Regardless of whether you’re a business owner or a working professional, you must make clients and customers aware of your products and services, engage them, and convince them to make a purchasing decision.
Corporate gifts can give your company a valuable means of strengthening relationships with its most important customers (and employees), building goodwill and promoting the enterprise’s business. Expressing gratitude is vital in cultivating thriving business relationships with clients and customers, and the most impactful method is with personalised and thoughtful gestures of appreciation. Something as simple as a coffee can make a significant impact, build greater rapport, and reduce no-shows.
Is There Any Difference Between Corporate Gifts and Promotional Items?
Corporate gifts and promotional items are both used in the marketing communication mix, but they couldn’t be more different. To be more precise, corporate gifts are physical gifts from a business to a client, employee, vendor, or prospect. They’re gifts of gratitude, so they tend to cost more; these gifts are handed out selectively every now and then. Business gifts can be turned into promotional gifts by changing the target audience, encouraging awareness among individuals likely to come in contact with the business. Corporate gifts are more personalised and can be used in marketing communication to synergise and support other promotion ideas.
Promotional items, on the other hand, reach a much wider audience and are aimed at customers and consumers. Promotional products like personalised pens are handed out with the hope they’ll be used, and the brand will gain recognition. They act as ongoing adverts, which is the reason why the item needs to be carefully chosen. Promotional items are typically bought in bulk and handed out regularly at events or trade shows as a thank-you for inquiring more about the brand. Besides pens, the most useful products are t-shirts, mugs, water bottles, and wireless battery chargers.
Corporate Gift Giving Is a Practice That’s Been Around for A Long Time
Corporate gift-giving might not be as popular as it once used to be, but for today’s business owners or working professionals, giving something voluntarily without expecting anything in return is a celebration of generosity with a great return on the investment. One of the first recorded instances of corporate gift-giving is when John D. Rockefeller gave away calendars to his employees. It must be noted that Rockefeller’s generosity spread across many individuals and institutions. Back on topic, many organisations started adopting the gift-giving practice to increase employee happiness and productivity.
In the old days, corporate gift-giving focused on consumers under the banner of sales promotions. Nevertheless, the rapid advancement of corporate gift-giving has led to the establishment of a new niche within the marketing sphere, with incentives gaining respect as valuable tools. Not many companies have a budget allocated explicitly to such promotional activity, so the exact size of business gift-giving is difficult, if not impossible, to quantify with precision. Those who give business gifts are more likely to be contacted by recipients, so the relationship-building plus is more than evident.
Investing In Personalised Items Is a Sure-Fire Way to Make a Good Impression
There are several things to consider in using corporate gifts: the role and purpose, the budget and the recipient, and the choice of the gifts and timing. For now, we’re going to focus on the practical considerations. Whether a corporate gift is appropriate will be decided by the recipient, not the giver. Offerings for top customers and suppliers tend to be traditional merchandise, such as personalised tote bags, while gifts for staff often take the shape of vouchers. Needless to say, there are differences in gift preferences between men and women. Men prefer money, computer software, travel, and audio/video equipment, while women would rather receive flowers, food or candy and travel.
To make the offering more meaningful, you can personalise it. Corporate gifts are, according to the definition, impersonal, so how can they possibly generate a personal touch? The items should reflect the individuality, interests, and preferences of the recipient, demonstrating you’ve put thought into the gesture. As specified by research, people love to see their names in print, particularly on something they use often, which explains why many business gifts today are imprinted with the recipient’s name and monogram; they’re more memorable. The point is the best gifts aren’t always the most sophisticated or most expensive items – it’s the thought that counts.
Generic gifts have a place, but if you really want to make an impact, splurge on something out of the ordinary. To be more precise, give the recipient something they don’t have or might not buy for themselves, which will become an important part of their lives. Adding your logo to the corporate gifts is always recommended, but it’s important to give the correct amount of importance to ensure the gift is the main focus. Branded items are sometimes discarded as obvious marketing ploys. You should centre your gift-giving on building relationships to get the most out of your marketing budget.
When Is the Ideal Time to Send Corporate Gifts?
In addition to the immediate smile and indebtedness it elicits, a business gift can engage individuals meaningfully, create positive associations, and bridge the cross-cultural divide. The timing can be determined by external factors (e.g., customs) or internal factors (e.g., the intended objectives). Nonetheless, it can be influenced by the timing of other marketing campaigns, such as the launch of a new product or service. In trying to figure out what makes sense for your company, you can select strategic opportunities where gifts are most appropriate, including Christmas, company anniversaries, convention/trade shows, and promotional events.
Finally, yet importantly, it’s essential to keep in mind that gift-giving is very much a grey area, meaning it’s hard to judge what’s right and wrong. Offerings should only be given if they fall in line with customary business practices and can’t be considered a bribe. If the gift is regarded as inappropriate, it will do more harm than good, and once the recipient is disengaged from the relationship, it’s difficult to resume the liaison.
