Corporate gifts connect you with clients, customers, employees, and business partners. Though branded corporate gifts are typically associated with the holiday season, better relationships can be built throughout the year by taking the opportunity wherever you can to share a gift with someone you value on a professional level.
Why gift?
Generally, giving a gift to someone is seen as an act of appreciation and gratitude. This gesture tends to carry significant meaning, whether you’re gifting on birthdays, a special event, or even simply as a souvenir. This principle also applies to the world of business.
The main purpose of a corporate gift is to thank customers, clients, and employees for being loyal. Brands often wish to reward repeat customers or those who have stuck around for the long haul. A simple gift can indicate how valuable they are to the company.
This applies to the case of employees also. When a company rewards employees frequently, it helps them know they’re appreciated and strengthens teamwork.
Offering corporate gifts is a great way to attract new clients. During the recent Covid-19 pandemic, it was tough to approach customers directly. However, sending gifts is a proven way of enhancing the reputation and visibility of your company.
Gifts in general are great but to maximise your impact, you must choose your gift with great care. Here are some tips to select the best kind of corporate gifts in Brisbane:
Gifts for business partners
It can be quite challenging to select an appropriate gift for a business partner. After all, poorly selected gifts can give the wrong impression and fracture relationships. To narrow down the search, consider the following two questions:
- What message do I wish to convey with the gift?
- Will the gift represent the motto and mission of our company?
Gifts for employees
By providing corporate gifts to employees, you will strengthen the relationship between yourself and your workers. This act can help in retaining top performers and prevent them from leaving your team.
If you have a large team — think hundreds of people, why not ask your HR department to conduct a survey asking what gifts would be most appreciated and useful. Some popular items include office stationery, mugs, diaries, and apparel.
Empathise with giftees
The best way to approach the task of selecting a corporate gift is by putting yourself in the shoes of the giftee and judging what is most useful and appealing to them. This strategy tends to work no matter whether the giftee is a client, business partner or employee.
If you feel like your chosen gift might be cheesy or less than useful, it’s likely your recipient will have the same impression.
Make your choice based on circumstances
If you are providing corporate gifts in Brisbane as part of an office event — like a leadership conference — choose the gift that reflects what your team has learnt and discussed. For example, organisation may have been a major theme of your conference. In this case, a personalised diary or calendar would be an excellent choice.
On the other hand, should the main objective of giving away gifts be to spread brand awareness, select items that reflect your company motto and culture. A financial services company might choose to offer branded wallets.
There are many differences between these two kinds of gifts and what they should hopefully achieve.
Consider your budget
Before getting too carried away with your gift ideas, consider your budget. The best way to ensure you pick the right gift without spending excessive money is to set aside an annual amount dedicated to buying corporate gifts for every kind of occasion.
By adopting this strategy, you can be sure that you’re not rushing through the process of gift buying and considering items at the last minute that are way outside your price range.
Consider practicality
The ideal business gift is one that can be used daily by the recipient. Such gifts ensure that the recipient — be they employee, business partner, or client — is reminded of your company on a regular basis. Items like wall clocks, USB sticks, coffee mugs, and glasses are an excellent choice in this regard.
Note cultural differences
Perhaps your client or partner is located in a different country. If this is the case, be sure that you understand the cultural traditions and etiquette of their hometown to avoid committing offence. For example, people of some religions and cultures don’t drink alcohol. Providing them with a personalised wine tumbler is not a good choice.
Prioritise quality
Arguably the number one rule of corporate giving is to never gift items of poor quality. Instead of promoting your business, this action can damage your image and brand. Always order corporate gift items from well-established companies that prioritise quality and durability.
Hopefully these useful tips will help you select the perfect branded corporate gifts, keeping your customers, business partners, and employees happy and satisfied.