To enhance your business writing, check every text for spelling and grammar, read it out loud, cut it down to the key points, use a checklist before you send it, and take a break before you proofread. The way you write can decide whether you win a client or lose one.
Correct spelling matters even more for a business than for someone writing for everyday purposes. Potential clients may see poor spelling, grammar, and communication as a reason to stay away from your company.
The value of writing skills
For anyone who runs a business, being able to write properly and professionally is very important. This is all the more true because so much business communication happens in writing: emails, chat messages, reports, and posts. Strong writers also work faster. They spend less time writing, and their readers spend less time reading. Think of how much time business owners spend writing reports, proposals, marketing materials, and emails, and how much time their clients spend reading them.
So whatever kind of business you have and whatever field you work in, proper, professional, and correct writing is essential for your company and its image.
You may also find 10 terms you should not use in business emails very useful.
Use a spell checker, but still proofread
It is hard to imagine writing without spell checkers and autocorrect. They let you write faster and more easily, because you know that many of your mistakes will be caught. Take advantage of them: the Spell Checker, for example, marks spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes in your text and explains each one.
However, you still need to proofread your work, because a checker sometimes has a mind of its own. It can suggest a change that turns what you wrote into something you did not mean. Still, when it comes to keeping your writing free of errors, a spell checker is extremely useful.
Read it out loud
Some people feel awkward doing it, but reading your work out loud works very well. You take in a text differently when you hear it: you pay more attention to transitions, tone, flow, and rhythm. You also notice the order of your information more clearly, which helps you spot gaps. And small errors, such as a missing comma or a missing word, are easier to notice.
Find a quiet place and read the document slowly a few times to make sure everything is correct before you send the final draft.
More useful tips
Keep it short
Learn to refine your writing. Treat your text as if it had a strict word limit, and keep your ideas concise and to the point so that your message is clear. You can often turn 200 words into 50 that the reader finds more interesting and easier to read. List your key points so that your message comes across in fewer words.
Use a checklist
Make a checklist to be sure your text has all the items and information it needs before you press print or send. A proofreading checklist is a good place to start.
Take a break before you check
If you have spent a long time writing, take a rest before you check your work for errors. Right after writing, your brain tends to read what you meant to say, not what you actually wrote. That is why editing straight after writing is not a good idea.
Not sure whether you should publish that social media post? See social media etiquette dos and don'ts for businesses.
Why it pays off
Good writing goes right to the heart of selling and marketing your company, so these tips can improve your chances of success. Every email, report, and document you send gives outsiders a picture of your company. Making sure that picture is well written and free of errors can make the difference between success and failure.