Nothing says unprofessional more than sending out emails, newsletters, and sales materials, or producing ebooks or promotional videos with errors or poorly worded language. I always wince when I see an error from a company, especially when they're trying to sell me something. It surprises me, though, that this isn't just a problem that small companies face. Big ones do, too.
Tucked away in my desk drawer, I have a file of things that have mistakes in them. Yes I know it's a weird hobby, but it's better than taxidermy. Anyway, it has materials from big companies like Kodak (pre-bankruptcy) and local businesses, too. From menus to sales collateral, there's errors. Who lets money be spent on producing materials and then drops the ball at the end by letting it go out less than perfect? Unfortunately, way too many of us.
I was recently watching TV and saw a commercial for the film Warm Bodies, produced by Summit Entertainment. Obviously someone on the staff of the film company had the bright idea of putting the hashtag on the commercial. Brilliant! We all use hashtags these days. Hashtag it up, baby! However, whoever did the graphics on this commercial, whoever edited the commercial, whoever signed off on the commercial, and whoever placed the commercial obviously didn't flag the hashtag. Take a look at the video below.
For those who don't use Twitter, let me tell you what the problem is. You can't have a space in a hashtag. Therefore, what the film company listed as #Warm Bodies should actually be #WarmBodies. With the space, the hashtag is just #Warm--and that's wrong. And it's up there the entire time.
So, the lesson here today is let someone (or a bunch of someones) look at your copy before you send it out to the masses. Proofreading is an important part of the marketing, sales, and communications process. When you allow mistakes to go into the world, it's a reflection on you or your company. Do you want to be known for polished and professional materials? Or do you want to end up in my error file?
