There can be no doubt that the Internet has brought many positive advantages to our society.
Expanded career and business opportunities, the ability to instantly communicate with someone on any issue, and a lessened reliance on just a few sources of media are some of the major contributions.
However, the explosion of the Internet and its popularity in the last few years has also led to a lamentable degeneration in our effective marketing communication abilities, one that is all the more devastating if you consider that most people do not communicate too effectively to start out with.
Details, Details…
The battle cry for the new age of information exchange seems to be, “it’s the idea that matters, not the way it is stated”. On the face of it, this idea has its merits. After all, it could be considered the basis for cross cultural exchange of ideas and theories to the betterment of all mankind.
However, it is important not to glorify some basic grammar errors as a means of tearing down dividing walls.
What we are talking about here, quite simply, is the importance of making sure that any messages your company puts out there whether for advertising or for informational exchange are put forth in a proper business communication manner.
At a very basic level, failure to follow rules of spelling and grammar will send the message to many people that your company is less than professional and can’t conduct proper business communication.
On a more advanced level, sloppy marketing communication practices may say, to many readers that this is the kind of approach that your small business takes in all matters – and this is not the type of brand image that any business wants to project.
What’s The Point?
Of course, these are all the typical reasons put forward by your “grammar police” on any Internet chat room, guaranteed to drive the local miss-spellers wild. However, there is sound reasoning that escapes many people when it comes to the written word and grammar.
It is not just that your message can be lost underneath the rubble of bad grammar that is the issue, although it is a valid and often-used argument. There is also the degeneration of our ability to communicate clearly and effectively that is at risk, both in business advertising and in regular communication.
The Heart of the Matter
Failure to understand the underlying principles of punctuation, capitalization, and sentence structure has meant that we have lost the importance of the nuances of effective marketing communication.
So what does this all mean for your small business? Well, quite simply, clear and proper business communication focusing on proper grammatical rules should be at the heart of any materials that your company sends out, whether in the form of emails or for mass advertising purposes.
The overall perception of grammar and spelling today may be that it does not matter, but this is not borne out by research when it comes to business practices!
