I’m going to be honest with you.
I first wrote this blog over 12 months ago, but I never published it.
It was written in frustration over other social media marketing professionals consistently using the incorrect spelling, grammar, and punctuation in some of their work.
Note I used the word ‘consistently’.
I’m not talking to those of you that occasionally make the odd mistake every now and then. Hey we’re only human. But I was seeing more and more social media posts written by both social media managers and professional companies, which were littered with mistakes.
This was not doing their business or credibility any favours. People might forgive the odd typo or grammatical error on personal accounts, but when it comes to corporate brands or professionals, people aren’t quite as forgiving. They expect more, and quite frankly, so do I.
So how can you make sure your content is right every time, in terms of spelling and grammar?
Here are 4 things you can do now which won’t break the bank.
1. Plan
If you’re in a rush, the chances are you’re going to make mistakes. Planning content ahead of time is not only a more productive and strategic way of sharing your content with followers, but it also gives you the gift of time. By making sure you set yourself time every week or month to plan in your content will let you focus on the task at hand meaning less rushing and mistakes.
2. Use spelling and grammar checks included in software
3. Use Grammarly
Grammarly is a free browser extension which checks your spelling, grammar, and punctuation across a variety of platforms and software including LinkedIn, Gmail, and Messenger. Not only this, but it can also help you with your writing tone and make sure your writing is concise and not overly wordy, giving you examples on how this could be written better.
4. Proofread your work
If you take my advice about point one and planning ahead, this will give you time to ask others to proofread your work. When I’ve been writing assignments for my marketing degree, I often get word blind in that I read words which I haven’t typed because I know what I want to say, so my brain fills in the gaps. So, getting someone or even two people to proofread for you, will improve your accuracy.
Final thoughts…
If you are thinking of hiring a social media manager or outsourcing your content or social media marketing to a digital agency or freelancer, do your research. Don’t just check their client testimonials or take them at face value. Instead check their social feeds, especially on LinkedIn, the business worlds Mecca for professionals. If they aren’t using the correct SPAG on their LinkedIn posts, this should be a massive red flag. You are hiring them to represent your brand and you need to make sure your investment counts, so remember cheap is not always cheerful and expensive doesn’t mean quality.
Am I perfect? No, but when it comes to my clients I have to be. No excuses. When I’m creating a social media marketing strategy or crafting social posts for our clients, what is primarily in my mind is that fact that I am representing their brand. If I make a simple spelling or grammatical error on just one post, it could potentially cost them business.
If you need help with your content creation or marketing strategy, get in touch with me today.
