Whatever you’re promoting and however you’re doing it, whether it’s with an indoor our outdoor display, you want to be absolutely sure that there are no mistakes in regards to your spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Your display will likely be one of the first things to be seen and its content might well be the first point of communication between you and your customers.
Imagine then, the effect a mistake or two could have.
A misplaced apostrophe could ruin the impact of your promotional campaign, and the confusion between ‘they’re’ and ‘their’ could equally have a damning effect.
It’s mistakes like these that can turn potential customers away and sow a seed of doubt into the minds of those who have been with you from the beginning. It sounds drastic but, the smallest of mistakes could affect your bottom line.
So whether you’ve had the unfortunate experience of a misspelt word or rogue punctuation mark, or you’re simply interested to know what we recommend, this short list provides 7 simple tips to help you eliminate spelling, punctuation and grammatical mistakes on your next display…
Take short breaks
Now that you’ve finally finished writing your copy, take a break. Don’t jump straight into editing-mode. Give your eyes and mind a rest!
Short breaks are a great way to help you see things through fresher eyes.
Check your spelling
‘It’s’ doesn’t have to be ‘its’, and double check that the ‘complimentary’ ticket you’re advertising for your event isn’t in fact ‘complementary’.
We’d recommend first checking your copy for spelling mistakes as these are often the easiest to find and correct.
Don’t forget punctuation
You don’t want your question to resemble a statement because of a forgotten question mark, and you certainly wouldn’t want a misplaced full stop to raise any eyebrows.
Don’t let punctuation mistakes be the reason why your message isn’t received as intended.
Check your grammar
Grammatical mistakes can be harder to check for so we recommend doing this at the end.
Read and re-read your copy aloud to make sure that it flows well, there’s no unintentional repetition, and that your message is saying exactly what you want it to.
Enlist help
If you’re not completely confident in checking your own work for spelling, punctuation or grammar, then enlist the help of somebody who is.
Always bring in a fresh pair of eyes
Even if you’ve checked your copy five times over and there are no mistakes to be found, it’s good practice to bring a fresh pair of eyes on board. You never know, they might find something…
Read it aloud and check… again!
This final check serves as more of a confirmation that your copy is ready. It’s also, like the above point, good practice. And while the chances of finding a mistake at this stage will likely be slim, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
