How proofreading services can improve your brand’s credibility

We’re all familiar with the adage, ‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression.’ Yet it’s surprising how many companies overlook proofreading services and forget that spelling and grammar mistakes in their business communications speak volumes about their professionalism. Believe it or not, these kinds of errors have the power to seriously damage your brand’s credibility by creating a lasting impression of carelessness. As a business owner, is that really what you want?

That’s worrying. What kind of ‘business communications’ are we talking about here?

Think advertising material, marketing material, company emails, annual reports, white papers, leadership articles, social media posts, blogs, training manuals, capability statements, business policies, technical reports – we could go on. Business communications include any written content, either printed or online.

But can small mistakes really affect my brand that badly?

In a word, yes. Let’s examine just some of the many ways that written communication errors can negatively impact the brand you’ve worked so hard to build.

Your reputation may suffer damage without proofreading services

Consistently bad grammar and spelling sends a clear message that your business is not only unprofessional and sloppy, but worse, it doesn’t care. Every mistake that a potential customer picks up – and be assured, they absolutely will pick them up! – acts like a fast-growing seed of doubt. They’ll be saying to themselves, ‘If this business can’t even get this small thing right, then what about that product or service I’m thinking of buying? How good will that be?’

It can affect your web rankings

A study by highly regarded web hosting company, Website Planet, confirmed that the bounce rate on landing pages that had punctuation and grammar errors was an astonishing 85 per cent higher than for pages with no errors. Now, Google picks up on high bounce rates, so when it can see that the rate is way more than comparable businesses, it lowers your ranking. So, if you’re wondering why yours doesn’t appear on top of search results as often as it did, then maybe you need to look at the quality of your web content.

You’ll lose customers

A 2023 survey carried out in the UK by award-winning insight agency, Opinium, found that more than 68% of adults said they’d be less likely to buy from a brand if its messaging contained grammar or spelling mistakes. Some 73% said their perceptions of a brand would worsen for the same reason. Enough said?

Is this site credible?

Quite understandably, consumers these days have increasing concerns about online scams and cybersecurity. When they can see your website or social media postings have errors or your advertising material is full of mistakes, it sows doubt about the legitimacy of your business. Proofreading services prevent customers from asking Is it just a set up?

It could cost you money

Costly spelling mistakes and other errors might mean you have to spend considerable money in rectifying the issue. Proofreading services prevent this. You may have to honour a product or service at a cheaper price or supply a free of charge replacement, for example. If the error is in print, you may have to fork out a fair amount for reprinting. All of these costs add up and take away from your bottom line.

Going from bad to worse without proofreading services

If a customer gets in touch to make a complaint, it will only make things worse if your response contains errors. It looks unprofessional and compounds the impact of your original error. We frequently spot typos in auto-generated emails thanking customers for their ‘oder’ or advising that a ‘manger’ will shortly be in touch. Even these seemingly innocuous ‘back of house’ business communications can damage your brand because they’re just one more thing you got wrong and one more thing you’re expecting your customers to put up with.

Some mistakes never die

Particularly if the typo in your slogan or the grammar error in your advertising material is funny or embarrassing in any way, it leaves your brand open to eternal ridicule. There are countless examples of companies that promoted products, made statements, or launched advertising campaigns that contained mistakes that have become perennial. For example, the infamous H&M t-shirt proclaiming ‘Genious is one per cent inspiration and ninety nine per cent perspiration’ is still a crowd favourite more than a decade after this spectacular fashion gaffe first set everyone laughing. OK, I’m convinced. What’s the best way to stop errors eroding my brand’s credibility? In a word, proofread. Not just spellcheck. Proofread. The most effective way to avoid damage to your brand’s credibility is to engage proofreading services to carefully review all your business communications. It’s the proofreader’s job to pick up typos, grammar mistakes, formatting errors, inconsistencies in spelling and style and much, much more. With their expert help, you can breathe easy knowing that your business communications are error-free and sport a professional polish that allows your customers to focus on what you got right, not what you got wrong.

Call in the experts of proofreading services

If you’d like help with proofreading services and protecting your brand, then Proof Communications is here to assist. You can get in touch today or call us on +61 2 8036 5532 or 0448 566 377. We look forward to speaking with you soon.