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Does bad English matter? Here is a back issue of Marketing Booster, the email newsletter that Richard Groom writes and sends free every fortnight to subscribers. You can subscribe here or read over 60 back issues using the back issues index page. Once again this week I've been reminded of an issue that will never go away: just how important is it to use correct spelling, grammar and punctuation in your marketing materials? A graphic design agency asked me to proof-read a competition entry form that they were about to print. The words had been supplied by their client, but the agency wasn't sure that they were error-free. I spotted a dozen mistakes. But does it matter? In this age of emails and SMS text messaging, who cares about spelling any more? Who even knows how to use punctuation these days? And isn't grammar a sweet little old lady with white hair? Normally I don't write about these issues as I think business owners and marketers are quite rightly more interested in the effectiveness of their materials. And frankly, grammar is a bit boring. But, as a change, I want to present a view and some practical advice on the subject. First of all, I believe that there is no excuse to make basic spelling and punctuation mistakes. Dictionaries and English usage guides are available to help us when we need to check on something. Sure, the odd mistake will creep in from time to time, but 12 errors in one form is beyond acceptable limits. Grammar isn't quite so clear cut. I believe some people need to be a little more relaxed about grammar because lots of the things that we often think of as 'rules' aren't really rules at all. For example, as Bill Bryson writes in his excellent book 'Troublesome Words': "Anyone who believes that it is wrong to end a sentence with a preposition is about a century out of touch." With that word of caution about grammar behind me, how can you take greater steps to ensure that spelling, punctuation and obvious grammar errors never (or very rarely) appear in your marketing materials? As an individual, you can make a decision to uncover your limitations and then improve. It's important that you know which areas of English usage you are shaky on. For example, I still can't always remember when to use a colon and when to use a semi-colon, so I often look in an English usage guide to help me. Make a habit of checking your spelling and punctuation more than you think you need to for a while. You will probably turn up some areas where you need to improve. Another approach is to find someone who is better than you at English usage and ask them to assess how you are doing. I was very lucky in the early part of my marketing career to have a boss who coached me in that way. As an organisation, you can do several things to improve. The most obvious is to insist that proper proof-reading is part of every publication process. Every important piece of marketing communication material should be thoroughly proof-read before it's published. You can find a proof-reading checklist on my web site and ask for an information sheet with more advice. Organisations can also arrange for geeks like me to come in and do some simple English usage training with the people who are most often involved in writing marketing materials. If English usage standards are slipping around you, raise the issue with colleagues. Start a debate about it. Make sure that your organisation demonstrates a commitment to quality and professional standards through its attention to detail in all things - including written communications. Copyright 2004 Richard Groom |