Tip 210) How good proofreading can benefit your business

Guest post from Sarah at Sarah Barter Proofreading.

Whether you're setting up a website, writing a blog post, putting together a client proposal or designing a poster, don't underestimate how unprofessional and off-putting little spelling mistakes and grammatical errors can be to both potential and returning customers. 

​Proofreading is basically quality control—it’s the final polish of your words before you release them to the world! 

Does proofreading add value to a business?
As you’ll know if you've ever read anything sprinkled with spelling mistakes, factual errors or inconsistencies, something that’s not written very well can be distracting at best. At worst, it can make your business look unprofessional, unreliable, and may even ruin the reputation of your brand.

Fixing the errors can reduce the risk of alienating your audience, whether you are publishing a blog, website, graphic or business document; sending a newsletter or e-shot to your mailing list; printing your business cards, price lists, menus, flyers or posters – in fact, any form of written communication that raises awareness of your business.

​If you rely on your website or blog for your income, as well as damaging your brand, bad copy could also affect your bank balance. You want your potential customers to be instilled with confidence and trust in your business, so it’s absolutely essential that your content is error-free.

Surely this what a spellchecker is for?
Free software packages (such as Grammarly or the spellchecker that comes built-in with your word-processing software) are great and do pick up some common errors. However, there are certain checks these packages can't do. One of these is being able to tell the difference between words which are spelled correctly but are used in the wrong context. For example, three of the 'favourite' errors of pedants everywhere: there-their-they’re, your-you’re, and it’s-its. You can guarantee that if you didn't spot your mistake, your readers definitely did, and they will be more than happy to point it out to you in the comments!

​Hiring a human with a trained pair of eyes to proofread your writing will pick up contextual errors such as these, as well as regular spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes.

First impressions count
When you’re trying to attract new clients, you'll want to make a good first impression. You wouldn't go to meet a potential client without making sure you look your best – equally, spending time on reviewing your words and checking for errors before posting, publishing or printing can help you avoid sticking in the minds of your potential customers for all the wrong reasons. However, as you'll know, running your own business often requires at least an eight-day week! If you don't have the time to double-check your words, or spelling and grammar just isn’t your strong point, hiring a professional to do it for you will be one less thing to worry about.

And that's where I can help
As a qualified proofreader, I work with all sorts of people from all kinds of backgrounds – from sole traders and small businesses to freelancers and creatives – helping them get the most out of their online presence and printed marketing materials. As well as spelling, grammar and punctuation checking, I can also assist with editing, layout and formatting. The end result will be professional marketing materials that will help you to advertise your business successfully.

For more information, head to my website – no project is too big or too small, so do get in touch to discuss your requirements.

Happy writing!
Sarah

P.S. I'm happy to offer a discount to members of The Bristol Small Business Network FB group. Let me know you're a member when you get in touch.