Are your sentences on fleek? Does your use of punctuation have no chill? Don’t know what these expressions mean?
That’s okay; they’ll most likely disappear next year when more new and equally strange slang terms come along. But while slang may come and go, grammar rules are forever.
So much content marketing these days has a casual feel. From emails to blog posts to social media, marketers want to connect with people in an approachable and sometimes fun way. If you’re marketing to a wide audience, whatever slang they might use, you might want to stick to these tried and true grammar rules — not only to stay relevant, but also to avoid being basic.* [*Devoid of defining characteristics that might make a person interesting or extraordinary.]
Make the Oxford Comma Your Bae*
As a marketer, you don’t want to confuse your audience. The Oxford comma – the most provocative and, thanks to Vampire Weekend, the most famous punctuation mark in existence – has one purpose: to aid in clarity when writing a list of items.
Still, it seems that while some cherish clarity, others cherish brevity. If you follow a newspaper style, the Oxford comma may seem like a waste of space. In the digital age, however, when the only place an extra character will get you in trouble is Twitter, it’s better to use it then not. Otherwise you might end up bringing the dancers, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln to the party, instead of the dancers, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln.
Embrace the Oxford comma! Take it out on a date. Introduce it to your mother. Make it your bae.
*Affectionate term used to address or refer to one’s girlfriend, boyfriend, etc.
Double Spacing is Played Out
Almost as controversial as the Oxford comma, double spacing has many people on opposing sides: those who do and those who don’t use it. Those who do say that it feels more natural, or that it breaks up a page, or simply, that it’s what they were taught to do. While that may be the case, they’re wrong.
Double spacing harkens back to a time when typewriters were widely available and each letter and punctuation mark had the same amount of spacing; it was difficult to see where one sentence ended and one began. With the advent of word processers, the extra space was automatically included. And to top it off, as most content being written these days is written for online publication, HTML strips out double spacing.
So if you’re still double spacing you’re not only out of date, but also doing something that’s hella unnecessary.
Give Homophones Side Eye*
This one should be relatively simple, and yet there are still times when the wrong “there” or the wrong “you’re” is used. These simple mistakes can completely change the meaning of a sentence and may cause readers to question your editing and writing abilities.
It’s always important to proof read your work, otherwise, you could be wasting you’re thyme on campaigns that wont be successful, weather they were grate or knot.
*A sidelong glance expressing disapproval or criticism.
Exclamation Points or Nah?
While the impulse to make emails and other content seem friendlier by ending sentences with an exclamation point may help with the tone (whether you want to come across as friendly or show urgency), exclamation points should be used sparingly. If you overuse them, you run the risk of sounding like you’ve had seven cups of coffee!!! Your writing game should be so on point that your choice of words conveys your meaning, rather than the terminal punctuation mark.
Don’t be a Thesaurus Rex*
On the subject of brevity, sometimes straightforward writing is best. There are some people, however, who feel the need to use the biggest words available. These Thesaurus Rexes don’t understand that often the easiest and most effective way to reach an audience is by keeping it simple. Say what you want to say. Don’t write in a way that doesn’t reflect you or your community. Knowing yourself and your audience is what makes your content great.
*Someone who replaces simple words with big ones just to sound smarter.
Photo Source (Creative Commons): Simpleinsomnia.
Olivia Billbrough is the Content Production Specialist at Aberdeen Group. Olivia is responsible for the editorial workflow and the overall management of grammar enforcement. Prior to joining Aberdeen Group, Olivia was an editorial assistant at an educational publisher. She is a graduate of Emerson College where she majored in Writing, Literature, and Publishing.
