Why you can and should break grammar rules in marketing

Grammar.

It’s something we’re taught so we understand the ground rules of how to speak well, read well, and write well—allowing us to better communicate with each other.

Proper grammar is drilled into us, and as we advance through schooling we start to learn even more advanced grammar rules and—eventually—we learn there are actually entirely different styles of grammar which can depend on the specific audience or publication you’re writing for or marketing to.

As we come to realise, grammar is not universally applied by all in the same way.

Grammar rules, it turns out, are—to coin a phrase from a certain movie about pirates in the Caribbean—more like guidelines anyway.

They can be broken if there’s another, better way to convey your meaning or tone. It’s something great marketers understand and regularly use to their advantage, helping them get their message across with communications that rise above the din to stand out.

Interestingly, while many elements of good grammar are fairly ubiquitous (such as starting a sentence with a capital letter), there are also many points of difference between the popular grammar styles—such as but not limited to the ‘correct’ punctuation to use.

One style guide for example may require spaces around em dashes (long dashes that look like this: —) while another may not. One may require single quotation marks for quotes while another may recommend double.

An often missed trick for business owners is to pick a grammar style for external communications then be consistent in its application. Simple grammar consistency shows you care about how you communicate, with the implicit attention to detail ensuring you come across as more professional, reliable, and trustworthy than competitors who aren’t doing this. It’s these small one percenters that can influence ‘gut feel’ and make all the difference when it comes to swaying prospects weighing up who to engage as well as driving sought-after conversions.

This also applies to spelling—decide whether you’re writing in Australian English or American English, and stick to it. Don’t mix these up by writing sentences that use both like: ‘We specialise in maximizing your return on investment’.

The sentence should be either:

‘We specialise in maximising your return on investment’ (Australian English)

or

‘We specialize in maximizing your return on investment’ (American English).

It’s important to recognise that while both grammar and spelling rules can be broken—they must only be broken with considered thought and intention in order to achieve a specific goal.

Sentences can be short. Like this.

They can even be one word. Just. Like. This.

They can end

… in mid-sentence.

It’s all about …

IMPACT.

And clarity of message.

Did you notice I started the previous sentence with a conjunction? You were probably taught not to do that.

Most of the grammar ‘rules’ we know and that have been drilled into us again and again can be bent and broken—with skilled marketers doing just that all the time to create powerful messaging in tailored brand voices.

Grammar rules are, after all, like words… they are entirely made up! They’re a set of conventions, but that doesn’t and shouldn’t stop new inventions and creative subversions if they’re ultimately better at conveying a desired meaning.

At Argon, our experienced content strategists and copywriters can help you find the brand voice for your business or organisation. Contact us on 08 8223 3099 or email info@argon.com.au to find out how we can help get your messaging right so you can engage your audience and unlock your potential.