I was once compared to a baseball umpire. As a professional proofreader, it’s my job to make the calls on the rules of language and accuracy. When I do my job right, no one notices. But if I make a bad call, I’m bound to have an angry crowd to face.
The reason why I like this analogy is because it perfectly illustrates why proofreading is vital to any successful brand. You’ll always hear about the obvious tenets of building a strong brand, like research, strategy, design, analysis, etc. But what about the importance of quality control?
We say that a brand is not a logo, a symbol or a tagline. It is a living entity—a collection of perceptions and beliefs that live in the hearts and minds of your customers. We say that a consumer should experience your brand in every facet of your product or service—from the hotel front desk to the company Facebook page. It’s in the way you design, the way you sell, the way you decorate, the way you speak, the energy you show and the tone you take. Whether you realize it or not, all of these elements contribute to how people perceive your brand. And unfortunately, so do your mistakes.
If you want consumers to trust your brand, you must show them your trustworthiness. If you want them to rely on you for their needs, you must show them your reliability. And no matter what your intentions, if you produce flawed creative and informational output, people will see your brand as flawed too.
Quality assurance is paramount to effective marketing. Just like a proofreader’s job, it may go unnoticed by your audience when done right, but you can bet that it will be front-page news when it’s not.
You have a limited opportunity to capture—and keep—the loyalty of consumers. If you want to win their business, you’ve got to play the game right—and that means taking the proper steps to ensure flawlessness in your brand messaging.
It’s batter up, and all eyes are on you. So be sure to step up your game with star quality!
