6 Reasons Why Small Businesses Need a Professional Editor to Review and Enhance Their Writing

One of our recent clients dropped this nugget as we were wrapping up a lengthy review and revamp of her website content, which included important fixes to more than 100 product pages for her upscale clothing boutique:

"I always assumed editors were just for writers, not for businesses."

It's a logical assumption, and we certainly understand it, but it's still an eye-opener. Professional copy editors and proofreaders are most often associated with newsrooms and publishing houses, not small businesses and home offices.

High-quality writing, though, should not be limited to books, newspapers and other traditional publications. In the world of small business, what and how you write is a representation of how you run your company, your knowledge and credibility in your part of the marketplace, and the value of your goods and services.

Careless mistakes are a signal to potential clients that you do careless work. Unprofessional writing turns interested customers into discouraged ones who will not hesitate to find a better user experience elsewhere -- perhaps from a competitor. In the end, unprofessional business writing costs you sales, though this aspect of small-business operation is often overlooked.

Here are six reasons small businesses need to utilize a professional editor, framed as rebuttals to the most common responses we get from prospective clients who, at first, are unsure about editing services:

1. "I do my own editing." / 1a. "I use spell check."

There's a reason why the most talented and prolific writers have their work checked and amended by editors. It is just about impossible to create content and review it critically and objectively at the same time. And when you reread your own writing more than a few times, your brain begins to play tricks, causing you to miss errors, skip past omitted and duplicated words, cross up numbers, and so on. Copy editors and proofreaders review the same content from a critical perspective, and the good ones clean up the mistakes and ensure the message is clear, concise and appropriate for the intended audience.

As for spell-check software, we've said it before -- spell check is not a proofreader. Successful businesses avoid spell-check fails, which can range from silly and innocent to embarrassing and expensive. And with more people conducting important business tasks on their phones, auto-correct is another techno "convenience" that can take your business writing in the wrong direction.

2. "Someone already checks my work."

We certainly agree that it's beneficial to have someone take a look at your work, check for mistakes and provide feedback through a different lens. (I mean, that's pretty much what we do, after all.) But chances are that "someone you know" -- typically a friend or family member -- is not reviewing your work with a skilled or critical eye. It's more likely they are pitching some mild commentary in order to feel like they've helped without crossing lines and offending you. Professional editors ensure your writing matches the high quality of your services and is intriguing to the customers you've worked so hard to attract.

Can you count on your contact to go through your entire website, your marketing copy, your email newsletters, your company catalog (if you have one)? There's much more to business content than what pops up on your website's homepage. Visitors almost always head to your About page in order to learn about your background and credentials, and that page is where we usually find a ton of errors.

3. "I have a website person who handles my writing."

Web designers and digital-marketing professionals are incredibly talented people with skills and insight that can do wonders for a small business. But they are not stand-ins for professional editors. It works the other way too -- a polished editor/writer cannot substitute for someone with the expertise to build an attractive website and strengthen your SEO and social-media game. As a business owner, you should view web/marketing pros and editors as complementary services to fully enhance your brand.

4. "It's too expensive." / "It's not in my budget."

We've gotten this response enough times to understand there is a general assumption that business editing is a cost-prohibitive service. But that's simply not the case. If there are issues with your business content, it's very likely the damage from lost sales and/or wasted ad spends will exceed the modest expense of editorial services. The majority of PJC Editing's clients spend between $50 and $150 for a professional edit of their main website pages and/or print material. That's a small price to pay for peace of mind knowing your business writing is clean, correct and helping you gain and retain customers. And initial assessments are always free.

5. "My customers/clients don't care about grammar."

It's true -- there are some businesses that enjoy the luxury of not having to worry about turning off customers with subpar writing. A popular restaurant with rave reviews is going to have a line spilling onto the sidewalk even if it mistakenly advertises "causal dining" with "stylish flare." No thrill-seeker is going to skip the newest high-speed roller coaster because the flaming sign out front left the apostrophe off "RAZORS EDGE."

It's not true for most others, unfortunately. In almost all corners of the business world, customers and clients make judgments about your business based on how you present it in writing. If an accounting firm overlooks a series of careless spelling and grammar issues in its business writing, would you trust it to be meticulous with your finances and tax returns? Would you feel comfortable sending money to an online store that can't articulate its payment policies and product information? The answer is no.

6. "Nobody has ever mentioned anything about mistakes."

Of course they haven't -- customers are not interested in providing a running tally of the grammar errors on your website or the misspellings in your most recent newsletter or (expensive) mailing. It's much more likely that those who've noticed mistakes on your website or in your advertising have just silently moved on and taken their business to another company. You don't get editorial feedback from customers, especially customers you never had in the first place.

Do you know who is interested in discussing writing errors with you? An editor!

PJC Editing specializes in supporting small businesses by improving their written content and eliminating the mistakes that lead to lost customers and reduced sales. Reach out for a free introductory assessment and learn more at www.pjcediting.com.