The Brochure I Hoped They Wouldn’t Read

I remember the moment too clearly: I was speaking with a prospective client who'd just asked for a product brochure. 

As I promised to send it over, I said — half-laughing, half-apologising — "Ignore the old branding – it's from when we first launched."

The content was still technically correct. The product itself hadn't changed. But everything else had — the brand, the positioning, the messaging, the expectations.

And in that moment, I knew we'd lost a little bit of trust.

The Quiet Cost of "Good Enough for Now"

Most marketing and product teams aren't ignoring their content. They're just busy. Launching new features, supporting sales, putting out fires. Content gets pushed down the queue — not out of neglect, but out of necessity.

But here's the problem — your content is your brand, and the stand-in that speaks when you've left the room. When your decks, brochures or web pages look dated, vague, or misaligned, you're not just dealing with aesthetics. 

You're signalling drift — in quality, in priorities, in alignment.

And that doesn't go unnoticed.

Outdated Content Feels Like a Broken Promise

In high-trust industries such as FinTech, RegTech, cybersecurity, and SaaS, buyers are cautious to say the least. They're looking for red flags. Inconsistency is one of them.

When your sales team has to preface content with a disclaimer — "this is a bit old" or "the design's changed since then" — you're asking the prospect to give you the benefit of the doubt. To trust that the offer is solid, even if the messaging isn't.

It's a quiet friction. But it adds up.

Content Pride Matters

Beyond conversions and branding, there's also an internal cost: team pride. When your people aren't proud to share your materials, they hesitate. They make excuses. And that energy transfers — subtly, but unmistakably.

On the flip side, when your sales or success teams want to send the latest asset? That confidence is contagious. We couldn't send out new brochures quickly enough!

You Don't Need New — You Need Relevant

I'm not suggesting you need to rebrand immediately. Nor set an unrealistic content calendar refresh.

Sometimes, a single updated product page, one new case study, or a refreshed deck is all it takes to sharpen the story and restore trust.

The best content isn't the loudest. It's the clearest. The most aligned. The piece that says, "We know who we are, we know what we offer, and we haven't left the lights on in some far-flung corner of our website."

If You're Apologising for Your Content…

You're not alone. But it might be time to stop working around the problem — and start resolving it.

Because good content doesn't need an apology.

It just needs to reflect who you are today — not who you were when the product first shipped.