Is using the correct grammar important?
I thought I would try a slightly different tack in this week’s blog. So, I am asking the question, ‘is using the correct grammar important?’
Texting and social media are taking over. Lock-down does not appear to have had an impact on the frenetic pace of our lives. Misspellings and the shortening of words – message to msg, for example – are prevalent throughout social media platforms. And let’s face it, nobody bothers to spell correctly in a text message, do they?
Does it matter if your website has apostrophes in the wrong place? Or whether it states their instead of there? Does anyone care that it is liberally littered with misspellings? As long as your customers know what you do, it should be okay, right?
I would argue that, yes, it does matter. Of course I would say that. I make my living from writing! But even putting that to one side for a moment, first impressions matter, don’t they? If a seller hasn’t taken the time to check whether the text on his/her website makes sense, can you really trust the quality of the product he/she is selling?
In other words, it is all about customer perception. If a shop window looks a mess, would you go in for a closer look at the merchandise? Or, if a menu is sprinkled with misspellings, would you think the kitchen staff could be a bit slapdash too? When you took your car to a garage for a service, if there were dirty tools left all over the place and mechanics standing around scratching their heads, would you think twice about leaving your car there?
Surely the last thing a seller needs is to sow seeds of doubt in a potential customer’s mind? Anything that encourages a customer to think twice about buying from you is potentially damaging your business. Whether it is a messy shop window, a menu full of misspellings, an untidy forecourt, or incorrect grammar on your website!
Therefore, my answer would be a resounding ‘yes, the correct grammar is important’. What do you think?
For more, please see previous blogs.