Content writing is probably part of most people’s jobs  – our social media marketing course students know that content is an important piece in the digital mechanism, whether it’s an email, an article or a social media post.

However, grammar and spelling rules are not always a priority for some businesses. Proofreading often gets skipped or at least disregarded. And this goes against all things proofreading courses try to teach us, especially when copy is public-facing.

A recent survey conducted by Global Lingo has discovered that 74% of consumers take into account the correctness of the copy when on company websites and 59% would avoid working with a business that made obvious mistakes. So proofreading is vital for a brand’s image. If it’s skipped:

1. Services and products may not look genuine

With so many frauds happening online nowadays, people are aware that poor design and content quality can indicate a fake website, used to trick people into making a purchase. They know that respected businesses invest a lot of money to ensure that their website is perfect, therefore a website or an email full of grammatical errors will most certainly lead to a fake company. If you can’t afford to hire a proofreader, you can always encourage your employees to take one of distance learning proofreading courses available.

2. Brand image will be affected

The way a company communicates online is a direct reflection of the company itself. Every time a spelling or grammar mistake (sometimes both) will be found in your copy, it will probably be used as an example of how unprofessional your company looks and that won’t serve you right. Even more, news travel fast online and you want to make sure that only positive ones reach your customers’ ears. Just take a look at Tesco’s ‘most testiest’ slogan and you will understand what impact grammar can have on your image.

3. Customers will be confused about your message

‘Is this brand trying to be funny? What is this brand actually trying to say? Did they take into account a proofreading course for the person who’s writing these emails?’ These are all questions that you don’t want your customers to be asking about your company. You want your message to be clear, correct and help your customers make a decision that will benefit your company.

It’s never a good idea to skip the proofreading step. No matter how tight the deadline is, no matter how understanding your customers can be, you should always try to be a professional business, a reference point when it comes to proper online communication.

See our proofreading courses