{"id":309,"date":"2022-10-31T16:05:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-31T16:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/claydonleveret.co.uk\/?p=309"},"modified":"2024-02-10T01:46:30","modified_gmt":"2024-02-10T01:46:30","slug":"sloppy-copy-why-correct-spelling-grammar-and-punctuation-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/claydonleveret.co.uk\/index.php\/2022\/10\/31\/sloppy-copy-why-correct-spelling-grammar-and-punctuation-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"Sloppy copy: why correct spelling, grammar and punctuation matter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s Halloween today and in the spirit of the occasion, I\u2019m going to dive headfirst into something which gives me the shivers virtually every single day. Sloppy copy! That\u2019s right, bad spelling, punctuation and grammar are collectively the bane of my life and it makes scrolling through social media a scary experience for a word nerd. But does it really matter if you mix up peak and peek, or shove in an apostrophe when it\u2019s not needed? Let\u2019s take a closer look at sloppy copy in marketing\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I absolutely understand why sloppy copy happens.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My job , day in, day out, is to write words. I wouldn\u2019t do it if I didn\u2019t have at least a half decent grasp of English and I\u2019m learning more about the nuances of writing every single day. But what about people who run their own business and are carving out precious time to write content? There are lots of amazing business owners out there who are fantastic at what they do – designing clothes, opening shops, baking cakes, creating art, training horses, crunching numbers, putting on events – but they struggle with writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writing well and understanding the complexities of the English language are not skills that everyone possesses, and that’s 100% okay. There are loads of reasons why people struggle with writing, from lack of confidence and a poor vocabulary to rubbish teaching methods at school or dyslexia. This blog is NOT laughing at bad writing. It\u2019s looking at whether it matters if your posts feature the occasional blooper and how to prevent it happening \u2013 and how to avoid falling into a trap with online service providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does it matter if you don’t know the rules of writing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s an argument to say that social media is the best place to speak to customers in their own language, warts (bloopers) and all. The legendary godfather of advertising David Ogilvy once said (and this was many years before social media): <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know the rules of grammar. If you\u2019re trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language.\u201d<\/em> <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, some of the most famous adverts and taglines break the rules of the English language, usually for one or both of the following reasons \u2013 for impact when the copy is read out loud or to give the copy an eye-catching visual layout. However, it\u2019s worth noting that to break the rules deliberately you need to know the rules first. Breaking them by mistake isn\u2019t so clever, and here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The risks of sloppy copy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are some hefty risks to having sloppy copy in your marketing, and I think they outweigh the potential benefits. Plus, there\u2019s a big difference between a tagline which is deliberately breaking writing rules to grab your attention or amuse you and a sloppy spelling mistake. Here are those risks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. In a large communications study, the brand behaviour which was found to annoy people most of all was bad grammar and spelling. Do you want to annoy your potential customers? I doubt it very much!<\/li>
  2. Poor writing impacts the accessibility of your marketing message. To put it simply, this is when the writing is so bad the reader struggles to understand what you mean or what action you want them to take. Ouch.\u00a0<\/li>
  3. Customers and investors can judge bad writing as a sign that a company takes a careless, sloppy attitude to everything it does, including service delivery or product quality. Double ouch.\u00a0<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    So, a potential customer could spot a typo in a social media post and think that the lack of attention to detail which led to that mistake carries over to the products the company sells or the services it offers. It\u2019s a little unfair, but it\u2019s true. Here\u2019s an example. The Australian Navy once ordered thousands of uniform badges with an extra \u2018L\u2019 in \u2018Australia\u2019. Does that mean that around the same time it was really bad at defending the seas around Australia? Not necessarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Does it mean there\u2019s a chance that similar, small oversights might have been made elsewhere? Very possibly. If I were a sailor in that organisation, I\u2019d be hoping the work of those people designing and building the boat I served on wasn\u2019t as sloppy as the work of the people who designed, checked and ordered the badges.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How to avoid mistakes in your marketing copy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    So, taking this back to business owners, particularly those small to medium sized brands who are managing on a shoestring. It could well be worth looking at outsourcing content writing to an expert (like me). It can be far more affordable than you might imagine and together we can create content which you can reuse to make the most of it. Or, if your budget really is too tight to get help, try using a free spelling and grammar checking software, such as Grammarly (though this can strip out your voice from your writing\u2026) or get a friend or family member to proofread for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019m going to finish this blog with a cautionary word about the proliferation of social media managers and content marketers on Instagram right now. As I\u2019ve said, I understand why people make mistakes in their copy \u2013 writing is not a strength everyone possesses. But I do have an axe to grind with people who tout their services as social media managers and content creators yet virtually every post they write is littered with errors. That lack of skill is simply unacceptable for anyone wishing to work in marketing and communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The same goes for virtual assistants who offer content and blog writing or social media management as part of their services, yet they can\u2019t seem to work out when to use peak\/peek, their\/there or you’re\/your AND use apostrophes willy-nilly. Give me strength. I\u2019ve even spotted a post on Instagram offering proofreading services\u2026 with a total of five mistakes in the copy of that single post alone. Did they fail to proofread their work, or do they have no idea how to write? Neither option is a good excuse for that many mistakes, especially given the content of the post. I honestly thought it was a joke post designed to grab the reader\u2019s attention when I first read it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you are going to dip your toe in the marketing world and take on someone\u2019s social media or blog writing, please, please learn the basics of writing in English. I\u2019ve seen a fellow copywriter on LinkedIn state that social media posts are as important as adverts in terms of their power to influence customers. Every post does count. If you\u2019re thinking about outsourcing writing to someone else and you\u2019re not confident you can spot whether their writing is any good, why not:<\/p>\n\n\n\n