4 Tips for Fast, Easy, Error-Free Proofreading
3. Keep your style sheet updated. Were new decisions made during this catalog's proofing process? For example, did a new manager decide to always add a comma before the "and" in a list (debates are frequent on the "yes, use comma" vs. "no, don't use comma" style). Be sure that new rules get added to the style sheet for the next catalog cycle.
4. Call and click. Always actually call the 800 number (and other phone numbers) to be absolutely sure it's correct and working. This may seem silly, but it will avoid disaster and yes, I've seen disaster happen that could have been avoided by a simple call. Also, click on any URLs that are listed to double-check that the right pages come up.
Susan J. McIntyre is Founder and Chief Strategist of McIntyre Direct, a catalog agency and consultancy in Portland, Oregon offering complete creative, strategic, circulation and production services since 1991. Susan's broad experience with cataloging in multi-channel environments, plus her common-sense, bottom-line approach, have won clients from Vermont Country Store to Nautilus to C.C. Filson. A three-time ECHO award winner, McIntyre has addressed marketers in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, has written and been quoted in publications worldwide, and is a regular columnist for Retail Online Integration magazine and ACMA. She can be reached at 503-286-1400 or susan@mcintyredirect.com.
