If it suddenly became compulsory to do a spelling, grammar and word-usage audit of your promotional materials, how would you score? As far as I know, the use of correct grammar and spelling hasn’t become optional. However, the number of errors I see on a daily basis, including those in respected newspapers and industry magazines, leaves me wondering when, as a society, we decided it just wasn’t important to check what we wrote before sending it out to the market!
Other areas of concern are the over use of industry jargon and acronyms. Try to use common words whenever possible and assume that your audience knows nothing! I’m not suggesting to ‘dumb down’ your copy to the point of becoming meaningless, but if you are using industry terms or acronyms that leave your reader wondering what you are talking about, then what chance do you have of them actually wanting to listen to what you have to say?
The task of producing and disseminating promotional material is a way to present yourself to a prospective customer in the hope of catching their attention and sparking interest in what you have to offer. If—like most businesses—you are competing in a heavily-serviced industry, then there isn’t room for these kinds of basic mistakes in your messages. Check everything that comes in contact with your current or potential customers—websites, emails, newsletters, brochures, signs, flyers, letters, invoices and statements.
Take care with:
- General spelling—make sure you are writing Australian English, not American
- Contractions and wrong word choice—common mistakes are made with your, you’re. there, their, they’re
- Relying on a spell-checker—it could be set to the wrong region and it’s grammar choices are not always correct
- Over use of capitals—only proper nouns deserve this distinction
- Incorrect use or lack of commas, full stops, colons, and semi-colons
- Overuse of acronyms
- Typos—there’s no excuse; check your copy and then check it again
- Meaningless language
- World class—compared to what? Australian class?
- Cutting edge—are you in the business of selling knives?
- Solution—we’re even guilty of this one!
- Best, number 1—according to whom?
- Next generation—what generation are we at right now?
- Very—does this little word really add value?
- Think outside the box—help, let me out!
Have one or two people read your copy before it is published on the internet or sent to print. Consider getting outside assistance if you aren’t confident with writing or if you don’t have anyone with the necessary skills to help. It can be difficult to get things right all of the time but— if you take the time and are conscious of your language—this attention to detail can make the difference between appearing like a professional or an amateur in your field.
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