Sometimes going back to basics can really help you to achieve better content and therefore reach more people and create a following which will get you closer to your end goals.
That was hard to read, wasn’t it? Or did you naturally add pauses and punctuation? If you haven’t guessed already this blog is going to be about the use of grammar and why it’s so important.
So what is grammar?
Well, according to the oxford dictionary, the definition of grammar is
“the rules in a language for changing the form of words and joining them into sentences”.
Why is this important I hear you ask? let’s start with the most obvious reason…
Grammar helps you to read words without turning blue
Like little instructions in text, punctuation helps us know how to read something. The comma allows for a short pause for example, whereas the full stop allows for a long pause. Making sure your audience has a good experience of what they are reading, regardless of content, means they will want to read on.
Helps convey personality and message
Good grammar not only helps with readability but will also help to convey a persona. Grammar isn’t just spelling things right and putting in commas, although this is a large part of it. As an estate agent, you want to be seen as the most knowledgeable. Good grammar will help to convey an air of expertise, showing your audience that you know what you are talking about. It will also make you seem more professional, reliable and attentive to detail.
Sifting through listings online that have poor grammar can be hard work, and will often put people off. It’s a strong selling point for people to click on your content and read it, even if they’re not avoiding grammar mistakes consciously.
Mistakes happen
What happens if you make a mistake? In the grand scheme of things, an odd mistake here or there is not going to break the world. We are all only human after all. However, constantly failing to pick up on and edit bad grammar will not look great for your business.
Style choice vs bad grammar
There is a difference between style choices and bad grammar. Style choices could include wording things slightly differently depending on the local dialect. It can also look like not using capital letters within titles and headings.
The most important thing to check is that your writing is easy to read. If you’re putting in a style that’s making sentences arduous to read it’s possibly not going to work in your favour.
But grammar seems scary…
Not everyone is great at word-y stuff, but it doesn’t have to be intimidating. There are so many tools out there that can help with your writing. As you learn to use them, you’ll notice patterns in your writing and what to look out for.
Two of the tools we find particularly helpful are
- Hemingway App
- Grammarly
Hemingway App will grade your writing based on five criteria. The number of adverbs, passive voice, complicated words and phrases, sentences that are hard to read, and sentences that are very hard to read. The lower your score, the easier it is for your audience to read and comprehend.
Grammarly will help you to correct mistakes with spelling and phrasing. You can use the plug-in for writing whilst in your browser, or you can download the desktop app to use with programs on your device.
To summarise: check your work through, use tools to check your work and maybe even get someone else to read it through too. You might not catch them all, but this way you will certainly minimise errors, helping you to lead with successful content.
Katie Gillingham
Katie is a Freelance Copywriter living in rural Dorset with her daft old Labrador. She first started writing content for the property industry back in 2015, and loves nothing more than bringing brand voices to life!
