We’ve all made that mistake. We send a pitch to a potential client, sent marketing material to the printing company or posted a huge announcement on social media … and there it is: the dreaded typo.
Suddenly, the work you’ve spent so much time perfecting looks like something you threw together in a matter of minutes. Now, your client doesn’t find you credible, you’ve just thrown a bunch of money away on printing and your Facebook followers are wondering why you gave a 12-year-old access to your social media accounts. Of course, none of this is fair to you. A minor typo or grammatical error that you didn’t happen to catch doesn’t make you bad at what you do. Unfortunately, these small mistakes can still have a negative impact on your business.
So, whether you hire an in-house copy editor or you simply task one of your most grammatically gifted employees with copy editing duties, every business should have a proofreader. Here’s why:
It Gives You Credibility
Say you’re looking for a professional service and have received sales pitches from two companies. You like both of their ideas, the prices are in the same ballpark and both staffs seem friendly and helpful. However, you notice there’s a pretty significant typo on one company’s website – right on the home page. Now you’re thinking, “If this company was truly legitimate, wouldn’t they have caught that error by now?”
The simple fact is, spelling and grammar errors diminish a business’s credibility. A proofreader can save you from that.
It Shows You’ve Put Time and Effort Into Your Work
Sure, forgetting an “a” or “the” in a Facebook post is one thing (especially since you can easily go back and edit those, but spelling and grammar mistakes in any other setting just look sloppy. While you know exactly how much time you’ve put into something, your client doesn’t. And even though you spent all day drafting that 12-page proposal and you’ve re-read your work so many times that you can now recite it by memory, a typo may be hiding. When you have a proofreader, you’ll be able to keep a small mistake from detracting from all the hard work you’ve put in.
When a Proofreader Focuses on Errors, You Won’t Have To
You’re a busy person who wears a lot of hats within your company. So let someone else wear the proofreader’s hat. When you aren’t expending effort nit-picking over grammar and spelling, you can put more time into making sure your work is high quality in other ways.
Set Your Business Apart From the Rest
Keeping your copy clean is just one way to help build a great reputation for your business. If you’re looking to truly stand out from the pack, a business coach with ActionCOACH Tampa Bay can help! Contact us to learn more about our proven business coaching services or sign up for one of our workshops today.