A nickname can be used on business cards if related to your business or has an impact on your business. As a general rule, any nickname that is a shorter version of your given name is fine. You can make a nickname work if you own it, are proud and professional.
Consistency Across Channels
Be consistent across all channels once you decide how you want to be known. Casual names generally sound unprofessional.
Include your nickname between your first and last names in quotation marks. When people use your nickname and given name variably, quoting the nickname within your legal name’s formatting can be helpful.
Professional Use of Nicknames
Is it professional to use a nickname? Use a professional nickname not too informal or offensive.
Your name is the most important thing on the card. Use the name you’re professionally known by. Ask people’s standards on using your nickname professionally. Many allow nicknames as part of email addresses and on business cards but still require legal names on badges.
Creating Effective Business Cards
The main purpose of a business card is to share contact information with potential customers. When creating your business card, make sure you add all the important contact information:
- Business name
- Your name
- Address
- Phone number
- Website
- Email address
Your name is the first thing that you should put in your personal business cards.
Common Business Card Mistakes to Avoid
If you want to reel in leads, make sure you aren’t guilty of these 10 business card mistakes:
- Missing obvious contact information
- Using hard to read fonts or colors
- Including irrelevant information
- Having spelling/grammar errors
- Making it overly cluttered
- Using an unprofessional email
- Not including a call to action
- Making it too boring/plain
- Choosing flimsy card stock
- Not having any business cards