Getting that polish
I'd like to post a few pointers below for those of us that are promoting their brand on social media. I know we don't always get it right 100 percent of the time, but these points might just help you to put that polish on your post before you send it out to the world - from an editing point of view. Here are a few tips I use to edit my content before posting it for the world to see.
1. Always do a spell check.
Spelling mistakes in this era of quick posting are all too common, and therefore now are seen as almost acceptable. Discern yourself from the pack. Spelling mistakes are a number one “negative point” subconsciously for a reader when they are viewing your content.
“Your and You’re” is a HUGE issue on Facebook, it gets joked about a lot, but it really is unprofessional if basics like these are overlooked.
2. Punctuation.
Check for incorrect punctuation, like spaces before a period, excessive use of the "trailing dots" - ..........., and too many exclamation marks. Use these in your texts with friends, not promoting your brand.
Check you aren't rushing and forgetting a quick apostrophe - dont, arent, hadnt and didnt are easy to get wrong - I know you can hear your grade three English teacher squawking at you in the back of your mind, but she really did have a point. Try not to roll your eyes at her memory and just give things a double check.
3. Be professional.
You might use “u r so gr8” to your best friend, but just because we are using our phone to post things for our business, try not to fall back on texting lingo - this makes a reader not take your message seriously.
4. Ask a friend.
If you are posting an important, longer piece for your customers to see, quickly get a fresh set of eyes to glance over it for any errors. Sometimes we are too invested in a piece of writing to look at it critically and we can overlook simple mistakes that cause us to seem low caliber.
5. Re-read.
In this era where we are often posting on the fly and efficiency is key, we can often pick up simple mistakes by giving a quick once over before pressing the “post” button. 30 seconds can help a lot!
These are a few tips that will differentiate you from the pack when writing content that the public will see. Remember, if you don’t think detail like spelling and punctuation and grammar are important, to the customer it may seem that you are the type that does not have attention to detail or quality control. If this is not your strong point, find someone who’s skill set is editing and language, and utilise their strengths - your customers will thank you!
