai-search-visibility-graph.jpg” instead of “IMG_0945.jpg”).

When you optimise the hidden data, you provide a 360-degree context for AI, ensuring no valuable information is left unread.

Is your website, or business AI-ready?

If you haven’t made any adjustments to your website, and are unsure of where to start, reach out to our team:

Written by Denham Thompson

Web Developer & SEO Manager

Denham maintains and updates our current clients’ websites, as well as designing and developing brand new professional sites for new clients and their businesses. Something you need to know about Denham is that all of his web development skills are self taught from the age of 15 – that’s 11 years experience working with clients in varying industries!

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Written by
Denham Thompson

Web Developer & SEO Manager

Denham maintains and updates our current clients’ websites, as well as designing and developing brand new professional sites for new clients and their businesses. Something you need to know about Denham is that all of his web development skills are self taught from the age of 15 – that’s 11 years experience working with clients in varying industries!

Get In Touch

RS French

A 55-Page Construction Website Set Up For Success 

RS French Ltd

Red Button Telecare

Fueling marketing that helps Red Button deliver peace of mind

Red Button Telecare

Harbour Coffee Co Folkestone

+92% Increase in Sales Through Web, Social Media Ad & Email Campaigns

Harbour Coffee Co

The Woodfire Kitchen

300% Increase in Website Traffic After a Single Influencer Event

The Woodfire Kitchen

Designer Bed Co

Over 200k Views From Social Media Advertising in 12 Months

Designer Bed Co

Director’s Conversion Sprint Webinars

Director’s Conversion Sprint Webinars

“Driven by our mission to make marketing accessible to all and to foster marketing excellence everywhere, we’ve created an ongoing programme of expert-led webinars to help you to raise your marketing game.”

– Lydia McKeown, Marketing Director

Run campaigns, build websites, and design for results, short-term, high-impact marketing projects that convert

The Conversion Sprint comprises 6 hands-on webinar sessions for directors and senior marketing decision-makers. Each session shows how to plan and run projects that actually get results, whether that’s generating leads, improving conversions on your website, or designing campaigns that drive action.

You’ll see how to prioritise projects, make decisions that maximise ROI, and take projects from concept to measurable business impact. Plus, our decision tool will show you exactly where to focus your efforts for the biggest return.

SessionDateRegister
Campaigns That Convert – with Ellie: Learn how to plan and run marketing campaigns that generate leads, sales, or engagement. Discover what makes a project high-impact and how to structure it to deliver measurable results quickly.04/02/26Watch
Websites Built to Deliver – with Denham: Build future-proof websites that stay relevant, are easy to update, and turn visitors into customers. Practical advice for directors overseeing website projects that need to perform.04/03/26Watch
Marketing That Creates Measurable Value- with Lydia: This session is ideal for business leaders, marketing managers, and anyone looking to maximise marketing impact while staying true to their values.01/04/26Watch
Prioritising Projects for Maximum Impact – with Lydia: Use our decision method to identify which marketing projects will deliver the best ROI for your budget. Directors will learn how to justify project spend and focus resources effectively.06/05/26Watch
Optimising for Conversions – with Hannah: Focus on what actually drives results – leads, sales, or sign-ups, and learn how to structure campaigns, websites, and design to maximise impact. Practical tips for immediate implementation.03/06/26Watch
Scaling Up – with Lydia: Turn successful high-conversion projects into larger initiatives. Learn how to build on wins, secure further budget, and expand marketing impact across your business.01/07/26Register
Design That Drives Action – with Becca: Practical guidance on visuals, layout, and messaging to increase conversions. See how small design decisions can have a big impact on campaign and website performance.05/08/26Register

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Live Project Clinic:

Bring a campaign, website, or design challenge and get practical feedback on how to increase conversions and ROI.

Apply the learnings directly to your own projects.

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