What happened to the apostrophe?
Oh dear. What happened to the apostrophe? Emma Watson’s tattoo supporting the Time’s Up movement hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons when she forgot to add an apostrophe—between the ‘e’ and the ‘s’ if you’re not already aware. This basic error, from a very well-educated woman, left many shaking their heads in astonishment.
Alas, it seems Ms. Watson is not alone. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a banner promoting a trampoline park in a Facebook networking group. Unfortunately, one of the most important words on the banner had been misspelt leaving potential customers wondering what they were supposed to do at a ‘tramploine’ park.
Content littered with grammatical errors is unprofessional and does not reflect positively on you or your brand
These are only two examples of the hundreds of basic grammatical errors that can be seen in company literature every day. Signage with apostrophes in the wrong place, posters with commas instead of semi colons and don’t get me started on the dash!
It may seem old fashioned, but first impressions really do count. That’s why it’s so important to get the details right when you develop any kind of content related to your business.
A prospective new customer’s first impression of your brand should be overwhelmingly positive. Well-written, error-free content—whether that’s on your website, in your company brochure or in your social media feeds—sends a strong message. It shows your customers you take pride in your work and tells them they can trust you to deliver a quality service or product.
The opposite is true of content that is badly written or littered with grammatical mistakes. It looks unprofessional and devalues your brand. That can be all it takes to drive a potential new customer elsewhere.
When there’s so much at stake, paying a professional to proofread your content is an investment worth making. After all you only get one opportunity to make a good first impression. Emma Watson seems to agree. Her response on Twitter to the media furore?