That depends on how you want your business to be received by your audience….

• 1 Professional?
• 2 Competent?
• 3 Experienced?
• 4 Worthy of Trust?
• 5 Serious about your business?

If grammar is not your strong suit, it might be something you easily dismiss as unimportant.  After all, our brains are highly capable of deciphering even intentionally incorrect spellings, etc. Here’s an example to illustrate this point that you’ve probably seen a version of floating around on social media at some point:

Buseace of the phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in wcihh oerdr the ltteres in a wrod aepapr; the olny iproamtnt tinhg is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.  The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuceae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh?

HOWEVER……

There have been more times than I’d care to try to count when I’ve been browsing a website, perusing a pamphlet, even reading an actual ad or an e-mail, only to come across a misspelling or misused word.  Depending on whether its a business I’m interested in or not, I can sometimes dismiss one, two, even a few mistakes. If my interest was only in passing to begin with, I immediately dismiss the business as not serious, not professional, not careful, lacking attention to detail, etc., once I encounter mistakes in spelling and/or grammar. Is it really a shortcut worth taking if it could result in the loss of potential customers?? Perception, after all, is reality, right?

Fortunately though, if those details are not strong suits for you or tools you really have in your wheelhouse, it is something you can easily outsource to others! There are professionals you can hire to handle all of your copywriting.  If your budget can’t accommodate spending there, or if you’re the one creating your own social media posts, etc., that may not be feasible or the best use of your resources. Personally, I have a decent sense for correct spelling, proper word usage and grammar.  Perhaps it is because of this sense that I usually know when to question myself. In these cases I’m grateful for tools and resources I can depend on when I do have a question. Just the other day a colleague and I were looking up the proper usage of the words affect and effect.  There’s a rule, but our instance fit into the category of the exception to the rule, of course! And where did we go to resolve our question? Grammarly, of course! I’d recommend it to anyone! With Grammarly in your back pocket, it’s easy to put your best foot forward every single time and come across as the competent professional that you really are, and allow your customers to focus on your unique offering.