The other day I was flipping to a new page in my notebook only to come across a love note.
My heart swooned and I fell in love with my boyfriend just a little bit more as I read this note, knowing that it was from him…and obviously our two dogs (Coco and Chase), sentimental stuffed animals (Mr. Penguin and Lucky), our fish (Fishy), and two dog toys we’ve nicked named The Booty Squirrels.
However, as soon as I saw that squirrels was spelled “squirls” my heart started to pound, my hands went clammy, and beads of sweat started to pool on my brow. As a writer, my (over)reaction may have been a bit biased to the incorrect spelling, but it brought up a good point:
Proper spelling is falling by the wayside…and it makes me sad.
Every day I read a website, sign, report or brochure that has at least one word spelled wrong. How can these be approved for public viewing, but more importantly, what does this lack of proper spelling suggest?
In a way, when a reader sees perfect spelling and grammar on marketing materials, it tells them that the writer/company cares, or cared at the time of writing the content.
So, what does it say when an audience sees that your marketing material has poor spelling or incorrect grammar?
- You have a lack of attention to detail in your company
- Why, if you don’t pay attention to your own details, how will you pay attention to your clients’?
- You clearly don’t care about the end result in your product, and subsequently, your service.
These may be extreme reactions – and I recognize human error – but I ask you to think of how you actually react to seeing improper spelling on a company’s marketing material…and whether you then buy from them. After all – shouldn’t this company have had someone review their material before it went to press?
One final note in case you were wondering: I still love my boyfriend just as much as I did as my heart swooned; this is a case of “it’s the thought that counts.” However, I have started leaving post-its around the house with the proper spelling of “squirrel” on them.