Want to know how to improve your spelling and grammar skills? If you’re serious about developing a reputable brand with a consistent tone of voice, then take these Breaking Bad inspired proofreading tips on board.
In Breaking Bad, what makes Walter White different from any other cook, is his attention to detail. While some businesses and agencies may turn a blind eye to the odd grammatical error, it all boils down to one question: if you require neurosurgery, would you be happy if a nurse performed the procedure?
Granted, that’s an extreme example. I can also appreciate that most people can write. However, the difference between a successful content marketing campaign and another piece of marketing bullshit starts with improving your spelling and grammar.
How to improve your spelling and grammar skills
Make the right impression
If you’re going on a date or attending an interview, what do you do? For most of us, we ‘dress to impress’. The same principle applies to your content.
According to usability.gov, “the first credibility cues are perceived very quickly.” In other words, the reputation of your brand is judged within seconds. One disjointed sentence or incorrect usage of ‘you’re’ and ‘your’ could be the difference between making a sale or not.
Anecdotally, they found that younger respondents (under 27.9 years) were harsher on sites that had typos or broken links. Online tools such as Grammarly and PaperRater are great for picking up spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors in your work. These handy proofreading tools even offer you ways in which you can enhance and fine-tune your copywriting.
Get social
Running your social media channels at an event or need to make an important post over the weekend? Don’t cut corners. In the social media realm, spelling errors are one of the biggest mistakes a brand can make. Research indicates that 42.5% of consumers are most influenced by spelling or grammar blunders. This figure is significantly higher than ‘Updates are too salesy’ (24.9%) and ‘Post updates too often’ (12.8%).
In other words, if you continually publish social media posts riddled with errors, there’s a high probability that you’re putting off potential prospects and future employees. If you’re managing your social media channels on the go, download the Grammarly keyboard app.
Another recommendation to up your copywriting and proofreading skills for social content is an app called Captions for Instagram. While this doesn’t improve your grammar, it does help you add a little creativity to your Instagram and Facebook posts.
Get learning
Fancy apps and extensions may save a few blushes, but nothing beats the old fashioned way of learning the basics of the English language. In fact, if you’re currently single, I seriously suggest you take note. Further reports from usability.gov state that 43% of online daters consider bad grammar unattractive, while 35% think good usage is appealing.
The solution? Try Nevile Gwynne’s ‘Good grammar test’ to see how you fare.
Take Mike’s advice
In season 3 of Breaking Bad, Mike tells Walter White: “No more half measures”. So, if you want the purest content, you could hire a professional. At Content Chef, we live and breathe content. Our team of copywriters, proofreaders and social media experts in Cheltenham are here to help your business make every word count.
As connoisseurs of content, we use our knowledge of the English language and experience in content marketing to deliver precise pieces of copy.
Get in touch with us today for more details about our copywriting and content marketing services.
Written by Daryl Charman
