Here’s something I see all the time: A business brings on a new marketer or agency, hands them the old brand guidelines, and says, “Go for it.”

The problem? Those guidelines were created three years ago and in that time, the business has pivoted its services, changed pricing, and started targeting a slightly different audience. Everyone close to the business knows this because they live it every day. But the new hire doesn’t.

So they create content based on an outdated picture of the business. Cue: frustration, rewrites, and wasted money.

Why this happens

The longer you’ve been in business, the more “assumed knowledge” you accumulate. You know the subtle shifts you’ve made, but you rarely capture them in writing. What starts as “just in my head” becomes the silent reason why no one else can market your business the way you can.

That’s why refreshing your messaging strategy is so powerful.

What a refresh actually looks like

A messaging refresh doesn’t always mean tearing everything up and starting again. Sometimes it’s as simple as updating:

• Service descriptions (if you’ve restructured or repriced)
  
• Value statements (to better reflect your expertise now)
  
• Brand themes (to make sure you’re known for the right things)

Other times, it means revisiting the whole document so your team has a clear, current roadmap.

For my clients with teams, I usually recommend building messaging reviews into your planning cycle. Every 6–12 months, pull out the document and ask: “Does this still reflect who we are, who we serve, and how we work?”

If nothing’s changed, great. But often, you’ll notice small shifts that make a big difference when captured and shared.

The ripple effect of clarity

With an up-to-date messaging strategy, you’ll find:

• New hires ramp faster and “get it” without endless back-and-forth
  
• External agencies produce work that actually sounds like you
  
• Your marketing feels more consistent across every channel
  

It’s one of those simple investments that saves time, money, and energy across the board.

So if you’ve been frustrated by marketing that doesn’t quite hit the mark, ask yourself: when was the last time we updated our messaging?

This article was inspired by my conversation with Paula Maidens on the Big Dreams, Great Teams podcast. You can listen to the full episode here.