Common mistakes and misconceptions when writing business card titles
What’s in a title? A lot, especially if it’s placed on a business card. Business card titles are one of the highlights of this identity card.
Look how much information is written there. There’s your name, company or organization, phone number, cell phone number, office address, email address, and your title, of course. Given the very limited space on business cards, typically set at 2″ x 3.5″, you should enter only the most important information about yourself. And these aren’t just for telling people about your contact details. It’s also a powerful tool for creating a great impression, especially if you have a nice headline to go along with a fancy business card.
Note that you can’t really include anything other than the data mentioned above. This means that unlike brochures, postcards, flyers, and other advertising tools, you can’t say much about who you are, what you do, and what you offer. With business cards, recipients have a lot to infer from the information on the card, especially the business card titles and logos.
Points of sale
Owning office space in a well-known, upscale business district leaves a mark. Being at a Fortune 500 company is even more impressive, but having a highly regarded title/position, either because of your educational achievements, such as earning a Ph.D., or your well-deserved rise in the hierarchy of the company as vice president it certainly speaks volumes about who you are and what you are capable of. So isn’t it important that you spell it correctly?
Of mistakes and misconceptions
A person with a medical degree is a doctor and gets the suffix MD, but if you type ‘Dr. John Doe, M.D.’? Some people do. Here are some of the common headline writing mistakes to avoid:
1. Do not include both your degree and your title. Choose one.
For doctors, write ‘John Doe, MD’ or ‘Dr. John Perez’. If he’s done with his PhD, type ‘Dr. John Doe’ or ‘John Doe, PhD’. Lawyers, on the other hand, can write ‘Atty. John Doe’ or ‘John Doe, Esq.’
Same goes if you have different titles like CPA and Esq. Do not write ‘Attorney. John Doe, C.P.A.
2. Do not put ‘Mr.’ or ‘Mrs.’ before her name on business cards.
Do not write Mr. John Doe on your business card. ‘Mister. John Doe, MD’ is especially a big no-no. This also applies to other writings. Do not use ‘Mr.’ if you want to include his title or degree in his name.
3. Not all abbreviations and acronyms require periods.
Actually, PhD should be written as PhD, but more recently, the former has become widely accepted and used. The same goes for MD. Some of the other appropriate abbreviations and acronyms include: D.Ed. (Doctor of Education), DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine), RD (Registered Dietitian), RN (Registered Nurse), CEO (Executive Director), and COO (Director of Operations).
So remember, before you venture online printing for your next set of cards, check to see if your business card title is spelled correctly. It should be an asset, not a turnoff.
