If these two men both arrived for a job interview who would you hire?
It’s a no brainer really. You’d hire the one on the left. Why? Because presentation matters, and the way we present ourselves determines how we are judged and perceived by others.
Not only is this relevant on a personal level, but presentation matters greatly on a business and corporate level too.
Do you have bad grammar or typos on your company’s website? This is what it says about your brand:
Poor attention to detail
If you let typos slip into your online copy, it’s clear that it hasn’t been adequately proofed. This shows a lack of care, and an inability to pay attention to detail. Mistakes in your work, no matter how small, allow the customer to question the quality of other products and services offered by your company.
Amateur
A strong brand image is built on credibility and trust. A strong brand must be presented as a leader in its respective field. If your website or advertising material is riddled with grammatical errors, you don’t come across as an expert, you come across as an industry imposter who skipped high school English.
Unprofessional and sloppy
Grammar mistakes and typos, regardless of how big or small they are, give the impression that you don’t care. A brand that doesn’t care about its image is both unprofessional and a risky business prospect. Whilst having sloppy language skills doesn’t necessarily make you a sloppy businessman, that is the brand image you are portraying.
Lack of communication skills
English is tricky…you can read more about that here, so if you struggle with your their, there, and they’re, seek help. After all, an inability to effectively communicate via your carefully curated website, translates into a perceived incompetence to communicate in other mediums. A public perception of poor communication skills will certainly lead to brand damage.
So, we’ve established that bad grammar equals bad business. Now, what can you do to fix it?
Use spellcheck!
Whilst some errors can slip through undetected, spell check is a god-send, and makes your job of proof-reading a lot easier! It’s important that spellcheck isn’t your only proofing tool, but it’s a good start.
Have a second set of eyes proof read
After spending what feels like an eternity staring at the screen, your brain can easily skip over typed errors – especially when you’re the one who typed them. That’s why it’s vital to have a second person with fresh eyes proofread your copy. Guaranteed mistakes will jump out for them in a way they won’t for you.
Hire a professional
If you can’t give writing professional copy the time and dedication it requires, why not hire a copywriter? Copywriters are trained in writing copy for marketing and branding purposes, and their eagle eyes can easily weed out any pesky grammatical errors. With something as important as brand image and establishing a positive online presence, maybe leaving it to the professionals really is the smartest choice.
A lot of time and effort is spent curating a brand image and website. Don’t let people perceive your business as sloppy due to a few silly and avoidable mistakes. Yes, bad grammar does equal bad business, so remember to dot all your Is and cross your Ts, and don’t let your brand suffer due to poorly-proofed copy.
– Bec