Imagine you’re out at a restaurant and the waitress comments on how much she loves your nails. Unless you’re the modest type (Come on, don’t be shy!), you would probably hand her your business card and tell her to come see you at the salon. She’s busy so she might just put it in her apron to look at later. .Now imagine her at home sorting through her tips and she runs across your business card. Does it grab her attention and make her want to make an appointment the next day? Does it give her an idea of what your salon is like? Does it have all the pertinent information so that she can contact you or get to your salon?

Simply put, a business card allows you to put your name and services right into a client’s — or potential client’s — hand. Business cards are small and convenient, so clients are more likely to keep them instead of tossing them into the trash like they might do with a flyer or menu. And if your card looks great and clearly stands out from the rest, it can do wonders when it comes to reminding your clients who you are and helping to attract new ones.

When you think about your business card, it should just be a natural extension of the salon itself. If your salon has a tropical theme, that should be portrayed on your card. If it’s a wellness spa, your card should be simple and serene with natural colors. If it’s an energetic, busy nail salon, your card should be colorful and bold. Clients and potential clients should be able to look at your card and tell what kind of business you are running.

In addition to carrying the theme of the salon through on your card, you also might consider adding something that says what your specialty is — for instance pink-and-whites, nail art, or pedicures. This just helps clients remember you even better. Do you keep early or late hours? If so, you might want to note that on your card. Do you use one product line exclusively? You might want to include that as well.

And don’t forget the vitals. Phone number (always with area code), e-mail, website, and salon address are mandatory so clients can contact and find you.

Here, we’ve grabbed a few good business cards and given them a little facelift. We hope it will get your creative juices flowing when you sit down to reevaluate your business card.

THE NAIL ROOM

What We Love: This card is nice and simple. The phrase “over 17 years experience” is a great touch to let clients know that this tech must be doing something right if she’s been in business that long.

The New Look: The main thing that this card is lacking is the area code. In today’s world of cell phones, new area codes are popping up all over the place. The next town over might have a different area code, so it’s a good idea to include it. Other than that, we just gave this card a fresh new look by softening the pink and simplifying the typeface.

THE FILE CABINET

What We Love: This card lists the nail tech’s specialties so that any one who is looking at it will know what services are offered.

The New Look: Script fonts are difficult to read. We want to make sure that whoever is looking at our card doesn’t have to do a lot of work or else we might lose them as a customer. Keep it simple. We also updated the look of this card using a modern color scheme and rounded corners.

NAIL LAGOON

What We Love: The way the theme is carried through from the name to the image on the card. It’s also a great idea to include information about being a manufacturer’s educator. It just helps you stand out more.

The New Look: We simplified the card (Do you see a trend here?) by using more white space, but we still used a tropical image because that is a great way to brand your salon.

NAILS BY LYNETTE PRICE

What We Love: This card includes the basic information and has a place for the nail tech to write in the client’s next appointment so she won’t forget.

The New Look: Business cards of different shapes — skinny, square, rounded, etc. — help your salon stand out. Our new card is half the size of a regular card and printed on the front and back. The phone number is now more prominent and we offered a twist on how to set up the client’s next appointment. You simply circle the month, day, and date and fill in the time. It’s cute and different and will help the card stand out for your client.