Don’t Skimp on Writing and Editing Services

Business Tools and Tactics

Imagine reading an article from an esteemed publication when you suddenly encounter a typo or grammatical error. It’s relatively inoffensive, and you know it’s an honest mistake on the writer’s part, but perhaps you can’t help your raised eyebrow, the twinge of secondhand embarrassment, or the underlying thought of how this got past the editorial team. 

This happened to me recently while reading a reputable web-based medical journal article. I recall being astounded at how a well-resourced and reputable company’s editors missed these errors before publishing the article online. 

Everyone makes mistakes, and that’s okay. But in the e-business world, proofreading is synonymous with professionalism. For the budding entrepreneur, presentation is critical to creating an excellent first impression, and it may be what helps you get your business off the ground and profitable. Here are several reasons you should invest in writing services for your start-up. 

Professionalism

Whether it’s blogs, articles, a website, or marketing materials, ensuring that your company's written content is polished and precise shows attention to detail, diligence, consistency, and commitment to producing high-quality work. Making errors is inevitable, but allowing them to slip through the cracks may signal to outsiders that your company’s internal quality control is not up to par. Not only does this damage your company’s reputation, but you risk losing the trust of your customers, business partners, and investors. Some software apps can help catch these mistakes, such as Grammarly, ProWriting Aid, or Hemingway Editor, but they are not without flaws.  

Effective Communication 

Typos and grammatical errors are not the only blunders to be concerned about in written communication. Perhaps the messaging is too vague, or the text itself is too wordy and not easily understood. This can be not very clear for your customers and employees alike. Professional editors are incredibly skilled at streamlining your content to be concise and digestible while being meaningful and aligned with your brand voice. 

Furthermore, it is essential to consider the audience's literacy levels. The National Center for Education Statistics found that 54% of adults in the United States read below a sixth-grade level. Effective communication involves making your content simple and inclusive so readers can comprehend your message. You don’t want your audience to be overwhelmed by too much advanced vocabulary, for example.  

Time and Resource Management

You may be thinking, “Why pay money for a service that I can easily do myself for free?” Whatever costs you incur, you’ll get back in time. Outsourcing your writing and proofreading needs to a professional editor can help ease the burden on you and your team so that you can direct your focus elsewhere within the company. 

I recently read a popular nutrition book. It was clear that did it had not been reviewed by a professional editor. Although the content was groundbreaking and received widespread attention, the book faced criticism for inconsistencies and a lack of clarity in some sections. Insufficient editing led to confusion among readers and negative reviews.  The book's impact was somewhat diminished because of these editorial shortcomings and even prompted the author to pour extra time and resources into publishing a revised and updated edition. This highlights how crucial professional editing can be in ensuring the clarity and coherence of a manuscript. 

Accuracy

Leaving the editing to yourself may be counterproductive because we often do not detect our mistakes. Furthermore, while automated proofreading tools built into your operating platform may be helpful, they can also be error-prone, usually coming up with false positives. Editors can give you a thorough, nuanced reading of your work and typically offer a fast turnaround time. We realize they are not always affordable based on your disposable income and other high-priority obligations. If this is the case, a more affordable option may be to recruit a second set of eyes to read your content and ears to listen when you read your text aloud to colleagues, end users, and friends. Their immediate feedback can go a long way to producing strong, public-facing communication or marketing collateral.    

Increased Visibility 

Enlisting writing services to help you produce high-quality, regularly updated content can also help drive traffic to your business’s website. This is achieved through SEO or search engine optimization. Search engines favor websites that regularly produce content because it signals that your website is active and relevant. Professional writing services can help you maintain a steady stream of fresh content, whether through blog posts, articles, or news updates. 

Several statistics support the benefits of business blogging. According to Hubspot’s 2024 State of Marketing Report, companies that blog get 55% more website visitors than businesses that don't. Furthermore, Demand Metric, a top marketing advisory firm, found that companies with blogs produce an average of 67% more leads monthly than companies that don't blog. 

Of course, at the end of the day, it is up to you to assess the needs and resources of your company and decide if hiring an editor is the right choice. Just remember, writing services can be strategic investments that pay dividends. Are you a budding entrepreneur looking for help with content creation for your company? Visit www.hollinwright.enterprises and contact us about our business development package. 

References

Editors Canada. (n.d.). What editors do. Retrieved August 19, 2024, from https://editors.ca/hire-an-editor/what-editors-do/  

National Center for Education Statistics. (n.d.). PIAAC measures: Literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments. Retrieved August 19, 2024, from https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/measure.asp?section=1&sub_section=3 

Fishkin, R. (n.d.). What is SEO?. Search Engine Land. Retrieved August 19, 2024, from https://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-seo 

HubSpot. (2015). Marketing statistics. Retrieved August 19, 2024, from https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics?hubs_post=blog.hubspot.com%2Fmarketing%2Fbusiness-blogging-in-2015&hubs_post-cta=HubSpot 

Demand Metric. (n.d.). Content marketing infographic. Retrieved August 19, 2024, from https://www.demandmetric.com/content/content-marketing-infographic