Editing and proofreading is only for writers—right? Wrong! The editing process is very important to any marketing campaign. After all, the smallest error could wreak havoc on a business. Imagine the chaos that could ensue if a product is labeled with the wrong price in an ad or the features are accidentally misrepresented in a video presentation. There are more forms of marketing than ever before, from social media to television ads and email copywriting to direct mail—and this means there are more places that a small mistake can slip into a marketing campaign. Before you submit that next campaign, or even launch a marketing video on your webpage, consider these tips to make certain you practice “mistake-free marketing.”
- Be Direct – Many marketing errors are not errors so much as they are misunderstandings. When you are creating any type of marketing material, make sure your statements are direct and precise. If you avoid indirect speech or writing, you avoid many mistakes.
- Review from a New Perspective – Try printing out that white paper and reading it off the computer, or listen to the audio from your video presentation with the distraction of the video itself. Reviewing things in a different way can help you catch mistakes that may have never been caught.
- Hire a Professional – It’s easier than ever to hire a freelancer who will be happy to look over your materials. A good proofreader, editor or copywriter can look over your content and make certain there aren’t any glaring errors. He or she may even catch tiny grammatical errors you’d never have noticed otherwise.
- Consider a Soft Launch – Instead of posting your new marketing video publicly or sending it by email to your 3,000 subscribers, send it to a small, trusted group of friends/customers/co-workers who may give you some feedback. This is a good way to test the waters with a new campaign.
- One Last Check – No matter who has looked over your materials or what changes have been made, give the project one last look before you hit send, turn it in or post it for the world to see. Especially when you make adjustments, the door is open for a small error to slip past unchecked.
Spending time with your marketing campaign to catch the little errors may not be the most interesting part of the marketing cycle, but catching just one mistake can save you time and money in the long run. Don’t be afraid to ask for help in the review process—not everyone is good at this process. After you’re finally finished, you can bask in the glow of launching a successful, and mistake-free, marketing campaign.
Tracy S is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
