All businesses need writing of some form-for advertisements, for websites, for company literature, for signs posted in the business’s place of operation, and so forth. Business owners know they can’t avoid using text, but what they can avoid are simple errors that can quickly tarnish their business’s reputation. The bad news: The following mistakes can undermine the hard work you put into your business. The good news: These mistakes can be easily avoided.
Spelling Mistakes
Let’s say you own a business that sells fluorescent light bulbs. Fluorescent is a tricky word, so it is commonly misspelled as flourescent or florescent. But just because many people misspell it doesn’t mean you, as someone who sells fluorescent bulbs, are allowed to make the same error. As a seller of these light bulbs, you want your customers to think that you are highly knowledgeable, even an authority, in the world of fluorescent light bulbs. Would an authority on this subject spell ‘fluorescent’ incorrectly? No.
Grammatical Errors
Some of the most common grammatical mistakes people make are incorrect punctuation; run-on sentences; sentence fragments; and subject/verb agreement (e.g. “I am,” not “I is” or “I are”). There seem to be three types of people when it comes to grammar. The first type, the “grammar freak,” cringes at the site of grammatical errors. The second type includes people who know most of the rules and can spot some mistakes, but they’re not as obsessive as the grammar freak. The third type includes those who either don’t know or just don’t care about the rules of grammar. None of these types are necessarily better than the others; people’s brains work in different ways. But the important thing to pick up here is this: Two out of three people could possibly be turned away from your business if they see a grammatical error in any text your business puts out there.
So what can you do to avoid making these costly mistakes?
1. Send everything through the proofreading and editing process. After you’ve written the first draft of anything, whether an advertisement, a letter to your customers, a new sign you’re putting in your lobby, or a company slogan, re-read it. Then read it again. And again. Make sure it is clearly saying what you want it to say. Then give it to a friend-or even better, multiple friends-and ask them to proofread it. Ask them if your message is clear. Ask them to point out any grammatical or spelling errors they see. Ask them if you should re-word anything. Once you get feedback from multiple sources, make any necessary revisions.
2. Do not rely on software tools that check spelling and grammar. Although these tools are often accurate, they are not always accurate. Go ahead and run these tools when you’ve finished writing your first draft-a few spelling and/or grammatical errors will probably be revealed. But these tools are not very suitable for checking context.
3. Consult a dictionary. Dictionaries don’t just give a word’s definition and correct spelling; they also offer examples of how to use the word. If you’re unsure of how a word should be used or spelled, open up your favorite dictionary or point your browser to one of the many online dictionaries out there.
4. Hire a copywriter. If writing just isn’t your thing, don’t worry-there are millions of people out there who love to write and are actually good at it. Spending a little money on something that is vital to your business is well worth it. If your business has a Web site, hiring a copywriter is even more beneficial since many copywriters have been trained in SEO (search engine optimization) writing. A Web site that contains SEO writing is going to show up in more search results, thus driving more traffic to your site.
No one is perfect, and mistakes will always be made. But when it comes to success, business owners need to take every precaution possible. Don’t let avoidable mistakes like spelling and grammar errors tarnish a great business.
Posted by thinklocal 
Posted by thinklocal 
Posted by thinklocal 