Editing/Proofing: You Deserve a Second Pair of Eyes
Few things can do as much damage to your brand perception as materials filled with typos or sloppy style. Psychologists will tell you that this may be an even bigger deal than you realize. Especially in situations where we need to compare competing services or companies, our brains search for shortcuts to inform our decision-making, and few things set off that cranial “unprofessional” fire alarm like a proposal, paper, email, etc. that plays fast and loose with grammar and punctuation.
Spell check is a start, but even as AI advances, it will not catch everything that a human being will, such as unintended double-meanings, accidentally offensive language, or inappropriate tone. If a communiqué is worth sending to your important audience(s), certainly it is worth ensuring that you are not adding a tagline in invisible ink—something along the lines of, “We don’t have our act together”—by virtue of the error or faux pas that made it through.
As important to your business as it is, editing and proofing is a time-consuming task so it may be tempting for a resource-strapped organization to loosen its standards. Don’t do it. Your reputation is vital to your success, and if you do not have time for ample review, we are here to help with efficient and effective editing and proofreading services.
If you are flying solo, you may not even know what has slipped through the cracks, and you deserve a second pair of eyes from a Chalkbridge freelance editor on your public-facing work. Get in touch and we can help.