I have to start this blog post with a confession! I love proofreading and consider myself a good editor; yet on my last blog post, I published it with two mistakes! Oops!
You might be asking yourself, “Why would you confess this to me—someone who is considering hiring you for editorial work?”
Why, indeed?! Well…to show you that these mistakes can happen to anyone! It’s so easy to let a tiny error slip through the cracks! And yet, proofreading is so vital to the success and value of your company, your credibility, and your overall professional image.
So, how exactly does proofreading increase your value?
Displays a Polished, Professional Image
Proofreading is to successful, professional writing as salt is to a flavorful, juicy steak. Both are necessary to achieve an outstanding product! Imagine going to a Michelin-starred restaurant and ordering a large ribeye, only to receive it and realize that the chef just salted one quarter of the steak.
Forgetting to salt a portion of your ribeye or leaving little mistakes in your writing both mar the perfection of a good product.
If you want to demonstrate professionalism and a polished image to your audience or clients, you must edit every piece of communication that leaves your hands. It shows that you take pride in your work and conveys a great first impression to potential clients. Just as you invest in your appearance and business attire, so should you invest in your writing. They both signify the value you place on professionalism.
Adds Monetary Value to Your Brand
If you don’t proofread your copy, you are undermining your brand’s value and, in turn, hurting its financial value. If clients are paying you for a service, they expect every aspect of it to be created with excellence; and if it’s not, they begin to wonder why they invested in such a product or company. In reality, your clients expect perfection. Thus, when you publish content that is not edited for syntax, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and clarity, you lower the worth of your company or brand. In contrast, when you do edit your work and display excellent proofreading skills, you raise the value of your product and, ultimately, your brand.
Errors give the appearance of unprofessionalism and detract from your value as a reputable leader in your field, and no one wants that to be their brand’s reputation!
Demonstrates the Importance of Small Details
Everyone wants their brand to be successful. Connecting with your target audience by showing them that you value even the smallest details is key to achieving a successful brand!
When you show your clients that you can handle small details, such as proper grammar or punctuation, you are demonstrating that you can handle even the smallest details in their accounts.
Consider this scenario…you asked your real estate agent to draw up an offer on an incredible house, and he does. However, in the offer that you signed without reading, your agent accidentally added another zero to the end of your offer; and you do not discover this until the seller already accepted and signed your offer, and your deposit had been delivered to their agent. This one tiny zero is going to cause huge ramifications. Did your agent demonstrate the importance of verifying all the details? No! Are you likely to use him again in the future? Probably not!
It’s the same for your communication. If you produce copy that is riddled with errors (even tiny ones), there is a great chance that your client will look elsewhere because it makes them question whether you’ll miss a tiny detail on their project.
Creates Powerful, Effective Copy
Is that piece of copy, riddled with errors, easy to read or difficult? Is it powerful? Does it evoke a need to respond with action? While you might know the answers to these questions, does your copy speak otherwise? Writing that is powerful and effective is writing that is clear, concise, and distraction-free.
An old Chinese proverb says that failure is a stepping stone to success. While I don’t disagree with this concept, I also believe that there’s another stepping stone to success—a powerful piece of copy!
Mistakes in spelling, grammar, and punctuation are distracting because as your reader notices the mistake, their attention wavers from your intended message. That is not effective copy! In addition, these mistakes can cause confusion, alienation, and miscommunication if the wrong word is used or the sentence structure is unclear. Ultimately, these errors can undermine your hard-earned credibility and negate all the time, money, and energy you have put into becoming a person of authority in your field. Instead, invest in a great proofreader and create that powerful, effective copy that your brand deserves!
Make sure to check back next week for my top editing tips! Sign up for my newsletter to get these tips delivered straight to your inbox. Never miss a blog post again!
Let The Inspired Copy review and edit your writing so that your final product is concise, well-written, and easy to read while maximizing your impact and increasing your value. Single page advertisements, social media posts, manuscripts, entire website copy review, brochures, devotionals, and more—no project is too small or too large. Send me a message, and let’s chat about how I can help you increase your company’s value!
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