Have you ever heard the saying “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it?” Or how about “Your perception is your reality?” Both really say the same thing but in a different way. No matter what your intent is, how your message is “heard” or “viewed” is the actual reality. It doesn’t matter what you “meant” it to be, or that you felt you were “clear enough.” If your audience walks away with a different message than what was intended, then something went wrong in it’s delivery.
When it comes to marketing it is imperative that you take the time to ensure your message is clear, that it will resonate with your target audience as it was intended to. For that matter, your message should also be clear internally as well with those you work beside each day. We have all seen advertisements where words are taken out of context and posted all over Facebook. Yes, the company got a lot of attention, but not the kind it wanted. You cannot leave words to chance, whether they are spoken or written. Protecting your brand and image is so important that you can never leave it to chance or in the hands of someone who is less than qualified to safeguard it.
Professionally, the image we project should mean that everything we do aligns. If we dress in a suit and tie each day, should we arrive unshaven? Or speak in slang? Or write emails with grammatical errors or typos? When we invest all the time, effort, and money into our marketing strategies, shouldn’t extra care be given so that no detail has been overlooked?
Words are powerful. They can be used to motivate, educate, inspire, and persuade; but they can also be misleading, degrading, insensitive, or even left to interpretation. Be deliberate with your choice of words and handle them with the utmost of care.
Keep it disciplined.