Running a business is rarely about sitting still. You're hopping between meetings, fielding client calls, juggling financials, and trying to keep the wheels turning without losing your grip on the steering wheel. Somewhere in that swirl, your marketing materials—those brochures, newsletters, emails, pitch decks—start to age like unrefrigerated milk. You know they need help, but the last thing you want is another bloated list of generic advice. What you really need is a lean, honest approach to freshening things up without derailing your day.

Start by Slashing, Not Adding

The most common mistake business owners make with marketing content is thinking they need more of it. More pages, more bullet points, more buzzwords. But more rarely equals better. What your materials probably need isn’t expansion, but editing. Cut the fluff, shrink the paragraphs, and make every sentence earn its place. You’re not writing a novel—you’re trying to keep someone’s attention for the 18 seconds they’re willing to give you. The less you say, the more they’ll hear.

Outdated Fonts Are Louder Than You Think

There’s something quietly off-putting about a brochure or storefront sign using a font that feels like it was last updated during the dial-up era. Even if your message is sharp, a dated typeface can drag the whole thing down, signaling that you haven’t evolved—or worse, that you don’t care. It’s a subtle disconnect, but one that creates a ripple effect through your branding, especially if the rest of your materials have a more modern edge. To get started, try using online font-matching tools that make it surprisingly easy to pinpoint tired typography and find replacements that align with your current voice.

Write Like You Talk, Not Like You Pitch

Too many business owners write their copy like they’re auditioning for an infomercial. All caps, exclamation points, “synergy” this and “leverage” that. Nobody talks like that at lunch, and if they do, nobody invites them back. You don’t have to be overly clever or chatty, but your voice should sound like someone a customer could trust. Read your copy out loud. If it feels awkward in your mouth, it’s going to feel even worse in someone else’s inbox.

Photos Should Feel Lived-In, Not Staged

Visuals still do most of the heavy lifting, but there's a huge gap between what looks polished and what looks real. Stock photos of people shaking hands or staring at whiteboards scream “template.” Instead, look for imagery that feels grounded in your actual work—behind-the-scenes shots, real customers, even a well-composed photo of your workspace. Busy owners don’t always have time for a full brand shoot, but one authentic image can speak louder than a dozen generic ones.

Lean Into Testimonials—but Make Them Uncomfortable

Yes, testimonials work. No, they shouldn't all sound like five-star Yelp reviews. If you want them to land with real weight, they need to feel honest—sometimes even a little raw. Don’t just ask for a “great experience” quote. Ask your customers what made them hesitant to work with you at first, what surprised them, or what changed in their business after your help. That kind of tension creates a story. Stories stick. Flattery fades.

Use One Call to Action. No, Seriously. One.

If your brochure, email, or landing page ends with four buttons—“Contact Us,” “Download Now,” “Learn More,” “Schedule a Demo”—you’ve already lost. A busy person scanning your content should know exactly what the next step is and why it matters. Make it singular, clear, and connected to the rest of the piece. Trying to be everything to everyone just makes your message feel like white noise. Be direct. Tell them what to do. Then get out of the way.

Audit Quarterly, Not Yearly

Let’s be honest: marketing materials rarely get revisited until there’s a rebrand, a crisis, or an intern with free time. But like anything in your business, they age. Fast. Schedule a recurring calendar reminder once every three months to look over your core materials. That might be your homepage, your sales PDF, your email welcome sequence—whatever gets in front of people most. Ask yourself: does this still reflect who we are? Does this sound like us? If not, tweak. You don’t need a full overhaul, just enough to keep things breathing.

You don’t need to outsource your entire marketing game to stay fresh. You just need to stay in touch with the feel of it. Marketing materials aren’t meant to be museum pieces—they should evolve with your business. The key is to not let perfectionism stall you. Make the small change now. Tighten a sentence. Swap an image. Cut a paragraph. That five-minute tweak may not seem like much today, but it’s how good marketing stays alive in a busy business.