Lars Silberbauer

Creating an innovative brand hinges on daring to stand out, inspired by Rick Rubin's belief that "The best art divides the audience." Begin with a distinct value proposition and an in-depth understanding of your audience. Your brand's identity and narrative should boldly reflect your unique approach. Offer groundbreaking products or services, engage your audience creatively online, and deliver unparalleled customer experiences. Stay flexible to adapt and grow, while fostering a supportive community. Continuous creativity and the willingness to be distinctively different are crucial. Embrace the courage to divide opinion, as true innovation often requires challenging the status quo.

Brand Guidelines Should Be Redefined as Brand Rules. It's a common experience among brand leaders to witness their brand's essence being compromised in local adaptations. There's often a myriad of excuses for why consistency in brand implementation isn't feasible. However, the truth is that the similarities across markets often outweigh the differences. If your brand is meticulously crafted and rooted in universal human insights, your 'Brand Rules' should emphasize these shared elements, ensuring a cohesive brand identity globally.

Defining your brand position should be the starting point and not 'what else to consider'. In any B2C company the brand positioning should be the starting point as it isn't just a marketing tactic; it's the core of your business strategy. It's about carving out a distinct identity, a clear direction that is guiding your customers to your brand and products. This isn't about just being different; it's about being bold and unapologetically you. When that is defined, then proceed to the execution and make sure that every touchpoint, every interaction, every narrative is an opportunity to assert your unique space in the customer's mind.

To create an outstanding brand strategy, the 'DELETE' key emerges as an unsung hero. It's not about the quantity of content or stretching out a strategy to cover every conceivable base. Instead, it's about distilling a brand's message down to its most potent form. This approach requires a ruthless editorial eye, one that's unafraid to slash and burn the mundane and expected. Bloated strategies padded with marketing jargon and redundant messaging are of yesterday. The art of creating an impactful brand strategy is learning what NOT to say. It's about honing in on what truly matters, carving out a brand's essence, and delivering it in a way that's uncluttered and unmistakable. The 'DELETE' button isn't just a tool; it's a strategic ally.

First and foremost, use your team to listen, publish and engage with your consumers and fans. Too many companies are jumping too fast onto platforms instead of doing the basics. When that is done, the Sprout Social, Khoros or Sprinklr would be my recommendation for larger companies with lots of markets to manage. These are fairly expensive, so smaller companies might be happier with HootSuite or Social Pilot. For B2B and lead generation, I would recommend HubSpot, it's quite good and priced fairly.