There’s perhaps no greater line in the start-up world than John Doerr’s: “Ideas are easy. Execution is everything.” It’s true: the magic is in the doing, not in the knowing.

Here are some tips for executing your brand well in the early days of getting your brand off the ground.

Make your content a conversation, not a pursuit for perfection

A polished brand happens over time. Only a few brands, like Nike and Apple, can afford to agonize over every piece of copy, or have a team of designers make sure each pixel is perfect. Use your channels to optimize for volume and connection with your audience. It’s about consistently and earnestly trying to form a true bond and relationship with your early adopters, and learning about who you are for them. And honestly, if something flops or sucks, just delete it. The internet, in many ways, is wonderfully ephemeral.

Come up with three clearly defined content pillars and exhaust them

At the same time you can’t say everything and anything. You should really work to know your lanes and drive them really well. The rule of 3 works more often than not. Find the three areas or topics or avenues where your brand can really shine and go for it. It will help develop that consistent dialogue with the consumer. Your brand will start to stand for something (stand for something or stand for nothing). And it will reduce your team’s cognitive load.

Do routine audits across your platforms and your experience for tone and feel

Brand is really the sum total of a customer’s experience with your company. Make sure it all feels like the same person – from the first email in the drip campaign to the first SDR they talk with to the customer success materials. Consumers crave consistency and trust. You’ll be creating a lot of stuff quickly in your company: collateral, decks, sales scripts, social ads, etc. Routinely make sure it all feels like one voice.

Anoint a brand czar

If there isn’t an owner, who is going to drive accountability? We’re not saying hire a head of brand early on. In fact, don’t. We’re saying, find that person in the company who lives and breathes the brand and will be the best steward and guardian. You’ll be glad you did.