Branding is not just about selecting the perfect colour for your brand or creating attractive packaging. It has gone beyond the limits of simply being product-orientated, so if you’re saving costs on corporate gifts, you’ve neglected a major branding area right there.
Clients need to be reminded of their value. One way to do this is to send corporate gifts, customised especially for them. Oh yes, and one more teeny tiny detail: they’ll be expecting branded corporate gifts. Hence, you can’t get away with buying a box of Ferrero Rocher and having it delivered without adding a few customisations such as a box with your logo or a bottle that showcases your branding colours.
It’s not just your customers who are looking for incentives to stay loyal; your employees also need more than just salaries to stick around. They won’t say it, but they’ll compare what you have to offer with all those packages offered by other employers. Trust me, that’s not a good sign.
Your employees expect Christmas gifts and Easter baskets along with their branded diaries, keyrings, and coffee mugs. You can’t just get away with a Christmas bonus.
Oh, I’m just getting started.
Firstly you need to know why corporate gifts are integral for the success of your business and here are a few reasons that might clear the fog for you:
A reminder: you are valued!
Regardless of how much kindness you’ve shown to your client and the countless favours you might have bestowed upon them, you need to remind them that they are immensely valued. The same goes for your employees. They need continuous doses of motivation, and your inspiring speech isn’t enough to serve this purpose.
While you may be able to satisfy your employees with a branded USB device, notebook or laptop stickers, you’ll need to go the extra mile where clients are concerned. Make them realise how much they mean to you and that you’ve made a special effort by putting a lot of thought into their branded corporate gifts. It’s time-consuming of course. Not to mention you’ll need a whole new level of creativity and budget-making expertise.
Fortunately, some companies excel in preparing branded corporate gifts to your requirements and budget. Not only that, they even pitch in ideas of their own to help you establish better public relations and connect more with your employees, clients, and customers.
Employee motivation
You’re adamant about creating a positive work culture? Of course you are. Without your workforce feeling appreciated, your company won’t see many happy days. Corporate gifts play a key role in keeping employees motivated. They help stir an air of optimism, especially if things have been a little rough lately.
It isn’t just about sending home some goodies on their birthdays. Make your employees feel special every other month by handing out personalised gifts like a stress ball or earphones with your company’s logo, for instance.
By the way, try to steer away from giving out trinkets such as notebooks and keyrings as gifts. It’s a given nowadays that every employee will get these things and there’s nothing special about them….sorry but that’s the truth.
A memorable first impression
If you’re new on the block and need to make a great first impression, there’s no better way to do that than giving out branded corporate gifts. Sending out a box of chocolates with your logo and brand colours along with a brochure to potential clients can act as a catalyst for your start-up.
You can even send your clients branded merchandise such as t-shirts, activewear, or hats but make sure they are worth wearing. That’ll give you the advantage of some low-cost advertising when those clients wear them on a morning stroll or when they’re hitting the gym.
More corporate gifts lead to better relationships
You expect your other half to send you a gift on your anniversary even if you’re both currently miles apart, right? After all, a gift is a gesture that strengthens your relationship and the corporate world is no different in this respect.
Sending branded gifts to clients on business anniversaries or congratulating them on a recent milestone they achieved is a major relationship booster. It makes your client feel that their achievements matter to you and you don’t just remember them when you’re sending invoices or on national holidays.
According to research, 83% of recipients remember the brands who have gifted them with promotional products compared to those who haven’t (Source – PPAI). That’s a whopping number so you need to take this seriously.
Download the Bespoke and Branded Gift Brochure
Helps you stand out from the competition
The competition bar just keeps on rising and it’s not coming down anytime soon. Do you want to fall behind in the race to stand out? It takes nothing more than something “different” offered by another organisation for your client to make a quick switch. Branded corporate gifts cannot only help you stand out amongst competitors but can also be a great incentive for clients and customers to stay with you for the long term.
Sending out warm wishes to your customers and clients in the form of promotional corporate gifts can distinguish your brand from the others who haven’t yet adopted this branding tactic. It helps promote your brand as one that cares about customers and clients. Furthermore, when you distribute personalised gifts to clients they will spread a good word or two about how much effort you invested in making them feel special.
You’ll be getting a lot more clients once you’re popular as a generous brand – mark my words.
I’m sure you don’t need more convincing as to how corporate promotional gifts can accelerate your success. So, let’s move on to the next stage – what are the key factors you need to consider when deciding on your branded corporate gifts?
Make it relatable to your brand story
We’ve already discussed that branded corporate gifts are all about investing time and effort. Your client or potential customer will be wowed only when they believe that you’ve gone above and beyond to come up with this special gift.
Suppose you’re sending out flowers and sweets without anything relatable to your brand. In that case, your customer might enjoy it for a while and eventually forget about it, unless you give them something to remember you by.
The trick is to personalise the promotional gift for clients and make sure you’re adding value i.e. something relevant to your brand story. For example, if you deal in luxury cars or own a showroom, send out a pack of luxury chocolates along with a leather keyring with your client’s name engraved on it.
Marketing and gifting go hand in hand
Don’t look at branded corporate gifts as something secondary, see them as part of your marketing strategy. Add your logo and brand colours to that diary, perfume or box of luxury biscuits that you’ve included in your package. Have a box designed that reflects your brand persona.
Apart from being memorable, research indicates a high probability of clients doing business with the same company repeatedly – nearly 79%! (Source – BPMA Study)
Use these branded gifts as promotional content. You’ll save a lot more money than advertising on television or radio, and you’re getting the added benefit of establishing better relationships with your clients!
Love at first sight
Yes, that’s right. Your promotional gifts should make an impact when they arrive at your client’s office or your loyal customer’s doorstep. Stylish, contemporary packaging that’s simple yet impactful is what constitutes a perfect promotional corporate gift.
Learn from the best like Apple, Victoria’s Secret and Tiffany. You love them for their packaging not just the products, right?
Convenient to use
Make sure you’re not sending out a gift that could be useless to your client or can’t be shipped safely. So your thoughts of sending out a crystal ornament might be noble, but if it lands shattered at your client’s doorstep, your efforts and money both just went down the drain or into the dustbin in this case.
When sending out branded corporate gifts make sure that you aren’t violating any no-gifting policies though. They are seldom there but some clients do make this clear beforehand.
The significance of branded corporate gifting cannot and should not be ignored. With the branding world getting more competitive every second it is vital to create an impactful image amongst your clients, employees and customers.
