Twitter, texting and other short content platforms have revolutionized the way that we talk with each other. They’re also single-handedly responsible for maiming the English language.
When you publish web content, blogs, articles, social media posts, or any other marketing materials going to a wide audience, don’t fall into the text-speak trap.
Spell It Out:
- It’s Y-O-U-R not U-R.
- It’s W-H-Y not Y.
- It’s L-A-T-E-R not L-8-R.
- B-E-F-O-R-E not B-4.
There’s many, many more.
Obviously, if your market is teens, there may be an exception. For the rest of the world, it’s transparent and unprofessional. Respect the English language, and spell it out.
Matt Brennan is a Chicago-area marketing writer and copy editor. He is also the author of Write Right-Sell Now.
