A grammatical error is one of the quickest ways to lose credibility and potential customers.

This couldn't have been more clearly demonstrated in the comments under an advertisement I recently saw on Facebook. Of course, the use of "your" when "you're" was clearly required stuck out like a sore thumb to me, but I'm used to seeing errors everywhere I go (and, for the benefit of my own sanity, having to let them go!).

But the reaction of other Facebook users surprised even me! After all, this was an advertisement for a cheap hair accessory — hardly an instance in which you'd expect there to be such a strong negative response. But a strong negative response there most certainly was, with one user, for example, unequivocally stating, "I would never buy from a company that can't spell or use grammar correctly".

Several others chimed in to express how much the error put them off, using words like "very unprofessional" and "so irritating", with many an angry or eye-rolling emoticon thrown in for good measure.

So, whatever your stance on grammar, you certainly can't argue with the evidence that to many of your customers, it certainly does still matter.

But I'll let you sit back now and bask in the glory that is people still caring about the difference between "you're" and "your".

Louise

xo

#englishteacherandeditordoinghappydance