Grammarly is a program that checks your writing for spelling and grammatical errors and goes way beyond the old fashion Microsoft Word spell check. As Forbes put it, “It’s an online service that quickly and easily makes your writing better and makes you sound like a pro, or at least helps you avoid looking like a fool.” Here are a few specific ways to use Grammarly in your marketing efforts.
1. Check anything online on the fly
They have a handy browser extension for Chrome, Safari, and Firefox that will give you help and suggestions as you write anywhere on the web. That includes blogging, commenting on a Facebook post, or emailing your boss. You can turn this feature off for specific websites in the extension preferences, and hide it anytime as you type.
2. Instantly define any word online
With the installed browser extension, you can double click on any word to instantly get a definition. No need to open a new window and search for definitions anymore! You can toggle this feature on or off in the extension preferences.
3. Write scripts and speeches
I often write video scripts for ads that need to stay under a certain length. Grammarly quickly estimates how long the text will take to say out loud. Cycle through the word count at the bottom of your document to see the estimated time.
4. Estimate article read time
Using the same process as finding estimated speaking times, you can also find estimated reading times. This is great if you want to let your readers know approximately how long it will take them to read an article. Even if you don’t publicize it, it’s good for you to have an idea of how long you are expecting your audience to read your content.
5. Check outsourced blog posts for plagiarism
If you have anyone else write blog posts or create content for your site, make sure they didn’t steal it! Run it through Grammarly’s premium plagiarism feature first. It checks over 8 billion web pages to look for any unoriginal content.
6. Enhance your writing
With the premium version of Grammarly, you get an additional 250 checks for your writing including sentence structure and writing style issues. In addition, the vocabulary enhancement feature gives you suggestions for more diversified writing.
7. Professional proofreading
For an important document when everything above isn’t enough, and everything needs to be perfect, Grammarly provides a professional proofreading service. Currently, they charge per word and by turnaround time. Instant turnaround is $0.12 per word while 24 hours is just $0.02 per word.
Ready to give it a go? Get started by downloading the free browser extension here.
Do you use Grammarly? Let us know your favorite feature and how you use it in your business in the comments below.