Author - Robin Bowman, Senior Business
Editor
When we talk about Style Guides we generally mean the so-called
house style used by media outlets.
All newspapers and most broadcasters have rules on what to call
countries - Myanmar or Burma, for example - and on spellings and
the use of grammar, as well as such questions as: do we write % or
per cent?
This may all seem far too fussy for the average small
business.
But for many businesses a Style Guide can be extremely
important, although it will be a little less detailed than the
average newspaper.
What we're talking about is the importance of words, accuracy,
consistency and generally seeming professional. This is as
important as it has ever been, and especially so for companies with
an Internet presence.
One thing attention to style achieves is that it encourages all
staff to think about the way their company presents itself in
writing - and this act alone can help to avoid simple mistakes that
can prove costly.
These days, unconventional grammar and spelling are commonplace
- in texting and in social media, in particular. But, when it comes
to trusting a business to deliver a product or service in a timely
and professional way, the customer is highly likely to distrust a
company that is so careless it can't even spell correctly or write
a grammatically conventional sentence.
Add to this the concerns about scams, spamming and phishing and
you can see why it all matters. After all, it's always advised that
one of the first signs that a communication is bogus is if it reads
oddly or contains mistakes.
For a business, these mistakes translate into real costs!
Entrepreneur Charles Duncombe was reported by the BBC (www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-14130854
) as finding that a single spelling mistake on a web page
actually cut sales off that page in half!
He found a single mistake on a page, corrected it and sales
doubled.
As he points out, multiply that across all Internet businesses
and you have a total loss of many millions of pounds.
Clearly, not every company needs a thick guide on in-house
style; but any business will benefit from some style guidelines and
a few rules.
The goal is twofold: to have a style that
fits your brand and to be consistent.
Your guide won't be a weighty tome, perhaps just a single page
of rules you feel are most important, but it can be added to as
required. The important thing is that everyone knows the style and
the rules and that all-important consistency is achieved.
Here are areas that a short, easy-to-digest style guide
should address:
Letters and emails -
Salutations and sign offs. Do you start with 'dear' so and so,
'Hi', or 'Hey', or doesn't it matter? How should people be
addressed in writing - first name or Mr, Mrs, Ms? Sign offs and
email signatures to be consistent.
Jargon - Have a
policy on jargon and technical language - for example, a rule about
using clear terms and explaining things in a way people outside the
business can understand.
Company name - make
sure the company name is always referred to in exactly the same
way. Might sound obvious, but it's worth stating.
Abbreviations - have a policy on
some of the most often used abbreviations in your business. Should
they be spelled out the first time they are mentioned, or is this
unnecessary? Also, have a policy on the use of SMS
abbreviations.
Stock terms and phrases - If you
have terms or phrases that you feel should be especially associated
with your company and used often (obviously in a sensible way),
then list them. These may include terms like 'Peace of mind',
'Security', 'Safety', 'Value', 'Best deal', and so on.
Tone - Not everyone
can write in a particular tone, but everyone can understand the
idea of a tone. So, what tone is right for your company? If you're
a solicitor then it's unlikely you'll want to be too informal. It's
not hard to write a brief description of the way you want your
business to be presented to the world and then ask people to keep
this in mind when they write anything.
Spellings - You
almost certainly won't be able to have rules about all the English
spelling alternatives there are, but you can start the ball rolling
and add others as they arise. Perhaps start with some commonly
confused or misspelt words: like practice (noun) and practise
(verb); imply and infer; they're, their and there; principle and
principal; affect and effect; and the spelling of 'accommodation'.
Or if you think such precision doesn't matter to your business,
just select those mistakes you commonly see and believe do
matter.
Grammar - Grammar
does matter, but these days most people appreciate clarity more
than what experts would say was 'correct'. Some things should be
stressed, though: the difference grammatically between 'it's' and
'its' and NOT using apostrophes for plurals, only for possession.
There are others. But the best thing here is to keep grammar rules
simple and few.
Lastly, make sure everyone who works for you has a copy of your
style guide. And keep it alive by updating it!
Robin has been a journalist for more than 20 years,
during which time he has held several senior media management
positions in both Fleet Street and Hong Kong. Robin recently
returned to the UK after being based in Italy for six years. He has
a passion for business innovation.
The content of this article reflects the views of
the author and may not necessarily reflect the views of Premierline
Direct
