Bring some style to your business

Once businesses realise they need a style guide the next hurdle is working out where to start.
Hint, hint: We can help you out.
In the meantime, start with the Macquarie Dictionary - Australia's National Dictionary.

Why not the Oxford?
Choosing the Macquarie Dictionary is a deliberate choice for Australian businesses because it is our national dictionary.
It's a great way to banish annoying and often confusing Americanisms from your content. 
Is it colour or color?
Is it fertiliser or fertilizer?
Macquarie can answer these questions quick smart.

First step
Selecting the Macquarie Dictionary as the first step of your style guide covers a lot of words - all the words in fact - and means you are not starting from scratch.
As you find problems with the dictionary, for example two spellings of the same word, you can make a choice and record it in your own document. 
It not only provides answers, but also provides the building blocks for your own style.
It's also a great way to get staff or contractors thinking about style, actively looking up words and questioning if they are writing in the correct format.

Hard copy or online?
The Macquarie is available in hard copy. You can check your cupboard or bottom drawer and may be surprised to find you already have a copy.
Don't worry about it being an older edition because realistically most words haven't changed. 
In an office environment where many staff will be using it, put the hard copy in a central location so that everyone is aware of where it is and feel comfortable accessing it.
These days there's also an online version which can be accessed for a subscription fee, which is popular with many Australian-based copywriters and editors.

Do you use the Macquarie Dictionary as part of your copywriting and editing?