Let’s start with a true story. Back in the day, a colleague of mine (no, not me) decided to send out speculative letters to a list of about 100 potential customers. He’d taken the time to sign each individually, enclose a brochure and address each envelope by hand. What he didn’t do, however was check his spelling and grammar. Imagine, if you will, his embarrassment when one of the chosen 100 actually returned the letter with the grammar and spelling mistakes highlighted in red. (Oh, how I laughed. Quietly.)
Us copywriters get a bit paranoid when it comes to the final submission of a piece of work. The temptation is to check, check, sleep on it, check it again, tinker with it, go to the loo, worry, watch Loose Women and then just…re-write it and have a little re-read or two before sending it.
I guess our words are our bonds.
Everyone makes mistakes, even me and I’m perfect (ha ha ha ha ha hahahahaaa). What matters is being able to review what you’ve created with a critical eye and then make sure it’s in a tone or style that your audience will like. Don’t just bash out something and send it off as there will be mistakes therein, oh yes there will. Edit. Re-word, eliminate duplications. Turn it sideways, squint a bit and do that cat’s bum thing with your mouth. Do this anyway, it makes you look clever.
All of this matters because…
If you want to promote your business on-line, you need to get it right. Poor grammar and spelling = shoddy; shoddy = don’t care that much really; don’t care that much really = well, you’re getting the picture, I think.
Knowing about how words work helps us get our message across clearly and makes it that much more compelling.
NB: Search engines like clear, crisp spelling and grammar; they like relevant, original regularly updated content. More on this soon.
Finally, may I draw your attention to this:
http://naomihousephotography.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/malu-designperfect-wedding-stationary.html
The first person to tell me why this is sooooo wrong wins first prize: a date with me; the runner-up gets two nights out.
Sussex Copywriting Services prizes attention to detail above all else in life. For more information, call 01273 721 306
