Give corporate holiday gifts like a badass this holiday season. - Corporate holiday gifts can be a tough call. Check out this list of ideas to really wow your clients, coworkers, or anyone else you want to show you care.
The holiday season is a wonderful but stressful time. The task of finding thoughtful gifts for everyone in your life is a daunting one. This is especially true for finding client gifts. You want your gifts to leave a lasting impression on your clients, keeping your brand on their mind, but you don’t want to overstep your professional relationship by giving them something too personal.
This is why corporate gifts have become plagued with safe and boring items each holiday season. In the pursuit of reinvigorating the gift-giving tradition, we’ve put together our own little gift to you in the form of this article. Here’s a list of great client gift ideas to kickstart your holiday season, making this joyous time of year a bit less stressful for you.
1) Subscription Gifts
Subscription services are available for just about anything you can think of nowadays. Whether your client is a dog lover, a beard connoisseur, or a huge video game nerd - there’s a great subscription service out there that can deliver neat, useful, and unique gifts year-round. Subscription gift services can be especially great presents as they remind your client of your relationship every time a new box arrives at their door.
Subscription services allow you to personalize the gift to each client’s tastes without having to seek out individual items on your own. The boxes and services come in many varieties, price ranges, and regularities. This allows you to give a gift that keeps on giving without breaking the bank.
2) Handwritten Snail Mail Letters
This idea may seem cheap (and it is inexpensive!), but handwritten letters are so seldom received today that they can be a treat to receive. A personalized letter can go a long way in showing someone that you care and is such a rare occurrence that it’s bound to leave an impression on the recipient. You can also add a gift card with the letter, but make sure it’s thoughtful and tied to the content of your letter.
3) The Gift of Education
Don’t worry, we’re not talking about a full ride scholarship or anything! Give your client a learning experience related to their interests. A cooking class might be well received by that gourmand client, or a rock climbing class could be perfect for the adventurous types. This idea requires some careful consideration and a bit of research to find options available in your client’s area but providing them an experience they’ll remember is a great way to solidify your relationship.
4) Portable Phone Chargers
Everyone and their uncle carries around a phone with them these days, and battery life can be a real sore spot for heavy users. Despite the fact that cell phones are so ubiquitous today, not that many people own or are aware of pocket-sized portable chargers that can help give your phone that extra boost it needs on a long day. This gift idea is especially good for clients that travel often or spend a lot of time outdoors.
5) Charitable Donations
It’s hard to go wrong with a donation made to a cause that is close to your customer’s heart. This option is particularly great for clients that are more socially conscious and have personal stock in the cause you are gifting to on their behalf. This gesture is a meaningful way of demonstrating your company’s values while also showing a personal interest in your client.
6) Fuel for the Team
Gift baskets filled with food can be nice, but a catered lunch sent to your client’s office for their whole team might leave more of a mark. In the same vein, paying for a food truck to stop outside their office for an hour or two can create a memorable break from an otherwise standard day of work. Find out what kinds of food are popular in your client’s area and “take them all out to lunch” without leaving your own office.
7) A Good Read
Books are a great gift idea for providing your customers with something that will spark their interest and demonstrate your familiarity with their tastes. You can take this idea a step further by giving them a Kindle packed with numerous books they might enjoy or that are related to their industry. You could also provide them with the e-reader and a gift card, so they can purchase their own books.
E-readers are a great gift for clients with long commutes or travel-heavy schedules that find them spending a lot of time on the road.
8) Desk Toppers
Desk companions like terrarium kits, succulent arrangements, or coffee table books are all great gifts that can be personalized with each client’s individual personality in mind. An interesting desk puzzle or even an old-school Rubik’s Cube might be best for the more playful and brainy types.
Gift Giving Advice
These ideas are by no means a comprehensive list of gifting ideas, but they should provide you with a wonderful starting point for coming up with your own perfect gifts. Giving a present really is more about the thought behind it than the gift itself. This being the case, here are four general tips for choosing and offering gifts to your customers and clients.
1) Personalization is Paramount
Whatever you decide to gift your clients, make sure the present is thoughtful and personalized while still remaining professional. Sending out generic gifts says nothing about you or the person receiving them. Make sure you provide a personalized note with your gifts as well to give the recipient some context.
Take this opportunity to learn a little more about your clients if necessary - this will prove useful in all your future dealings with them. Creating a personal connection will help improve your relationship and give you a talking point on later dates.
2) Spare the Marketing
The gift should be about your customer and not you. Don’t plaster your logo on everything you send them and avoid attaching sales pitches. The point in sending the gift is to show you care about your customer. Creating a personal connection is harder to do when the recipient is bombarded with marketing offers and overtly branded merchandise.
3) Don’t Be Late
Make sure your gift shows up on time and consider that your clients might be out of their office during the actual holidays. Try to get the gifts to them at least a few days in advance.
4) Cost Considerations
Don’t worry too much about how much you should spend. Instead, focus on something that is meaningful to your client. The price tag isn’t nearly as impressive as the sentiment behind the gift. Having said that, make sure your gift falls within any company regulations that might be in place as well as keeping in mind the taxman’s rules.
It’s not about how much money you spend. It’s about how much you care. Remember to make the gift personal while remaining professional and respectful. By doing this, you should be in for a wonderful holiday season filled with happy customers that are bound to remember you and your company for years to come.
